High Ability Identification

Definition of High Ability:

Public Law 221 says that Strategic and Continuous School Improvement and Achievement Plans “must address the learning needs of all students, including programs and services for exceptional learners.” IC 20-31-5.

At Wawasee Community Schools a high ability student is one who performs at, or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in mathematics and/or language arts when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment.

Nomination and Screening

Students at Wawasee Schools will be given equal opportunities to be considered for placement into the high ability program. We will not discriminate based on age, race, economic status, or handicap.

Teachers, administrators, parents, peers, and the students themselves may make nominations for high ability screening. Additionally, all students Fall, Winter, and Spring NWEA RIT scores, in math and language arts will be examined for high ability identification in those specific academic domains. Move-in students that were in a high ability program at another school will immediately be screened for placement into Wawasee’s high ability program.

Data will be collected on referred students which will include, but is not limited to: Teacher rating Scales, NWEA testing, ISTEP+ testing, sample work, Kingore Observation Inventory, and student grades. The top 20-25% of scorers on the screening will go through a complete identification process administered by the high ability team. Please note: data will be sorted based on different norming groups in order to give multiple perspectives on the top 20-25%.

Complete grade-level nomination and screening will take place in kindergarten, second grade, fifth grade, eighth grade and tenth grade. Parents and teachers may request screening and/or identification at any point in the school year. However, consideration will be made to ensure an appropriately timed transition to the high ability program is in the best interest for the student.

Instrumentation

Wawasee Schools will subscribe to the Fair Testing Practices to ensure that students from populations that are culturally diverse, economically disadvantages, have a disability, or have limited English proficiency, have equal opportunities to show what they know and can do. The district may use the following instruments for screening and identification.

Qualitative:

• Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS)

  • Must be completed by classroom teacher

• Student portfolios or work samples

• Student work collected throughout the year and submitted to the high ability coordinator (K-12).

• Planned Experiences (Bertie Kingore/Kingore Observation Inventory)

• Non-Verbal Tests

• Will not stand alone; student must also demonstrate one of the following:

  • High accomplishment in the academic domain in which accelerated instruction or enrichment is offered.

  • Student’s verbal or quantitative reasoning abilities are high relative to other students who have had similar opportunities.

Quantitative

Cognitive Abilities Test (6th ed) (CogAT) – Kindergarten/Second Grade

• NWEA Fall, Winter, and Spring Tests

  • Math and Reading RIT scores (K-8)

• PSAT/SAT (10-12)

  • AP Potential

  • Generate list of students who are 80% or more likely to score a 3 or higher on AP test

• Orleans-Hanna

  • Administered to all 7^th grade students and qualified sixth graders

• ISTEP +

• Math and Language scores (3-8)

Quantitative identification criteria scores are two standard deviations above the mean, minus the standard error of measure (SEM). Specific cut-off scores will not be used.

Eligibility and Placement

• Students will be automatically eligible if they score in the 96^thpercentile (with regards to SEM) on the CogAT or in the 95th percentile (with regards to SEM) on NWEA in the domains of math and language arts. Kindergarten students will be eligible if they score in the 98th percentile on NWEA.

• Qualitative data will be used to support quantitative data if a student falls just low of the aforementioned percentiles.

• Students will also be eligible if they show outstanding performance or potential in qualitative instruments with regards to others in the district that have had the same experiences or environment.

• Student placement in the specific academic domains will be based on multifaceted assessments. No single criterion or cut-off score will be used to exclude a student from the high ability program.

• Student placement in the regular classroom will be aligned with teachers who have had training in high ability and/or differentiation with proven success.

• Placement in high ability program is subject to annual review. Successful students in the program will remain without further testing.

• Parents/guardians will be notified in writing if their student is eligible for the high ability program. Students will be placed in the appropriate classrooms with regards to their specific educational needs, interests, and abilities.

Appeals Procedure

Parents and students may appeal the decision of any committee decision that is made concerning high ability placement.

• The parent or student should contact the teacher or high ability coordinator.

• An appeal form may be given to the parent explaining their concerns and reasons for reconsideration. In the event the form is not completed, the parent can give rationale through a phone conversation documented by the high ability coordinator.

• The high ability coordinator compiles student data and qualitative data is examined. If a parent requests an alternative norm-referenced achievement or aptitude test is administered by the high ability coordinator.

• The new information is taken back to the persons involved in the selection and a final decision is reached.

Exit Procedure

If a student, parent, teacher, or administrator feels that Wawasee’s high ability program is no longer in the best interest of the student, an exit procedure will follow.

• A meeting with the student, parent, building administrator, high ability coordinator and teacher(s) providing service to the student will be arranged. This conference will be set around the parent’s schedule and may fall before or after school.

• The meeting will follow a typical RtI meeting. Areas of concern, data, documentation, and interventions will be discussed. Interventions will take place for a six week probationary period.

• At the end of the six week period, the student, teacher, parents, high ability coordinator, and building administrator will meet to review the interventions and determine if their placement has changed.

• If the student no longer qualifies for the services, the parent will be notified and all information will be kept in the student’s permanent file.

• High ability coordinator will remove G/T status from Skyward.