s/o How are students identified for the gifted program at your local public school?

[Nart]

This is a spin off of a different thread of how students are identified as gifted in public school? I thought it would be interesting to post what it is like in your district:

How are kids identified gifted?

What percentage of students are identified as gifted?

Is there a program for gifted kids?

 

I will start. 

I live in California, which no longer provides any extra funding for gifted programs. This is from the California Department of Education

Is our school district required to offer a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program? 
No. Education Code Section 52206 (a) says, “The governing boards of school districts … may establish programs for gifted and talented pupils…†Further, trailer bill Senate Bill 4 of the 2009-10 Third Extraordinary Session (SBX3 4) (Chapter 12, Statutes of 2009) included the GATE Program amongst State-funded programs for which funding has been designated as “unrestrictedâ€, which means that the GATE funds may be used for any educational purpose. This designation is explained in Fiscal issues relating to budget reductions and flexibility provisions (Dated 17-Apr-2009; DOC; 188 KB; 16pp.). Under this designation, even when a district receives GATE funding, the governing board may determine whether they will implement any or all of the GATE program and funding provisions.

 

In my local school district students in second grade are referred for testing by their parents or teachers. They take a group test either the NNAT or the OLSAT.  The district does not list the cut-off score. They only post that the NNAT/OLSAT test scores will be looked at along with their state test scores, teacher information, and any other pertinent information to ascertain if a student qualifies as gifted under Intellectual Ability or High Achievement.

 

15% of students in the district are identified as Gifted (which appears to include those who qualified under High Achievement). At my first grade son's school 29% of students from 2 to 5th grade are identified as Gifted.

 

There is no program for kids who are identified as gifted besides 3 or 4 Saturday enrichment academies that gifted students can attend.

 

 

[Nart]

I used to work for the Los Angeles Unified School District so I will post the criteria here too.

 

Eligibility criteria for GATE identification in the Intellectual category are as follows:


Designation as 
Gifted

Students who score 95% to 99.8% on a standardized administration of an intelligence test given by a LAUSD school psychologist. 

Expanded criteria for students of low socio-economic status: Students who score between 90–94% and meet the federally defined poverty level are eligible under 2011–2012 district criteria.


Designation as "Highly Gifted Applicable"

Students who score between a 99.5% to a 99.8% are considered "eligible to apply" to a highly gifted magnet program; selection is based upon space availability.


Designation as Highly Gifted

District criterion for identification status for the highly gifted program is the score of 99.9% on a standardized administration of an intelligence test given by a LAUSD school psychologist.

 

 

High Achievement and Specific Academic Ability Categories. 
The following are the determining factors:

High Achievement Ability--Grade 2 only:

A score of 95% or above on the Total "Age Percentile Rank" (APR) Score on the achievement test, Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, Eighth Edition (OLSAT-8), administered by the classroom teacher.

 

Expanded criteria for students of low socio-economic status: Students with a Total APR of 90% to 94% on the OLSAT-8 who meet the federally defined poverty level will be considered.

Students not meeting the poverty level and scoring within 90% to 94% in the Total Age-Based Percentile Rank Score will need additional CST scaled scores of 450 or above in English-Language Arts and 455 or above in math.

NOTE: Because the OLSAT is not a measure of IQ, it does not identify students as “highly gifted.† Students may not take it twice, therefore, reassessment requests will not be available.

 

 

High Achievement Ability--Grade 4 and above: 
Two current consecutive years of advanced achievement in English-Language Arts/reading/EL* (elementary), or English/EL* (secondary) and mathematics.


Scaled scores of 450 or above in English-language Arts and scaled scores of 455 or above in math from grades 2–7 or scaled scores of 455 or above in math content courses for grades 8 and above on the CST or

Percentile scores of 85% or above in total reading and total math on standardized individual or group achievement tests

Expanded criteria for students of low socio-economic status: Students who meet the federally defined poverty level and are missing one CST score that meets the criteria will be considered for eligibility.

 

Specific Academic Ability--Grade 4 and above: 
Three current consecutive years of advanced achievement in English-Language Arts, reading/EL* (elementary), English/EL* (secondary) or mathematics. Students in Grades 9-12 may also be referred in either science or social science.

Scaled scores of 450 or above in English-language Arts or scaled scores of 455 or above in math from grades 2–7 or scaled scores of 455 or above in grades 8 and above in math content courses on the CST and/or

Percentile scores of 85% or above in total reading or total math on standardized individual or group achievement tests

Expanded criteria for students of low socio-economic status: Students who meet the federally defined poverty level and are missing one CST score that meets the criteria will be considered for eligibility.

 

Edited to fix formatting problems

 

[jennynd]

For our district they does cogat. The cutoff,is 98% and up. they send out a note said wheather your kid makes it and what is the cutoff. For kids score high in math section, they then do a separate test for accelerate Math. The test gave a percentile in normal distribution and another percentile in identified gifted distribution. I don't know what is cutoff for that. We just get a note said that they recommend for acceleration and percentile report

[MinivanMom]

Our school district tests all 3rd grade students. 

 

Students are identified as gifted in math if they score above the 92% on the CogAT and above the 92% in Total Math on the ITBS and if their portfolio shows they are working at least 1 grade level ahead in math. 

 

Students are identified as gifted in reading/lang.arts if they score above the 92% on the CogAT and above the 92% in Total Reading on the ITBS and if their portfolio shows they are working at least 1 grade level ahead in reading/lang.arts.

 

Students can be nominated for testing prior to 3rd grade by either the teacher or the parents, but they must meet higher criteria.  For K-2nd they must score above the 98% on the CogAT and be above the 98% in either Total Math or Total Reading on the ITBS (whichever area they are trying to qualify in) and their portfolio must show that they are working at least 2 grade levels ahead.

 

Gifted students are then further divided into those with moderate needs, those with strong needs, and those with very strong needs.  I'm not sure what the specific cut-offs are for those designations, but anecdotally I've heard stories of kids in the "very strong needs" category getting grade skips.

 

Our local elementary school has 30% of 4th & 5th graders identified as gifted (educated, middle-class area).  Some other local elementary schools have as many as 50% of their students identified as gifted.  Those schools are in upper-middle class areas with a large number of parents who have doctorates and/or parents who work in scientific research or technology fields.

 

Edited to add:

Our state also allows early entry to kindergarten for 4 yr olds.  If your child will be 5 by mid-April of the kindergarten year then they may apply for early kindergarten entry.  They must score above the 98% on an individually administered IQ test and above the 98% on a standardized achievement test and show that they are working at least 2 years ahead of their peers and show sufficient social maturity to cope with entering school early (no idea how they determine that).  I have no idea how many children gain early entry.

[Mergath]

According to our school district website (and they apparently start this in fourth grade):

 

Assessment for placement in a QUEST class for high potential students takes place in the spring of the year, with the exception of students new to the district. Recommendations are based on district test scores, a checklist of characteristics observed by the classroom teacher and/or by any adult knowledgeable of the student’s abilities.

 

Assessment measures include:

 

• Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) math score
• Cognitive Ability Test given by the Gifted & Talented Coordinator
• Gifted and Talented Evaluation Scales (teacher checklist)

 

All scores are placed on a weighted grid and student’s composite scores are compared to others at their school/grade level. The top ten percent are invited to participate in the enrichment classes.

 

 

I have no idea how they pick the top ten percent of the kids who do the teacher checklist.  It sounds like a very subjective and poor way to determine which kids need gifted services.  And how would you compare kids who take an IQ test to the checklist kids?  "Well, Billy has an IQ of 155, but Bobby is bright and seems curious..." 

[acurtis75]

I haven't checked recently but last I heard they just use the Duke process in the district closest to me. If you qualify for Duke tip then you qualify for the district program. I don't think there are levels of giftedness distinctions.

 

This was the process when I was in school and I don't think it has changed much.

[Luckymama]

I went looking on the school district site and this is ALL I found (my older kids, and dd through fourth grade, only attended private schools)

 

All students in the XXXX School District shall be provided with an educational program which allows them to develop to their maximum potential. Talented and gifted students possess unique abilities and/or capabilities that would benefit from educational opportunities beyond the regular school program.

 

Talented and gifted students exist at elementary school, middle school, and high school levels regardless of sex, race, socio-economic status, or ethnic origin. These students may be identified through their outstanding intellectual capabilities and/or academic aptitudes.

 

Talented and gifted students will be afforded the opportunity at each stage of their development to reach a higher level of learning and accomplishment of which they are capable. The XXXX School District is committed to ensuring appropriate learning opportunities for talented and gifted students that foster increased academic development beyond what is offered in the regular curriculum.

 

 

??????? I know that the kids on dd's robotics team who attend our zoned middle school have a special pullout humanities class but that's it. Perhaps the school district thinks tracking for math and English (3 levels total) is the way to handle gifted middle school kids? I have no idea what happens in the elementary school down the street.

[a27mom]

This is what is says for our current school district:

 

teachers examine a series of criteria including gifted characteristic profile, standardized testing, past school performance, student portfolio samples, and teacher narratives. Parents are also given the opportunity to nominate their child for the gifted program

 

 

Of course our gifted program is a "differentiated gifted activities program". What it entails is very vague according to the website. I assume that is on purpose since there is little funding. From what I understand it is a pullout program that involves a cluster grouping during computer/library time. Plus you may have some type of plan for regular classroom time, but you still have to be with a regular class for the majority of your instructional day.

 

From what I understand my brother's district in a different state is similar. In both selection process and program. My nephew was in a similar type program for a year and then they pulled him out, because it was really just giving him extra work, not meetings his needs.

 

Both districts are a mix of income levels. My brother's skews a bit lower. Ours is very mixed from poverty level to multi-millionaires, but it is heavily middle income.

 

FWIW. Years ago when I was involved in gifted programs:

my upstate NY program used a combo of Otis Lenon scores and teacher observation, plus additional testing. Those of us with the highest scores were accepted without additional testing, others had to take a one on one IQ style test, don't know what it was just remember what the other kids described. This district was middle to lower income.

 

The gifted class I was in in California, Silicon Valley, required a 132 or higher on the Stanford Binet. I moved there mid-year and had to take the SB with very short notice. Several of the school placement staff were telling me not to feel bad if I didn't do well enough, since I didn't have any time to prepare. I remember being quite confused as to how or why you should prepare for an IQ test. This was a middle to upper income school. Retrospectively I now realize that many of the kids in that gifted class were prepped for the test, which explains a lot.

[Arcadia]

My current school district had drop the GATE program at the time California had budget issues and district teachers were retrenched.

This is from the district we are considering moving to which is a "below average" scoring district.  It sounds like an IEP. 

 

"

The identification process for entry into the GATE program is a long and thorough process:

1. Each year, the previous year's SAT-9 scores in Total Reading, Total Math, and Language Arts are studied.Any student who scores at or above the 85%ile in any one area area is referred for GATE testing.

2. Teachers then view the list and approve of the testing for the students.

 

3. Permission slips are then given to the parents for testing.

 

4. Testing occurs as per a schedule preset by the district. The testing includes two tests, the Raven Test, a non-verbal test which determines a student's ability to learn; and the Test of Cognitive Skills which tests in four areas: memory, sequencing, logic, and non-verbal puzzles.

 

5. Students' tests are then scored by a person at the district office and reported back to our school. This part of the process takes about three weeks.

 

6. When the scores are returned, a case study is put together with a Teacher Evaluation form. Teachers evaluate each student on a variety of work performance standards. Students must score above a 3 average (out of 4). Copies of report cards, work samples, and all standardized tests are also included. 
 

7. A sub group of the student study team then meets to determine a recommendation for GATE placement. 
 

8. The case study and the recommendation are then sent to the District Coordinator for GATE for final approval.

 

9. Students are then placed in the program and eligible for outside enrichment and field trips.

 

10. Individual teachers will provide parents with an Individual Program Design at conference time outlining the classroom program."

 

[Karen in CO]

My dd's charter school uses a combination of standardized test results along with a panel of teachers.    They identified my gifted dd as gifted 2 years in a row.  Their assessment of her strengths and weaknesses matched both our previous testing results and my own knowledge of her.   I'm not sure what the district does, but this method seems to work well at our small school.    

[sunnyday]

I plan to ask the teacher at conference time, just in case for my DS and in anticipation of my DD. However, there's no indication on our district website that there is any differentiation before late middle school; there are no gifted specialists on staff at the elementary level. Maybe they do pull-outs to the special ed resource room? Maybe they just grade skip and call it good? I haven't a clue.

 

A neighboring district does have a GATE/Highly Capable program. Students are nominated starting in January of first grade by a parent, teacher, community member, or principal. They are tested with CogAT and MAT in February or March. Based on results it's determined if they need Tier 1 or Tier 2 services (a self-contained high-level classroom or a "cluster class" in the neighborhood school) and decisions are made by May. Tier 2 students can be re-nominated to possibly get into the Tier 1 program.

[Crimson Wife]

Our current district does not have a GATE program. The one where we lived when we started HSing requires children to score at or above the 98th percentile on the state standardized tests for both English and Math. A student who gets a perfect score on one section and 97th percentile on the other would be S.O.L. Far more students qualify for GATE than there are available slots and I was never able to get a straight answer from district administrators how they select students for the program. Rumor has it that 100% of identified students from so-called "underrepresented" demographic groups get chosen but I don't know whether that is true or just sour grapes on the part of disgruntled parents. The fact that administrators are not forthcoming about the selection process suggests that they have SOMETHING to hide about the process, whether it is racial/ethnic discrimination in violation of Prop. 209 or simple political cronyism.

[EKS]

Our district doesn't have a GT program, though they do have a process for identification of what are called "highly capable" students.  Students can be identified as highly capable in math and/or reading only--there is no such thing as a globally gifted student.

 

The procedure is that they give the CogAT in 3rd grade.  If the student meets the cutoff--which changes just about every year (it has ranged from the 90th percentile to >99th percentile since I've been keeping track of it)--he is eligible to take the ITBS.  If he meets that cutoff, his case will be discussed by some sort of group who decides if he is worthy of the "highly capable" designation.

 

A kid identified as highly capable will get something called an individualized learning plan.  It is supposed to ensure that he is challenged.  In reality, how well the ILP works (or if it is even followed) depends on the individual teacher.

 

There are a lot of gifted kids in this district and it is a tragedy that they aren't being served appropriately.

[TCB]

Our district does some kind of preliminary test - I think one they use is called Sage or something similar, and if your child reaches the appropriate level ( can't remember what it is exactly - I think 96%) they are then given an IQ test and have to score 130 or greater to qualify. The program is a one day a week pull out program, and the kids are placed in "cluster" classrooms for the rest of the week.

[SKL]

There is no explanation online for my kids' school.  It just says to contact the gifted teacher.

 

About a year ago I happened to sit next to Gifted Teacher at the church coffee hour, and when he told me who he was, I said he'd be working with one of my kids in the future.  He seemed surprised at how sure I was that my kid is gifted.  He started telling me what the requirements are.  Based on that, I gather that they look at 1st grade and 2nd grade Terra Nova tests, report card grades, and teacher recommendations.  The selection is done in 2nd grade and the program starts in 3rd grade.

 

As I mentioned on the other thread, because my kid is a bit of a rebel, I'm not so sure she will get into the program, nor am I sure she should.  The program seems to be focused on giving kids higher-level project work etc. - stuff that seems to require higher maturity as well as IQ.  My kid will be 7.5 at the beginning of 3rd grade, and although she's a deep thinker, she's not old for her age in other ways.  Motivating her to do extra school work tends to be an uphill battle (one which I rarely fight).  I have to give this some more thought and maybe ask her teacher what she thinks.  I will also ask my kid what she thinks.

[Arcadia]

  The program seems to be focused on giving kids higher-level project work etc. - stuff that seems to require higher maturity as well as IQ.  My kid will be 7.5 at the beginning of 3rd grade, and although she's a deep thinker, she's not old for her age in other ways. .

Before the GATE program was scrapped, the nearby school did Odyssey of the Mind as part of GATE. The funds came from PTA.  If project based enrichment is something like the Odyssey of the Mind program where it is think, do and "create a mess", it might be fun for your child.

[regentrude]

WISC IV is administered in 3rd grade to kids who the teachers suspect of being gifted.

Gifted program in elementary is one half-day per week; in middle school one hour per day.

It is a joke, nowhere enough to give gifted kids an appropriately challenging education.

 

I don't know the percentage of kids who qualify.

[MASHomeschooler]

In our district, they use the CogAT. Scoring 97th or higher in any one of the three areas, or 95th composite, qualifies a student. All second-grade students at every district school are given the test. In addition, it can be taken by teacher or parent recommendation any other year. You can submit IQ tests instead - I think the cutoff is 125. Qualifying students are placed in self-contained classes (starting with one K class). There is no differentiation with the program, though. All the gifted classes follow the standards for 1 year ahead.

[Dmmetler]

Here's what my district's website says

 

APEX classes begin in third grade for students who are identified as intellectually gifted according to the criteria for the state of Tennessee.

 

I found this 42 page monstrosity

 

http://state.tn.us/education/speced/doc/91610assessmentpack.pdf

 

Based on the matrix a few pages down, it looks like 90% or higher in multiple areas (or 118 IQ with a couple of other criteria met), 95% or higher in 2 or more, or 98% or higher (or 130 IQ) in one. I know locally, it's basically the TCAP and teacher recommendation, with little additional testing being done unless a parent is pushy. It's usually done in 2nd or 3rd grade, but can be done earlier if the teacher or parent refers it and the student study team thinks it's warranted (my DD went through the process at age 4 to get early K entry). Oh, and a student can also qualify if they have three years of high TCAP scores in one subject area, too.

 

 

 Given that the services provided are, in my district, once a week pullout for 2 hours in grades 3-5, the chance to take Algebra or foreign language in middle school for high school credit, and AP/IB classes in high school, I can't say that it's terribly impressive. They do a whole IEP process-but it's not terribly individualized. My DD's IEP called for early K entry and "consult services".

I have to say I wish I lived in a district that actually did more than pay lip service to GT. While homeschooling works for us, it would have been nice to have it be a choice, and not a "this is the only way your child has a prayer of having her needs met whatsoever".

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joshin]

Our school district has a one day a week, pull out program for grades 3-6, and a full program for 6-8. The only way to get in is to have a teacher nominate your student for testing. For the full program, your student has to perform at the higher level in all core subjects.(Um yeah, most of us know how that goes...) Supposedly parents can petition for testing, but of the parents I know that did this and succeeded, it took two or three years to actually get testing.

 

In fact, this method of selection was the main reason we homeschool. My older son is bright with a higher-than-average IQ, but not what most would consider gifted. He can perform well in all subjects with hard work, but he doesn't really need differentiation and works at the upper level of his grade level, which provides just enough challenge. My younger is gifted, but naturally asynchronous. He is light years ahead of his grade level in math, science, and motor skills, but behind his grade level in reading. As a third grader, he's moving into Algebra but he still has trouble reading fluently. He is not nearly as agreeable, and tends to blow off rules and social expectations if he thinks they are silly. Older son would be a perfect fit for our gifted program and teachers would love him, thus nominate him, even though he would quickly be in over his head. Younger couldn't perform well enough in all subject areas to qualify, if a teacher would even bother to nominate him, so he would be forced to "learn" division in a standard class even though he can do long division in his head already.

 

Instead, we opted for an Alternative Learning Program aimed at homeschoolers. My kids can take any class they desire, at the grade level they are performing at. Thus son #2 can take 8th grade physics and 2nd grade reading. This in only one or two days a week, and we still homeschool most subjects, but they get enrichment at their level, at least. One benefit of sitting in a class with 13 year olds, son now is dedicated to improving his reading skills and finally began practicing daily.

[Arcadia]

 

Instead, we opted for an Alternative Learning Program aimed at homeschoolers. My kids can take any class they desire, at the grade level they are performing at. Thus son #2 can take 8th grade physics and 2nd grade reading. This in only one or two days a week, and we still homeschool most subjects, but they get enrichment at their level, at least.

I wish they have this program here. my younger is even more asynchronous than my older.

[sunnyday]

Instead, we opted for an Alternative Learning Program aimed at homeschoolers. My kids can take any class they desire, at the grade level they are performing at. Thus son #2 can take 8th grade physics and 2nd grade reading. This in only one or two days a week, and we still homeschool most subjects, but they get enrichment at their level, at least. One benefit of sitting in a class with 13 year olds, son now is dedicated to improving his reading skills and finally began practicing daily.

 

We used to have something like this locally, it was called a parent partnership program. They assumed kids would be homeschooled primarily but offered a la carte classes aimed at a range of ages. When I moved here I thought we would end up with that program, as it seemed to fit our needs perfectly (flexible hours, kids working with other kids at a range of ages). Unfortunately, it lost funding two years ago. There is a similar program in the next district over but I don't know that it offers enough to be worth the district transfer and the commute. Also, it's my understanding that once enrolled, your academic progress in all subjects is monitored by the program's counselors, and I'd be uncomfortable with the oversight -- if I'm taking the responsibility to homeschool my children, I'm not expecting to answer to anyone at that point, you know?

[kiwik]

Not in the US but anyway. There is standardised testing at the beginning of the year from year 3 on. It is mostly for statistical and planning purposes but I suppose if a kid was stanine 9 in everything it may ring bells. I doubt the would do much as they only offer random enrichment stuff that is mostly for high achievers. The general method if you want more for you child is to get them assessed and arrange for them to attend one day school which is a private programme but recognised (and given a little funding by the government). Then since you have to be quite well off to afford it you apply for a scholarship or ask family to help pay for it. Ds6 just got a sizable subsidy to attend the rest of the term. I just hope if he loves it more funds will be available.

[boscopup]

Just looked it up for my county... Not sure what tests they use, but K-2 there is only in-class differentiation done by the teachers. In 2nd grade, they start to test kids suspected of being gifted - parents or teachers can ask for a kid to be tested. Gifted program starts in 3rd grade as a pull-out program. Looks like they're taking the top 1%. There are only 10 kids grades 3-5 identified as gifted at the elementary school we're zoned for (that's 10 kids total, not 10 kids per grade). Other schools in the county have 30-60 kids (some of those are closer to the heavily-engineering-based city nearby, whereas my school is not so much) They use a combination of IQ tests (group and individual - don't say which ones), achievement test scores, portfolios, etc. They also look at behavior (but not sure what they're looking for? It's a teacher evaluation thing - looking for specific behaviors).

 

If you're identified as gifted, you have the opportunity to take Algebra in 8th grade! I guess that answers my question about what's normal around here. Apparently, Algebra in 9th grade is still the norm, as I suspected. They list classes available through ACCESS (some kind of state run online thing) for 8th grade on up, and they list the courses available for dual enrollment at the local community college and local university. I was surprised that they only listed Calc A and B from the local university. When I was in high school, there were 3 kids (in a class of 550 at a fairly advanced high school) allowed to do AP Calc in 11th grade, then they went to the local university for Calc C and Diff. Eq. That wasn't really advertised though, and 2 of those students went to MIT and 1 went to Yale, so they were extremely smart and motivated to work hard. The normal advanced route was AP Calc in 12th (we did Algebra 1 in 9th, but they combined Algebra2/Trig and didn't do Precalc). The teacher gave us extra resources if we wanted to study for the AP BC Calc exam on our own.

[budeb]

 

 

In my case, the teacher identified my son as needing enrichment and was sent to a one-day-a-week enrichment program in grade four.  Because of that one day my son really was bored the rest of the week and begged to be homeschooled.  He really wished he could go to enrichment everyday of the week.

 

After digging a little I did discover a full time enrichment program in our region and he was accepted into the program.  The thing is, it would never have happened if I had not advocated for my son.  He was so agreeable at school that the teacher had no clue he was unhappy.  It was I who had to deal with him every morning not wanting to go . . . saying he was sick . . . begging to be homeschooled, etc.  When I mentioned that to a mother on a school trip for his enrichment class she told me about the full time program . . . long story short, I approached his teacher and principal and now he is in his second year (grade 6) of full time enrichment and thriving with an IEP in place for his learning.

 

Here is a list to help identify giftedness from a local support group for parent with gifted children:

Identification and IEP’s

Do you think your child may be gifted?  How do you know?  Here is some information to help you out.

Signs of Giftedness

Please be aware that not all bright and gifted children have all of these characteristics.  This is offered simply as an indication of some of the characteristics.

• perceptive, inquiring mind
• unusual insight and intellectual curiosity
• superior judgement and reasoning ability
• demonstrates abstract and critical thinking skills
• originality
• ability to see connections between ideas
• long concentrations span in areas of interest
• advanced reading ability and extensive vocabulary
• keen powers of observation
• rapid mastery of basic skills
• advanced sense of humour
• strong sense of ethics and values
• special ability in one or more areas such as mathematics, computers, the arts
• intensity
• prefers older playmates or adults
•  

 

[arborite]

No gifted program in my district, which is why we are homeschooling. The main "resource" listed on the intermediate school district's gifted site is a list of private schools.

[shawthorne44]

Based on the scuttle-butt from neighbor parents, it is either:

• Have a very Highly Gifted Kid.
• Have a Gifted kid and a parent to spend at least one full day per month volunteering at the school.
• Have an average but motivated kid and a parent to spend at least one full day per month volunteering at the school.
   

This isn't written down, but is extremely well-known and parents are threatened with having their kid pulled out of the G&T program if they don't meet the minimum volunteering time.  Unless, of course, your kid is so gifted they can't find an excuse to kick your kid out. 

[AngelaNYC]

This is a spin off of a different thread of how students are identified as gifted in public school? I thought it would be interesting to post what it is like in your district:

How are kids identified gifted?

What percentage of students are identified as gifted?

Is there a program for gifted kids?

 

In my NYC district, 1st graders get recommended by their teachers to take the OLSAT.  Then the highest scorers get into the program (consideration is also based on first grade test/project grades and writing samples).  

 

Now, there are about 25 elementary schools, about 5-7 first grades in each school, and about 23 kids in each first grade.  Somewhere from 3 to 8 kids from each class get a teacher recommendation.  That's a lot of kids taking the OLSAT.  There are 2 full-time/self-contained gifted programs in the district with 25 spots per program.  They are housed in 2 different public schools, but the way they're set up, they might as well be independent schools.