IDENTIFICATION FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING FCPS

How Children are Identified for GT Center Placement (Level IV)

Step 1
Children are selected to be screened for GT Center placement in one of two ways:

Second Grade Testing	OR	Parent Referral
All second grade children take two tests administered by FCPS Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt) Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) Students who enroll in FCPS in grades 3-7 may take the Cognitive Abilities Test during the fall testing window at the parents request. Program administrators determine a GT center benchmark score on the CogAt and NNAT tests. Central Office staff establishes a screening pool of all second grade students who reach or surpass the benchmark scores on one of the two tests. Parents of second grade students who reach or surpass the benchmark score will receive a letter of notification that their child will be screened for possible placement in a GT center program.		Parents, guardians, teachers, or administrators may refer children from grades 2-7 to the screening pool. Parents add their child to the screening pool by submitting the Gifted and Talented Center Referral to their child's school. Parents pick up this form from their local school or download it from the web site www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/forms.html. FCPS parents return this form to their child's school.

Step 2
The school GT resource teacher prepares a screening file of academic information for each GT center candidate.
The file includes the following:

Required Information	Where It Comes From
Progress reports and comments	Child's school
Gifted Behaviors Rating Scale With Commentary	Local school GT screening committee
Ability test results include one or more of the following: CogAT NNAT OLSAT WISC IV Stanford Binet CAS	Child's school or GMU* testing clinic or Other school districts *Parents may have their child tested through George Mason University Psychological Clinic 703-993-4200.
Optional Information	Where It Comes From
Parent/Guardian Questionnaire	Parents or guardians complete and return to school. Form is available at the local school or on the GT web site. www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/forms.html.
Other test results to include achievement tests if available and the results of individual intelligence tests.	Parents may submit additional testing results by following guidelines listed in the Parent Information Packet.
Examples of student work	Parents may submit up to five pages (single-sided, 81/2 by 11")
Academic certificates and awards	Parents may submit up to five pages (single-sided, 81/2 by 11")

Step 3
A local school screening committee reviews the files.

Who is on the committee?	What do they do?
A local school GT committee includes a school administrator, classroom teachers, GT resource teacher, and other specialists, e.g., the reading teacher, the guidance counselor, the ESOL teacher, and/or the media specialist.	Committee members discuss each child and complete a Gifted Behavior Rating Scale (GBRS) with Commentary.

Step 4
March and April

A central selection committee determines a child's need for GT center placement.

Who is on the committee?	What do they do?
Committee members are professional educators and include GT resource teachers, GT center teachers, school administrators, school psychologists, guidance counselors, ESOL teachers, central office staff members, and other education specialists.	Committee members read each file and look for compelling evidence that a child needs Level IV services. All eligible children are offered GT center placement. Parents are notified by mail in May.

Step 5
April

An oversight committee reviews the files of all children not selected by the central selection committee.

What is the oversight committee?

• This committee monitors the consistency of central selection and reviews all ineligible decisions
  
  
• The committee may select additional students for the GT center.
  
  
• Committee members are central office staff members.
  
  

Step 6
May

Parents are notified of child's selection by mail.

Step 7
(optional) June

Parent may appeal committee decision.

How does a parent appeal the selection decision?

• Parents may submit  the GT Center Appeal Form, located online at  http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/forms.html. Information on how to submit an appeal is also provided in the ineligibility letter.
  
  
• Parents include new data not included in screening file.
  
  
• Appeals committee reconsiders eligibility decision based on combination of child's screening file and new data.
  
  
• The decision of the appeals committee is final.
  
  

Step 8
(optional) July

Parents are notified of the decision of the appeals committee by mail.

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Identification for School-Based GT Services (Level II and III)

Questions regarding student eligibility or placement in the school-based program should be directed to the school principal. The principal reviews all pertinent information with the local GT screening committee and informs parents/guardians of the decision. Gifted and Talented School-Based Services Referral (Level III) (pdf)