Gifted and Talented Identification Policy

Students enter the Brush Schools gifted program with a body of evidence. The identification process begins with an Aptitude screening tool, the Naglieri Non-Verbal Analogies Test. Other areas of emphasis are Achievement, Performance, and Behavior.

Students who demonstrate exceptional talent in any of the above listed areas will be placed in the Talent Pool for additional testing. The CogAt (Cognitive Abilities Test) will be administered. A screening committee reviews this information and makes recommendations for identification and programming options to meet the child's individual needs.

Intellectual Ability- a general concept of mental ability, often summed up as the ability to learn from experience



Behavior and Characteristics- a list of non-academic traits with a rating scale used by teachers, parents, or other adults to identify giftedness



Demonstrated Performance- samples of work in area of giftedness



Achievement- accomplishment of performance - the realization of potential

APPEALS PROCESS:

If you wish to appeal the screening committee’s decision, the process is as follows:

• A written letter of appeal must be submitted to the Gifted Education office.          
• Additional data that would provide information about the student that was not available during the initial review must be submitted with the aforementioned letter.
• A district-level screening committee will review the portfolio data with its new information and the letter of appeal from parents/guardians.
• You will be notified of the final outcome of the appeal process

Early Entrance

The purpose of Early Access is to identify and serve the FEW highly advanced gifted children who require comprehensive academic acceleration. Early Access shall NOT be an acceleration pattern recommended for the majority of age 4 or age 5 gifted children who will benefit from preschool programming that responds to the strength area of a child. The standard for Early Access seeks indicators of exceptionality representing the 98th percentile and above on standardized tests and functioning levels, typically two or more years above age level peers.

For parents wanting to explore this option for their child, please contact the gifted and talented department at 842-4794 ext. 160. The window for enrollment consideration is January through March of the year the child would be enrolled for the fall semester.

General Behavior Characteristics of Gifted Children

Gifted children's behavior differs from that of their age-mates in the following ways:

Many gifted children learn to read early, with better comprehension of the nuances of language. As much as half the gifted and talented population has learned to read before entering school.

Gifted children often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies.

Gifted children commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice.

They are better able to construct and handle abstractions.

They often pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can draw inferences that other children need to have spelled out for them.

They take less for granted, seeking the "hows" and "whys."

They can work independently at an earlier age and can concentrate for longer periods.

Their interests are both wildly eclectic and intensely focused.

They often have seemingly boundless energy, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity.

They usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of their peers.

They like to learn new things, are willing to examine the unusual, and are highly inquisitive.

They tackle tasks and problems in a well-organized, goal-directed, and efficient manner.

They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or explore and are often very persistent. "I'd rather do it myself" is a common attitude.