1. Coordinator & Assessor Training
GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAM

2. The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.
Robert M. Hutchins.

3. Gifted and Talented Plan in KISD
TEC 29, Sec
Texas State Plan
Local Board Policy EHBB
Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP)

4. Gifted Defined
A "gifted and talented student" is a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment.
Texas Education Code

5. Texas State Plan

6. Board Policy - EHBB Identification
Ongoing screening and selection of students
Final selection made by a committee
Provisions for furloughs, reassessment, exiting, transfers, and appeal of placement decisions

7. Board Policy - EHBB Learning Opportunities
Students work together as a group and independently
Continuum of learning experiences that lead to development of advanced products and performances
Opportunities to accelerate

8. Roles & Responsibilities
Coordinator –
Verify Teacher Certification and Updates
Manage Student Nomination and Selection Process
Manage Transfers, Furloughs, and Exits
Oversee TPSP Implementation on Campus
Assessor
Assess Students for GT Program
Data Entry in KISD Web App
Order Testing Supplies

9. Administrator Certification
Six hour GT Administrator training required for any administrator making educational decisions for GT students
KISD requires administrator training updated every five years

10. Instructor Requirements
Teachers who provide instruction and services that are part of the gifted/talented program must complete the 30-hour training requirement within one semester; December 31st.
Teachers who provide instruction and services that are a part of the program for gifted students receive a minimum of six hours annually of professional development in gifted education; Starts January 2nd of next year to December 31st.

11. GT Offerings

12. Online Offerings BrookHaven Sugar Loaf Clarke Timber Ridge
Fowler Venable Village
East Ward West Ward
Hay Branch Willow Springs
Maxdale Audie Murphy
Pershing Park Liberty Hill
Reeces Creek Manor

13. Palo Alto
Rancier
Roy J Smith
Ellison
Harker Heights
Killeen
Early College

14. GT Nomination Process Anyone can nominate.
Simply see campus GT Coordinator for form.
Must have parental signed approval.
Contact Assessment & Accountability for materials.
Student may only be assessed one time a year.
Appeals count with the appealed assessment as one.

15. Cont. Students will be tested with:
The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 3rd Edition – NNAT 3 is an age-normed test that uses visual analogies to provide information about students’ information processing abilities. The NNAT 3 uses progressive matrices to allow for a culturally neutral evaluation of students’ nonverbal reasoning and general problem- solving abilities regardless of the individual student’s primary language, education, culture or socioeconomic background.

16. cont.
Measures of Academic Progress Test – The MAP is a nationally-normed standardized test of student achievement and is aligned to both state and national standards. It identifies what the student knows and is able to do.
A student interview – The interview is designed to provide insight into student interests, skills, vocabulary, and task commitment.

17. Cont. Qualifying scores:
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 3rd Edition - 125
Measures of Academic Progress Test – 92%
Interview – 3 or better out of 5

18. Cont.
After all tests are scored, the campus GT Assessor enters the results on the GT web app profile and changes the status to “committee.”
Data must be in by the third Thursday of the month – January to April.
May committee is used for appeals only.

19. Cont.
If a student qualifies for GT, the campus GT Coordinator sends a “yes” letter to the parents and changes the web app status from “letter” to “complete.” The profile is then printed, and placed in the student’s cumulative folder. The nomination packet, including testing results can be shredded at the end of the school year. The classroom teacher is notified and the student is placed in the GT program.
The campus data entry secretary is also notified and changes the curriculum code and PEIMS code in eSchool Plus

20. Nonqualified Students
If a student does not qualify for GT, the campus contact sends a “no” letter to the parents. This is followed up with a phone call or conference. In the web app, the status is changed from “letter” to “complete.” The nomination packet, including testing results, can be shredded at the end of the school year.

21. Transfers
ALL GT transfers must be sent to committee with documentation.

22. Within District
GT students who transfer within the district are placed in the gifted/talented program at the receiving school. All gifted/talented documentation should be included with the student’s cumulative folder when it is sent to the receiving school.

23. Out of District
Students transferring from a GT program in another district or another state must provide documentation of GT qualification and participation. The student is initially placed at the principal’s discretion pending review of records by the District Selection Committee. The District Selection Committee may request that a local GT evaluation be completed.

24. Military
For military students, if the sending district is in a compact state, Senate Bill 90 requires that the receiving district initially honor GT placement based on current educational assessments conducted at the school in the sending state. This does not preclude the school in the receiving state from performing subsequent evaluations to ensure appropriate placement of the student.

25. District GT Committee Three members
Meets the last Monday of the month at 8:00am.
Any Coordinator attend.
Students who score 125 or higher are then looked at for how they perform on a nationally normed academic achievement tests.
Blind spreadsheet with only student ID’s and scores.

26. District GT Committee
The committee looks for students ranking at the 92nd percentile or higher in an academic area – math or reading.
Finally, the committee looks at how the student scores on an interview that indicates students interests and creative and critical thinking skills. There are five questions, and we want students to score a 3 or higher there.

27. District GT Committee
However, should a student meet the first two criteria, 125 ability test and 92nd percentile on achievement test, a 2 on the interview does not immediately negate placement. 
The committee will also consider student data in coursework, STAAR exams, TPRI, etc. to assist in determining placement.

28. District GT Committee
Students who fail to meet the 125 ability and/or 92nd percentile on the achievement test will not be placed in the G/T program.
District Committee places decisions back into the system.
s campus GT Coordinators.

29. District GT Committee Dates
September 25th
October 30th
November 27th
December None
January 29th
February 26th
March None
April 30th
May 29th – Appeals only

30. Appeals
After the District Selection Committee reviews the student’s testing results, a letter will be sent home to the parent.
If a parent desires to appeal the selection committee decision, he/she initiates the appeal by contacting the campus GT coordinator.
A written appeal is required and must be submitted to the campus GT coordinator within 10 business days from the date on the selection letter.
Additional assessment data and/or student information may be gathered and reviewed.

31. Transitions
There are only two transitions
Furloughs
Exits

32. “Gifted kids go to school and never encounter anything that makes them extend effort. They grow up thinking being smart means they don’t have to work hard. The first time they encounter something difficult they think they are not smart enough”
Sally Reis Renzulli

33. Furlough Procedures
A furlough allows a student to take a “leave of absence” from the program for specified reasons and for a designated period of time without being exited.

34. Furlough Procedures
A furlough may be granted at the request of the student and/or parent.
The campus GT Coordinator meets with the student and parent to discuss the advisability of a furlough. The GT teacher, campus GT coordinator, parent, and student must agree that a leave of absence will benefit the student.

35. Furlough Procedures
A “Request for GT Furlough” form must be completed and must specify the beginning and ending date of the furlough. The furlough form requires signatures from the campus GT coordinator, the principal, and the district GT coordinator

36. Furlough Procedures
A furlough can be for no longer than one school year and no shorter than one semester.
At the end of the furlough, the student must re-enter the program or exit the GT program.

37. Furloughs may be granted for
Only the following reasons:
A student’s long term illness which affects his/her performance and participation in the GT classroom.
A home or family crisis which affects a student’s performance and participation in the GT classroom.
An unavoidable schedule conflict.
Placement in DAEP.

38. Furloughs may NOT be granted for
A student who does not like a particular teacher and/or classmate
A student who prefers another teacher other than the GT teacher
A student who does not care to attend GT class because his friends are not in that class

39. Furloughs may NOT be granted for
Cannot achieve high standards.
Overcrowded class.
Personal reasons.
Struggling in class.
Difficulty with keeping up with the class.
Stress
Behavior issues in class.

40. Exit Procedures
The primary focus of the exit policy is “What can be done to help the student?” If an exit from the program is being considered, the campus GT coordinator schedules a conference. At the conference, the student, the parent, the GT teacher(s), and the campus GT coordinator discuss the areas of concern and develop a plan for improvement. Exiting a student is considered only when the improvement strategies fail to make a significant difference in the student’s success. A probationary period may be part of the improvement plan.

41. Exit Procedures
State guidelines specify that NO SINGLE criterion may be used to determine exit from the GT program. If the improvement plan is not successful and/or the GT teacher(s), parent, and campus GT coordinator agree that continued program participation would not benefit the student, the campus GT coordinator will submit the signed exit form to the district GT coordinator for consideration.

42. Exit Procedures
A student who exits the GT program may apply for re- admittance no earlier than one year from his/her exit date. The student must have a full re-evaluation and qualify for re- admittance.
After the decision has been made to exit a student, the campus GT coordinator changes the student status in the web app from “active” to “exit” and changes the date to the first day of the exit.

44. TPSP

45. tpsp
…the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students and the Texas Performance Standards Project for Gifted and Talents Students (TPSP), guide the design of the Killeen Independent School District program for gifted and talented learners.
Gifted and Talented Program Handbook (P3)

46. May 22nd EHMS
5:00 for set up
5:30 – 6:30 for showcase
One per grade level

47. The Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) is a statewide standards and assessment system used to capture the high levels of achievement of gifted/talented students. The goal of TPSP is for students to create work that reflects the professional quality that the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students requires. Student projects are TEKS- based and focus on the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies with interdisciplinary connections. Students who successfully complete a project will demonstrate a deep understanding of at least one area of study in one of these disciplines.

48. Presentation of Learning
One student-selected project is to be completed each school year.
The project is to be completed by the end of the 4th 9 week grading period and presented during the month of May.
Projects are scored by teachers and students using the six TPSP scoring dimensions:
Content and Knowledge Skills
Analysis and Synthesis
Multiple Perspectives
Research
Communication
Presentation of Learning
After the GT teacher approves the student project using the “Topic Submission and Approval Form,” a copy of the form will be submitted to the district GT coordinator.
Using the project as a formative or summative assessment is a campus decision.
Rubrics to evaluate the projects are available at

49. tpsp
The Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) is a statewide standards and assessment system used to capture the high levels of achievement of gifted/talented students. The goal of TPSP is for students to create work that reflects the professional quality that the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students requires. Student projects are TEKS- based and focus on the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies with interdisciplinary connections. Students who successfully complete a project will demonstrate a deep understanding of at least one area of study in one of these disciplines. The student-selected projects are to be completed by the 4th 9 weeks and presented as a culminating showcase of student learning.

50. Benefits
Study findings indicated that use of TPSP materials can support the following:
G/T instruction that is rigorous, relevant, and appropriately challenging and that includes; options in the four foundation as well as enrichment subjects;
growth in student content knowledge and confidence;
student skill development in oral communication, inquiry and research processes, and analysis and synthesis;
preparation for advanced courses in grade 10 and beyond;
teacher professional growth and differentiation for G/T instruction; and
parent involvement.

51. Tasks
The tasks were designed to give G/T teachers the flexibility to integrate the TPSP into existing programs and instruction.
The tasks are open ended and can be extended and adapted.
The tasks provide teachers with a structured curriculum, but teachers still have the freedom to make appropriate adjustments and enhancements.

52. Flexibility to pursue topics of student interest
Tasks
Tasks include a TEKS alignment guide, adaptable activities, and other resources. The structure and content of the tasks provide the following:
Wide variety of choices for student learning
Flexibility to pursue topics of student interest
Real-life research experiences
Focus on a high-quality product and presentation

53. Tasks TPSP tasks consist of two phases.
Phase I, Learning Experiences, is a suggested series of TEKS- based lessons and performances to be used in large groups, in small groups, and/or individually. Phase I allows students to work with advanced content and processes through a discipline-based research model. Phase I is developmental and formative.

54. Tasks
In Phase II, Independent Research, students utilize and extend their learning from Phase I to develop a product. The product provides students with opportunities to synthesize learning, apply knowledge to a novel situation, and provide an advanced, high-quality demonstration of the student's knowledge and skills.

55. Assessment
Tasks at all grade levels are aligned with a standards-based assessment system that allows students and teachers to evaluate student performance in the following six domains:
Content Knowledge and Skills
Analysis and Synthesis
Multiple Perspectives
Research
Communication
Presentation of Learning

56. Assessment
Student performance on the tasks is evaluated in three areas: research process, product, and communication. The intermediate grade level rubric guides teachers and students in assessment. For ongoing formative evaluation, students should receive the scoring criteria at the beginning of the learning experiences. This allows students to refer to it frequently throughout the project. Students and teachers should regularly evaluate the student's progress and revise plans as necessary.

57. Research Skills
The student research process should consist of the following steps:
Identifying and defining the research problem or question
Reviewing the existing evidence
Refining the research question(s)
Developing a research design and proposal
Carrying out the research design
Analyzing the results
Reporting the findings through a product or performance