Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 160-4-2-.38 - Education Program for Gifted Students
(1)
DEFINITIONS.
(a)
Differentiated Curriculum -
courses of study in which the content, teaching strategies, and expectations of
student mastery have been adjusted to be appropriate for gifted
students.
(b)
Georgia
Department of Education - (GaDOE) the agency charged with the fiscal and
administrative management of certain aspects of K-12 public education including
the implementation of federal and state mandates.
(c)
Gifted Student - a student
who meets the eligibility criteria as identified in this rule and as defined in
the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education
Services.
(d)
Local
Board of Education (LBOE) - agency charged with adopting policies to
govern educational entities within the local educational agency.
(e)
Local Educational Agency (LEA)
- local school system pursuant to LBOE control and management.
(f)
Panel of Qualified Evaluators
- experts in relevant fields appointed by the LEA who evaluate student
products/performances to determine gifted program eligibility.
(g)
Qualified Psychological Examiner
- a psychologist licensed by a state licensing board in the United
States and having training and experience in school psychology or child
psychology.
(h)
State Board
of Education (SBOE) - the constitutional authority which defines
education policy for public K-12 education agencies in Georgia.
(2)
REQUIREMENTS.
(a)
Notification. The LEA shall
notify parents and guardians of identified gifted students being considered to
receive gifted education services in writing of information related to the
gifted education program including, but not limited to the following:
1. Referral procedures and eligibility
requirements adopted and applied by the LEA.
2. Notification of initial consideration for
gifted education services.
3.
Evaluation guidelines and documentation of training procedures utilized and
maintained by the LEA.
4. The
type(s) of gifted services to be provided, academic standards to be met, the
teaching methods employed, and the manner in which students will be evaluated
annually.
5. Performance standards
gifted students are to meet to maintain their eligibility and receive continued
services in the program.
6. A
description of the probationary period applied to students in jeopardy of
losing their eligibility for services. The description shall include the length
of the probationary period and the criteria.
7. Termination of services when students on
probation have failed to meet criteria for continuation of services.
(b)
Referrals. The
consideration for gifted education services may be reported or automatic as
defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education
Services.
1.
Reported
Referral. A student may be referred for consideration for gifted
education services by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or
guardians, peers, self, and other individuals with knowledge of the student's
abilities.
2.
Automatic
Referral. Students who score at specified levels on a norm-referenced
test as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education
Services, for further assessment to determine eligibility for gifted
program services.
(i) The LBOE shall
establish the criterion score needed on norm-referenced tests for automatic
consideration for further eligibility assessment.
(ii) The LBOE shall ensure that tests or
procedures used in the referral process and to determine eligibility for gifted
education services meet standards of validity and reliability for the purpose
of identifying gifted students and shall be non-discriminatory with respect to
race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic
background.
(c)
Consent. The LEA shall
obtain written consent for testing from parents or guardians of students who
are being considered for referral for gifted education services. The LEA shall
obtain written consent from parents or guardians before providing gifted
education services to students determined to be eligible for
services.
(d)
Eligibility. The LBOE shall adopt eligibility criteria that are
consistent with this rule and as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual
for Gifted Education Services.
1. To
be eligible for gifted education services, a student must either (a) score at
the 99th percentile (for grades K-2) or the 96th percentile (for grades 3-12)
on the composite or full scale score of a norm-referenced test of mental
ability and meet one of the achievement criteria described in paragraph (2)(d)
5.(ii) Achievement, or (b) qualify through a multiple-criteria assessment
process by meeting the criteria in any three of the following four areas:
mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation.
2. To be eligible for gifted education
services, a student must meet the criterion score on a norm-referenced test and
either has observational data collected on his or her performance or produce a
superior product as described below. Information shall be collected in each of
the four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and
motivation.
3. Test scores used to
establish eligibility shall have been administered within the past two calendar
years.
4. Any data used in one area
to establish a student's eligibility shall not be used in any other data
category.
5. Data shall be used for
eligibility in the four areas according to the following:
(i)
Mental Ability. Students
shall score at or above the 96th percentile on a
composite or full-scale score or appropriate component score, as defined in the
GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services, on a
norm-referenced test of mental ability.
(I)
Mental ability tests shall be the most current editions, or editions approved
by GaDOE, of published tests that measure intelligence or cognitive ability,
which have been reviewed for bias and are normed on a nationally representative
sample with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and
economic background within a 10-year period prior to administration.
(II) Mental ability tests that were designed
to be administered individually shall be administered by a qualified
psychological examiner.
(ii)
Achievement. Students shall
score at or above the 90th percentile on the total
battery, total math or total reading section(s) of a norm-referenced
achievement test or have produced a superior student-generated product or
performance, where the superior performance is one that can be translated into
a numerical score at or above 90 on a 100 point scale as evaluated by a panel
of qualified evaluators.
(I) Norm-referenced
achievement tests shall be the most current editions of tests, or editions
approved by GaDOE, that measure reading skills, including comprehension, and
shall yield a total reading score and/or a total mathematics score based upon a
combination of scores in mathematics concepts and applications. These tests
shall have been reviewed for bias and are normed on a nationally representative
sample with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and
economic background within a 10-year period prior to administration.
(II) Performances and products shall be
assessed by a panel of qualified evaluators and must have been produced within
the two calendar years prior to evaluation.
(iii)
Creativity. Students shall
score at or above the 90th percentile on the total
battery score of a norm-referenced test of creative thinking, receive a score
at or above the 90th percentile on a standardized
creativity characteristics rating scale, or receive from a panel of qualified
evaluators a score at or above 90 on a 100 point scale on a structured
observation/evaluation of creative products and/or performances.
(I) Norm-referenced tests of creative
thinking shall be the most current editions of tests, or editions approved by
GaDOE, that provide scores of fluency, originality, and elaboration. These
tests shall have been reviewed for bias and are normed on a nationally
representative sample with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex,
disabilities, and economic background within a 10-year period prior to
administration.
(II) Rating scales
used to qualify creativity shall differentiate levels such that judgments may
equate to the 90th percentile. If a rating scale is
used to evaluate creativity, a rating scale shall not be used to evaluate
motivation.
(III) As evidence of
creativity, students, or individuals on behalf of students, may submit products
or evidence of outstanding performances completed during the two calendar years
prior to evaluation. The products or performances submitted shall be reviewed
by a panel of qualified evaluators.
(iv)
Motivation. Students shall
receive a score at or above the 90th percentile on a
standardized motivational characteristics rating scale, receive from a panel of
qualified evaluators a score at or above 90 on a 100 point scale on a
structured observation or evaluation of student-generated products and/or
performances, or for grades 6-12 have a grade point average (GPA) of at least
3.5 on a 4.0 scale where a 4.0 = A and 3.0 = B, or a numeric grade point
average (NGA) of 90 percent on a 100 point scale where 100 = A and a 89 = B.
Grades used to determine the GPA or NGA must be a two-year average of regular
school program core subject grades in mathematics, English/language arts,
social studies, science, and full year world languages.
(I) Rating scales used to qualify student
motivation shall differentiate levels such that judgments may equate to the
90th percentile. If a rating scale is used to
evaluate motivation, a rating scale shall not be used to evaluate
creativity.
(II) As evidence of
motivation, students, or individuals on behalf of students, may submit products
or evidence of outstanding performances made during the two calendar years
prior to evaluation. The products or performances submitted shall be reviewed
by a panel of qualified evaluators.
(III) GPAs of students are determined by
calculating the grades earned during the two years prior to evaluation in the
subjects of mathematics, science, English/language arts, social studies, and
full year world language, if such language study is included in the student's
records.
6.
Assessment data that were gathered and analyzed by a source outside the
student's school or LEA shall be considered as part of the referral and
evaluation process. External evaluation data shall not be substituted for or
used as the sole source of data the school generates during the initial
eligibility process. External evaluations shall have been reviewed for bias
with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and
economic background.
(e)
Continued Participation. The LBOE shall have a continuation policy
for students identified as eligible for gifted services to continue to receive
such services. The LEA shall review the progress of each student receiving
gifted education services each year. Any student who receives gifted education
services shall continue to receive services, provided the student demonstrates
satisfactory performance in gifted education classes, as described in the LBOE
continuation policy and stated in the continuation policy.
1. The LBOE continuation policy shall include
a probationary period in which a student who fails to maintain satisfactory
performance in gifted education classes shall continue to receive gifted
education services while attempting to achieve satisfactory performance status.
The length of this probationary period shall be determined by the
LBOE.
2. The LBOE continuation
policy shall provide for a final review prior to discontinuing gifted education
services for students who fail to demonstrate satisfactory performance in
gifted education classes during the probationary period and criteria for
resuming gifted education services for such students.
(f)
Reciprocity. Any student who
meets the initial eligibility criteria in this rule for gifted education
services in one LEA shall be considered eligible to receive gifted education
services in any LEA within the state. As described in the section on
Reciprocity in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education
Services, a student transferring from one LEA to another within the
state shall meet the criteria for continuation of gifted services established
by the LBOE of the receiving school system. There is no mandated reciprocity
between states unless the student is a dependent of military personnel as
provided in O.C.G.A. ยง20-2-2140 et. seq.
(g)
Curriculum and Services to Be
Provided.
1. The LBOE shall develop
curricula for gifted students that incorporate SBOE approved curriculum. LBOE
curricula for gifted students shall focus on developing cognitive, learning,
research and reference, and metacognitive skills at each grade grouping, using
principles of differentiation, in one or more of the following content areas:
mathematics, science, English/language arts, social studies, world languages,
fine arts, and career, technical and agricultural education. LEAs shall make
available to the public and the GaDOE a description of the differentiated
curricula used for instruction of gifted students. The LEA shall review and
revise, if revisions are needed, its curricula for gifted students at least
annually.
2. Students identified as
gifted and whose participation has received parental consent shall receive at
least five segments per week (or the yearly equivalent) of gifted education
services, using one of the approved models described in the GaDOE
Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.
(h)
Data Collection.
1. The LBOE shall collect and maintain
statistical data on the number of students referred for evaluation of
eligibility for gifted education services, the number of students determined
eligible for services, and the number of students actually served during the
school year. These data shall be archived and maintained by subgroups, which
shall include at least the grade level, gender, and ethnic group of the
students.
2. The LEA shall evaluate
its gifted program at least every three years using criteria established by
GaDOE.
(i)
Public
Review. The LBOE shall make available for review by the public and the
GaDOE a copy of its administrative procedures for the operation of its gifted
education program and the LEA's gifted education curricula.
Notes
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