Gifted Education

Gifted children receive a Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) with goals and specially designed instruction to meet his or her individual needs as outlined in the GIEP.  Services may occur in the classroom (push-in) and/or outside the classroom (pull-out).  The design of each student’s program depends on the student’s strengths and needs. 

At the elementary level, the district provides the following learning experiences:

  • Differentiated, small group instruction in the regular classroom
  • Enrichment/Acceleration in grades 3 – 5 which provides a parallel curriculum to the regular education

At the secondary level, we offer:

  • Differentiated instruction in the regular classroom based on the gifted student’s needs and abilities
  • Honors and AP courses
  • Independent Projects
  • Acceleration and Compacting as needed
  • College in High School Courses

Gifted Screening Process

The Redbank Valley School District has established a screening procedure to locate and identify students who may be considered mentally gifted and may benefit from gifted education to enhance their learning. Mentally gifted is defined as outstanding intellectual ability; the development of which requires specially designed programs or support services not ordinarily provided in the regular education program. This screening procedure is utilized on a case-by-case basis for all students within the District.

Students may be referred for screening for gifted services through the following manner:

Teacher and/or School Counselor Referral:

A classroom teacher and/or school counselor will periodically review student performance for exceptional aptitude and academic achievement to determine if a screening for gifted services is warranted. This review typically occurs in September, January, and May; following administration of local assessments. Data available at each grade level will vary; however, these generally include the following: group ability assessments, group achievement assessments, and report card grades. After review of the data, the teacher and/or school counselor may consider completing the appropriate grade level Multiple Criteria-Based Screening Form. This screening form is set up as a matrix so scores are easily observable when determining eligibility.

Upon completion of the Multiple Criteria-Based Screening Form, the teacher and/or counselor will contact the school psychologist to review the information. If the review of information warrants a screening, parents will be contacted by a team member to review the screening process. If they are in agreement to pursue the screening, a screening permission form will be sent home. Once received, the student’s cognitive ability will be assessed; using an abbreviated intelligence test. If a more in depth evaluation is warranted following the screening assessment, the team will contact the parent/guardian to share recommendations and proceed accordingly. The evaluation would determine if the student meets eligibility requirements to be considered mentally gifted and demonstrates the need for specially designed instruction to meet his/her unique learning needs. Should the team, including parents/guardian, decide to proceed with the multidisciplinary evaluation, the paperwork and timelines governing the process (which are outlined in Pennsylvania’s Chapter 16 regulations), will be implemented.

In some instances, the team may decide to skip the screening process (based on matrix scores) and recommend that a multidisciplinary evaluation be conducted instead. Parents and/or guardians of the student would be contacted by a team member to review the multidisciplinary evaluation procedure and timelines. If parents and/or guardians agree with the recommendation to move forward with the evaluation, the paperwork and timelines governing the process (which are outlined in Pennsylvania’s
Chapter 16 regulations), will be implemented.

Parent Referral

Parents and/or guardians may request that the District review their child’s school performance to determine if a screening for gifted services is warranted. The Multiple Criteria-Based Screening Form would then be completed by the school counselor and shared with the team. Performance data (including completed matrix, observations/input from classroom teachers, performance on other curriculum/classroom based assessments, and report card grades) will be reviewed by the team,
consisting of the classroom teacher(s), parent/guardian, the school psychologist, school counselor, and the building principal. Following this data review, a gifted screening permission form would be sent home to parents/guardians to sign in order to start the screening process.

If the review of performance data warrants a more in depth evaluation, the parent may, in writing, request a multidisciplinary evaluation by submitting a letter to the Director of Special Education Services no more than one time per school year. In addition, parents and/or guardians may choose to skip the screening process and request that a multidisciplinary evaluation be conducted instead. The evaluation would determine if their child meets eligibility requirements to be considered mentally gifted and demonstrates the need for specially designed instruction to meet his/her unique learning needs.

Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible to participate in the gifted screening assessment process, the student must meet these criteria on the matrix:

  • Score of 126 or higher on the Verbal, Nonverbal and/or Total composite from the most recent OLSAT
  • Have a reading level, as measured by a nationally normed standardized test, at the 96th percentile for his/her age, or above
  • Have a math level, as measured by a nationally normed standardized test, at the 96th percentile for his/her age, or above.
  • Overall GPA of 3.5 or higher

Following the administration of the abbreviated intelligence test, if the student does not score higher than 125 on the Verbal, Nonverbal, and/or Overall IQ Composite, a recommendation for further gifted testing will not be made. Parents will be informed of screening assessment scores and suggestions for enrichment within the regular classroom will be discussed. Within this district, our regular education teachers are able to differentiate instruction within the classroom to meet the needs of all children. The classroom teacher(s) will try his/her best to ensure that each child’s needs are being meet, and that he/she are being appropriately challenged. Some examples of enrichment activities include: math/reading challenge packets; extension activities from reading/math series; journal writing; challenge spelling lists; center activities; and peer mentorship.