Bristol Public Schools

In keeping with State Department of Education guidelines, and Best practice, our process is a multi-tiered one that is systematic and ongoing.

STEP 1:

Grade 3 students are pooled at the end of the school year based on district assessments and teacher input. After receiving parent permission, those students are tested using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Students meeting the established scores are formally identified in the fall.

STEP 2:

The Citywide Enrichment Coordinator will generate a list of students demonstrating advanced ability in both mathematics and reading, using an established cutoff score taken from standardized testing.

Copies of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students will be sent to Enrichment Coaches for distribution to students' teachers (Grades K-5) or to teams (Grades 6-8). At the elementary level, the previous year's teachers will complete the forms. At the middle school level, the team will complete one form together. The Enrichment Coordinator will analyze the scales to identify student learning characteristics.

STEP 3:

 Letters will be sent home to the parents of  the students to inform them of the identification process.

Parents will be asked to sign a release form for further testing.

STEP 4:

·The Enrichment Coordinator will administer the CogAT 7 Test to all qualifying students.

The test is administered over three separate sessions (verbal, non verbal, quantitative), with each session taking approximately 45 minutes.

 All tests will be scored, analyzed, compared to age and grade norms by the citywide enrichment coordinator and combined with initial indicators to create a student profile.

STEP 5:

A letter will be mailed to parents from the citywide enrichment coordinator for all students who do NOT meet established criteria.

STEP 6:

Students meeting established criteria will be identified as gifted, and included in enrichment programming.

The Citywide Enrichment Coordinator will submit a school list of identified gifted students to each building  principal and the Superintendent of Schools.

Parents will then receive a letter from the  Superintendent's office verifying child's formal gifted identification.