December 6, 1999
Lisa Martin, Director
Office of Special Education
Jackson County Schools
P.O. Box 770
Ripley, WV 25271
Dear Ms. Martin,
You have requested clarification on two points regarding reevaluation for gifted eighth graders.
Your questions and the responses of the Office of Special Education follow.
Question 1: Must the reevaluation of a gifted student take place during the eighth grade to
determine eligibility for exceptional gifted?
Response: Policy 2419: Regulations for the Education of Exceptional Students, Section 3.1.1,
states, “A reevaluation of a gifted student shall also be conducted to determine eligibility for
exceptional gifted during the eighth grade.” Gifted reevaluations prior to the eighth grade are
used for programmatic, not eligibility, purposes; therefore, to determine eligibility for the
exceptional gifted category, a reevaluation must take place during the eighth grade year.
Question 2: Must all gifted eighth graders be administered an individual measure of
achievement?
Response: Please refer to Policy 2419, Section 3.1.3, which states that when reevaluating any
student with an identified exceptionality, a team meets to review existing evaluation data and to
determine whether any additional data are needed.
As you stated in your letter, there may be a myriad of data available, including classroom
performance/progress, previous individual achievement, and statewide assessment results. After
reviewing the available data and with input from the student’s parents, the Team shall identify
what additional data, if any, are needed for reevaluation. Although it may be appropriate for
some students to be retested with an individual achievement measure, it is the responsibility of
the reevaluation team to make that determination. Please note that the collected data should also
be used to write the four-year adolescent plan which specifies honors and advanced classes.
Lisa Martin
December 6, 1999
Page Two
Thank you for your interest in gifted education and for bringing to my attention an apparent
conflict in the regulations. I hope that you find this information helpful. If you need further
assistance, please contact Sherry Keffer, Coordinator, or me at 1-800-642-8541 or (304) 5582696 (V/TDD).
Sincerely,
Dee Bodkins, Ed.D.
Director
Office of Special Education
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