Parents and teachers can recommend that a student be screened and evaluated at any time to determine his/her eligibility for gifted services by contacting their school counselor. The school counselor can provide information regarding the gifted program and can then initiate the screening process. The Pennsylvania Department of
Education Chapter 16 regulations define “mentally gifted” as:
In order to consider multiple criteria as specified in the regulations, the district has adopted a three-tier process including assessment of cognitive ability, academic achievement, and behavioral characteristics, all of which contribute to the eligibility determination. All second graders will be screened for possible eligibility for Academically
Talented service through our universal data collection protocol. Students in other grades can be referred to the school counselor for screening by parents and/or teachers. School counselors also review the records of all new students to the district to determine the need for Academically Talented screening. The following is our process.
Universal Data Collection- Phase I
School counselors under the direction of the principal collect Phase I Data on all students in second grade.
School Ability Assessment
Second Grade students will take the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), Eighth Edition, in October of each school year. This is a group administered test.
Students in other grades, who are referred to the school counselors for AT screening, will be given the OLSAT.
Math Achievement
Second-twelve grade students will take the Group Mathematics Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GMADE).
Kindergarten and first grade students will be given the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III).
Reading Achievement
Kindergarten-second Grade students are given the Fountas and Pinnell reading assessment.
Third-twelve grade students will take the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE).
If a student meets the criteria in Phase I he/she will move to Phase II

Parent and Teacher Surveys – Phase I I
School counselors under the direction of the principal collect Phase II Data.
- Parents complete the Parent Inventory for Finding Potential (PIP)
- Teachers complete the Teacher Inventory of Learning Strengths (TILS)
- Both surveys are taken from the work of Karen B. Rogers, Ph.D.
If a student meets the criteria in Phase II he/she will move to Phase III.
I.Q. Testing - Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-WISC IV - Phase III
A school psychologist completes the testing, compiles the data, and reports to the parents and the school team the evaluation results.
The results of the I.Q. test as well as the data from the other phases are considered in the final determination of a child’s need for gifted services in our Academically Talented program.
Units of study focus on active discovery through hands-on participation, research, literature connections and creative writing. Each unit is embedded with performance skills tied to the Pennsylvania state standards at and above grade level. Performance skills include: information processing, problem solving, critical thinking, communication and responsibility. Students work both individually and in small groups to access and apply information.
Students meet with the teacher of the gifted twice during a six-day cycle. Class times vary from 30 (primary level) to
75 minutes and occur in a gifted support classroom. Support for gifted students is also provided in the homeroom setting. When assessments indicate readiness for more challenging concepts, differentiated instruction occurs within the classroom setting.
Math classes are available to students in grades 3-5 who demonstrate math proficiency in problem solving and computation. A continual dialogue of strategies/ideas occurs between classroom teachers and the gifted support teacher in an effort to help students achieve at their highest potential.
Students also engage in the social emotional component of being identified as gifted learners through group discussion. The gifted support classroom is ungraded in an effort to encourage risk taking, divergent thinking and indepth studies without the fear of failure. Student progress reports (provided bi-annually) inform parents of the progress students are demonstrating in the gifted support classroom
Opportunities to demonstrate leadership qualities in a group setting as well as the art of compromise are a frequent part of the class discussion. Additional opportunities for gifted students in the past have included academic competitions such as the Chester County Reading Olympics, the Scripps Spelling Bee, the Continental Math League, the 24 Game Math Competition, and the National Geographic Geography Bee.

The Gifted Support/Academically Talented (AT) program at the Middle School is one that offers enrichment and challenge focusing on providing new learning experiences for gifted students in accordance with District, State, and
National Standards. Additionally, the teachers of the gifted work in conjunction with regular education teachers to provide differentiated opportunities to students to better meet their strengths and needs as documented on their
Gifted Individual Educational Plans (GIEP).
Establishing thematic integrated units of study and providing activities, which focus on hands-on learning, is integral to our curriculum. This amalgamation is implemented yearly according to grade level. A variety of teaching strategies are employed to accommodate the diverse learning styles of the students.
Students identified as mentally gifted are offered the opportunity to participate in enrichment and challenge activities by attending Gifted Support/AT (Academically Talented) classes. The AT room is located within the regular school building and students are grouped with other children in their grade levels who have also been identified as gifted. Sixth and seventh grade students are enrolled in a compacted literacy class, which takes place four out of the six day cycle, and attend enrichment classes in the AT resource room the other two days of the cycle. Eighth grade students have the opportunity to attend AT classes in place of a special area class during all four marking periods.
Participation depe nds upon students’ individual strengths and interests in accordance with the quarterly offerings.
Throughout the year, students may choose to participate in Gifted Seminars led by teachers, parents and community members who share their knowledge and exper tise in areas of students’ individual strengths and interests. Sessions are in depth seminars that most times offer a hands-on style of learning. All AT students (6,7,8) have the opportunity to participate in a variety of competitions and contests.
Students are assessed through teacher, peer, and self -evaluation. Emphasis is placed on the self-evaluation piece, as self-reflection is a valued effective assessment and developmental tool. Students are required to draw conclusions and make judgments about their performance and development in the AT classroom. Learning logs, observations, rubrics, and spoken and written responses are some of the methods implemented for evaluation purposes. Sixth and seventh grade AT students receive a pass/fail grade on their quarterly report cards and eighth grade students receive letter/number grades on their quarterly report cards. Progress on GIEP goals is reported quarterly.
The high school AT program is comprised of two distinct components: gifted education services and resource support.
Gifted education is provided through the use of a GIEP, which documents the student’s exceptional needs beyond that which we provide in our general education curriculum and creates a plan through specially designed instruction to insure that the student has opportunities to develop his/her intellectual potential. Students who find themselves thoroughly challenged by their honor and AP level courses will not have a GIEP but may access the AT room for support services. If a student’s needs change, the GIEP team reconvenes and reassesses what services are necessary to insure the student is appropriately challenged.
Within the AT program, all identified 9th grade students are able to take a Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) seminar for credit either as a stand-alone course or in conjunction with a modified Computers Applications course. 9th grade students create 4 year plans and participate in enrichment opportunities designed to stimulate and develop higher order thinking skills. 10th grade students refine their 4-year plans and continue to enhance their evaluative and synthesis proficiencies. 11th and 12th grade students focus on the college search process and begin developing their post-secondary plans.
All identified students may utilize the AT room for college search and application guidance, curricular support, as well as for enrichment opportunities. Students are encouraged to proactively schedule conferences, touching base regarding their academic progress to ensure that they continue working productively to meet their gifted education and personal objectives. Students’ progress is routinely monitored to assess the appropriateness of their academic placements and to suggest growth opportunities, which will allow students to work to develop to their fullest potential.
Enrichment opportunities for those students with a GIEP are individually tailored and include a combination of specially designed instruction techniques constructed to provide the student increased challenge beyond course requirements. Additionally, students learn to recognize their emotional responses that may act as barriers to their learning and discuss strategies to help them manage any affective needs.