Gifted Education Program

GIFTED PROGRAM DESIGN

Mission

The mission of the Liberty Elementary School District’s gifted education program is to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of each of our identified gifted pupils by providing unique and challenging learning opportunities to enhance their potential to become innovative thinkers, community leaders, and lifelong learners through a continuum of differentiated services.

Philosophy

The Liberty Elementary School District recognizes that gifted pupils have unique educational needs that are met by educating the whole child through a variety of services and options.  The role of the gifted program is to identify gifted pupils and to challenge them at their individual academic level while teaching creative and higher-level thinking skills. 

Program Objectives

• Enhance critical thinking and reasoning abilities
• Utilize differentiated strategies for learning
• Build and extend cognitive language skills
• Facilitate opportunities for learning
• Establish and promote scholarly behavior
• Develop social and emotional skills

Learning Environment

The Liberty Elementary School District offers the following models to ensure that all gifted pupils receive gifted education services. 

• Kindergarten 

Kindergarten at all schools will receive enrichment within the regular classroom during the school day provided by the general education teacher. Differentiation takes the form of enriched activities in various subject areas. 

• 1st-8th Grade Cluster Grouping

The school-wide cluster model, as identified by Winebrenner & Brulles (2008), will be utilized.  A general education teacher at the gifted pupil’s school will teach clustered grade-level classes. This cluster model is available at all schools. The general education teacher provides differentiated instruction in the way of an enriched curriculum that is more challenging, offers extension activities, and/or independent research projects. Projects require higher-order and creative thinking skills. Gifted education services are provided throughout the day.

• Self-Contained Multi-age Gifted (MAG) Classroom (currently located at Westar Elementary School)

The MAG classroom serves gifted pupils in a self-contained setting in grades 3-4 and grades 5-8 at the Westar school campus. Selection is based on a primary area of giftedness with a score at or above the ninety-seventh (97th) percentile in at least one area (verbal, nonverbal, or quantitative) on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The MAG classroom groups gifted-only pupils to provide an alternate setting to the cluster model to ensure highly gifted pupils’ needs are met.  Gifted education services are provided throughout the day. Gifted pupils may attend some classes with other non-gifted pupils throughout the day. 

*Transportation may be available for qualifying pupils to appropriately access the district MAG program.

IDENTIFICATION

Eligibility

The District will provide gifted services to pupils who score at or above the ninety-seventh (97th) percentile on national norms in any one (1) of three (3) areas: verbal, nonverbal, or quantitative reasoning, on any test from the State Board of Education approved list.  The District utilizes the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to identify pupils.  Parents may opt out of gifted services.

Referral Process

All pupils in Kindergarten will be screened for giftedness using the CogAT Universal Screener.  Pupils who present potential for giftedness will take the post-screener assessment. Pupils in grades 2–8 may be recommended for testing by a parent, teacher, administrator, or self.  The referral may be based on the pupil’s performance in class, exceeding the standards on assessments, and/or the pupil’s demonstrated need for a more challenging curriculum.  

Assessment

With parent permission, pupils may take the Cognitive Abilities Test or the Naglieri (if the pupil is an English Language Learner) during one of the three designated testing periods. Pupils may only test one time per school year. If you are interested in having your child tested for giftedness, please complete the form HERE. 

If you have any questions about the assessment, please contact Katie Jacobs, District Assessment Coordinator, at cjacobs@liberty25.org or (623)474-6656.

Transfer Pupils

Liberty Elementary School District has a practice in place to ensure appropriate gifted services are delivered to transfer students without delay. Upon registration, files of transfer pupils who submit evidence of having been previously identified as gifted pupils by a school district or charter school, or who reveal this information on the entrance questionnaire, are referred for a formal review to the Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator. Inquiry is made to the previous school when evidence of prior services is not presented upon enrollment.

Parents/guardians of a transfer gifted pupil should notify the Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator and their school’s Gifted Lead Teacher that their child received gifted services at the previous school.

If the supporting documentation indicates that the pupil scored at or above the ninety-seventh (97th) percentile on any test approved by the State Board of Education, the pupil shall be provided gifted education services.

If the supporting documentation indicates that the pupil received gifted education services at a previous school but did not score at or above the ninety-seventh (97th) percentile on any State Board of Education approved test, the pupil may be provisionally provided gifted education services. After thirty (30) days of gifted education services, the Gifted Lead Teacher at the pupil’s school and the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the pupil meet to discuss and consider whether to continue the gifted education services.

Alternative Portfolio Pathway to Services

A Gifted Portfolio process has been created as an additional pathway to determine pupil eligibility for gifted education. 

A pupil who scores between the 94th and 96th percentiles in any one (1) of the three (3) areas: verbal, nonverbal, or quantitative on any test approved by the State Board of Education is eligible to submit a portfolio (described below) for review by the District Gifted Review Committee (DGRC).

A list of the required documents for the portfolio is emailed to the parents. Documents included in the portfolio should highlight a pupil's unique abilities, academic success, passions, and interests. Pupils submit documentation to their school Gifted Lead Teacher. Once the evidence is collected, it is submitted to the DGRC.

If the DGRC approves the portfolio, the Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator will notify the parents. If the portfolio is approved, the Gifted Program Lead Teacher at the pupil’s school will begin creating the pupil’s Individualized Gifted Plan in collaboration with the pupil, teachers, and parent(s)/guardian(s). The pupil shall receive gifted education services in the cluster grade-level classroom. 

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Gifted Education Program is defined as specialized instruction that challenges the pupil’s intellect and ability to develop critical thinking skills that lead to a life-long desire to continue learning. 

Differentiated Instruction

Curriculum is differentiated in the Liberty Elementary School District for grades 1-8 in clustered classrooms and in 3-8 self-contained classrooms to meet individual pupils’ needs in content, process, and product.

Individualized Gifted Plan (IGP)

Each gifted pupil will have an Individualized Gifted Plan (IGP), which will be developed by the pupil’s teacher with input from the pupil and parent(s)/guardian(s). This will be the guiding educational document for the gifted pupil. IGP goals are based on the pupil’s area of giftedness, strengths, interests, passions, or area of personal and/or social/emotional need of support. Progress on the goals will be updated and may be revised on a trimester basis. 

GIFTED SCOPE AND SEQUENCE 

The Governing Board approved the scope and sequence on June 24, 2024. Click here to view the document.

PARENT RESOURCES

• Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented (AAGT)
• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
• Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)
• Mensa for Kids