Student Support Services

No, District 196 formally identifies in 2^nd-5^th grades. Gifted identification does remain with a student through middle school. District 196’s middle schools use a variety of a data beyond a student’s identification to determine appropriate instruction and class placement. Students who demonstrate advanced achievement do not need formal identification for advanced learning opportunities.

No, ISD 196 formally identifies in 2^nd-5^th grades. Kindergarten and 1^st grade students who demonstrate advanced learning needs compared to their peers do not need formal identification for services. Classroom teachers use formative assessment to respond to advanced learning needs of outliers in their grade level. Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers communicate and collaborate with GTD teachers.

Local norms are norms computed using the testing results of the same age group/grade level of students at a school for comparison within that local (or school) group. 

Local (or school) norms identify students within a local population who are demonstrating a need for additional services when compared to their same age peers in the same learning environment. Gifted services are designed and implemented at the school level. Schools and their student populations in District 196 are diverse and have individual needs. National norms compare student test results to same age peers across the nation. Recent national studies have found that the exclusive use of national norms leads to over-identification of certain demographic groups and under-identification of other demographic groups. Using local norms have shown to bring identification for gifted services across demographic groups to better represent the school’s student population. 

The grade level teachers collaborate with the GTD teacher to expose the students to practice items provided by CogAT. The Cognitive Abilities Test measures reasoning and problem solving skills in three different areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Reasoning skills develop throughout a person’s lifetime and at different rates for each individual. CogAT7 does not measure academic learning such as reading comprehension, math computation, etc.

For more information visit the CogAT website link.

• September - October: All 2nd - 4th graders take MAP Math and MAP reading
• December: All 2nd - 4th graders take CogAT7
• February: HOPE scale completed for all 2nd - 4th graders
• March: School Identification Teams meet to review data
• Late March: Notifications mailed to families of identified students
• April: Appeals process open

IEP accommodations will be followed for testing. Students who have recently completed an evaluation may use a WISC-V to replace the CogAT7.

The HOPE (Having Opportunities Promotes Excellence) scale is research-based and has been through five validity studies across the nation since 2009. The HOPE scale was developed to identify academic and social/affective strengths of students from low-income and culturally diverse populations. The scale is part of multiple measures and pathways to identify diverse students for gifted services. Some students demonstrate strengths in the classroom but do not perform as well on standardized tests. Teachers will receive professional development on the HOPE scale before they assess students.

Identified gifted students have diverse strengths and needs. Few identified gifted students are high ability and high achieving in all areas. Multiple pathways provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their areas of strength. Multiple pathways are needed to identify twice exceptional students who need special education in addition to gifted services as well as students receiving ELD services.

Identifying by strength areas will better inform teachers about identified students’ learning needs for flexible grouping as well as informing principals and school teams for clustering students with like-ability peers with the same strength area for instruction. 

The identification process in District 196 is ongoing during the elementary years. The formal identification process occurs once per year. Students will be informally screened by their teachers for strengths areas and high achievement on a daily basis through formative and summative assessments. Teachers will respond to students’ advanced learning needs through flexible grouping with differentiation. GTD teachers provide resources, strategies and support to classroom teachers to meet the needs of high ability students.

If a student moves into District 196 from another district or another state with a GT identification, then contact the district GTD Lead Teacher to share the student’s records that are appropriate to the gifted identification criteria. Gifted identification and criteria vary by state so it is not a reciprocal identification. Minnesota is a local control state so each school district determines their criteria and identification process for gifted. A student who is identified gifted in one school district will not necessarily be identified gifted in another school district. The student will need to demonstrate that he/she meets the school district’s criteria for gifted identification. 

District identification results will be shared with each school in the spring. Families of students identified gifted will be notified by mail of the identification in late March. The Assessment Department and GTD strive to provide results to school administration and staff as soon as possible in the spring to inform decisions about classroom groupings for the next school year. 

All students take the CogAT during a universal screening year. The CogAT provides information for classroom teachers for instructional strategies for students’ reasoning skills.

Formal identification will first occur in 2nd grade. Identified students are grouped together with like-ability peers in a grade level classroom matched with a classroom teacher who is prepared and willing to differentiate instruction to meet the learning needs of advanced learners in math and/or literacy. Cluster grouping is a cost effective model to provide full-time services to identified students as well as provide instructional support to students who are not formally identified as gifted but demonstrating need for advanced differentiation. A pull-out service model exclusively supports identified students with a limited amount of instructional support time. The GTD teacher who has limited time can focus on collaboration with cluster teachers to support students. Multiple research studies have shown that cluster grouping with professional development in differentiation challenges high ability students, improves the achievement level of all students, and weaves gifted education strategies into all classrooms when it is a schoolwide approach. 

Gifted and talent development services in District 196 is an inclusive, flexible, and fluid model. A student does not need to be formally identified as gifted to receive support for their high academic and learning ability and/or high achievement needs. Gifted services are provided through flexible grouping based on formative and ongoing assessment of student needs in the classroom based on the content and standards being presented at that time.

District 196’s middle schools and high schools use a variety of a data beyond a student’s identification to determine appropriate instruction and class placement. Students who demonstrate advanced achievement do not need identification for advanced learning opportunities. For more information contact your child’s middle school or high school.

No, once a child is identified in ISD 196 it will remain with them each year through middle school. GT identification is not taken away unless a parent requests.

The Pinewood model has evolved to align with the District 196 service model. Identified gifted students in grades 3-5 will be placed in cluster classrooms. Cluster teachers have access to professional learning focused on meeting the needs of gifted students. The cluster teachers receive support from the Pinewood GTD teacher to best meet student needs. 

District 196 uses cluster grouping as part of our GTD services in elementary schools. District 196 does not offer self-contained gifted classrooms.

Teri Emery, K-8 GTD Lead Teacher at teri.emery@district196.org or 651-423-7945 or the GTD Teacher for your child’s school.
Gifted and Talent Development contacts by school/location.