Indian Lakes Inspiration

Recently, the Virginia Beach School Board has approved an additional screening for gifted services.  This is a great opportunity to ‘catch’ those gifted kids and ensure they recieve the rigorous curriculum they need in order to meet their potential. 

Here are the particulars, according to the VBCPS website:

Currently, all first grade students in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) are screened for gifted services.  While the screening process in first grade is an effective tool for identifying many students at an early age for gifted services, the need exists for an additional gifted screening in elementary school to ensure that every student is given consideration for gifted services. As a result of this plan, all fifth grade students will be screened for gifted services annually beginning in fall 2011.

The purpose of the screening, which will be conducted by the Office of Gifted Education, is two-fold. The first goal is to give all students not currently identified for gifted services the opportunity to be considered. The second goal is to update gifted testing for students currently identified for gifted services so they may consider application to Kemps Landing Magnet School. Results from the screening will also be helpful in providing parents and teachers with information on student abilities as they consider course selections in middle school.

The literature in the field of gifted education provides evidence to suggest that multiple opportunities to screen all students are beneficial in a gifted program, especially when referral for gifted services is used to initiate the gifted identification and placement processes. In addition, the Gifted Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) has consistently recommended that the School Board provide an additional screening in elementary school to augment the opportunities for gifted identification and subsequent services. As a result of the data on gifted identification in VBCPS, research from the field of gifted education, and the recommendations of the CAC, the 2010-2015 Local Plan for the Gifted identifies the addition of a grade level screening in elementary school as a goal within the Identification section of the Plan.

Screening will be conducted in late September to early October in each VBCPS elementary school. Assessment specialists from the Office of Gifted Education will conduct the testing and parents/guardians will receive the results by mid-November via direct mailing to their home. For students not already identified for gifted services who score at the 90th percentile or above on the screening instrument, VBCPS staff will initiate a referral for gifted services and parents will receive a Parent Information Form to provide input on their child’s abilities and to give permission for further assessment. It is important to note that anyone with knowledge of the child’s abilities (e.g., parent/guardian, teacher, resource teacher, counselor, or even a coach) may refer the child for gifted services regardless of the score they receive on the screening instrument. Gifted referrals and applications to Kemps Landing Magnet School will be available in each school and on vbschools.com by mid-November.