What Does “GIFTED” Mean? 

The Ohio Department of Education defines gifted children as, “students who perform or show potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience or environment.” and who are identified under division (A), (B), (C), or (D) of section 3324.03 of the Ohio Revised Code. NAGC or the National Association for Gifted Children defines a gifted child as, “Someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more areas of expression.”

Danbury Local School District recognizes the unique characteristics and needs of each child including gifted children and strives to create differentiated learning opportunities and experiences for students who are talented and gifted.

Ohio Law for Identifying Gifted Children

Danbury Local Schools accepts referrals, screens, identifies or reassesses students who perform or show potential for performing at high levels of accomplishment in the areas of superior cognitive ability, specific academic ability, creative thinking ability, and/or visual and/or performing arts. The district must follow policy and procedures established in an Ohio Administrative Code.   These rules specify that assessment instruments must come from the list approved by the Ohio Department of Education.  The guidelines below summarize the requirements for students to be identified as gifted. To read it in its entirety, please refer to sections 3324.01 to 3324.07 of the Ohio Revised Code located below.

Ohio Revised Code 3324

Identification Procedures

Multiple steps have been put in place for the identification of gifted students.  All Danbury Local School District students are provided with the opportunity to be screened and identified as gifted through whole grade screenings. Whole grade screenings ensure equal access to screening and further assessment when appropriate.  Individual assessments are also available when students are referred. The district ensures equal access to screening and further assessment of all district children, including culturally or linguistically diverse children, children from low socio-economic backgrounds, children with disabilities and children for whom English is a second language.  Appropriate accommodation as each assessment permits including the opportunity to take tests in their native language. A student assessed for gifted services will receive two assessments; one for intelligence to qualify under the category of superior cognitive and the other for achievement in order to qualify under specific content areas (math, reading, writing, science or social studies).

Whole Grade Screening

In order to cast a wider net and provide the opportunity for any student to be identified as gifted, whole grade or universal screenings are implemented each year. All students in grades 2 and 6 are screened for superior cognitive ability and creative thinking ability as part of the whole-grade screening process.

Individualized Assessment

Some students may be assessed outside of the whole class testing. In order for this to take place, the student must be referred for a gifted assessment. For individual assessment, parent/guardian authorization is obtained prior to the assessment and parents/guardians are notified of the assessment results.

Assessment strategies provide additional data necessary for an identification decision. Strategies for additional assessment include the individual and group-testing requirements of Ohio Revised Code Sections 3324.01-3324.07.

For individual assessment, students are pre-assessed using student records, observations, and teacher, parent or peer nominations which are noted on the referral form. Upon receiving parent permission to test from the parent or guardian, an approved and appropriate assessment will be administered. Notification of assessment results will be shared with the parent/guardian of the student.

Approved Testing Instruments

The testing instruments used by our school district personnel are selected from the Ohio Approved List of Assessment Instruments for the Identification of Gifted Children.

Superior Cognitive Ability (Intelligence)

• Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Form 7 VQN Composite

• The Iowa Assessments 

Specific Academic Ability (Achievement)

• The Iowa Assessments 

• ACT

• i-Ready

Creative Thinking Ability

• Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

  • -AND-

• Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students Creativity Checklist

Identification

Data obtained from the approved identification instrument will be compared with the cut-off scores specified by the Ohio Department of Education. Identification decisions are made based on the cut-off scores specified by the Ohio Department of Education. Further education and identification plans are determined based upon identification.

Identification scores remain in effect for the remainder of the student’s K-12 school experience.

Appeals Procedure

After an identification decision is reached, an appeal by the parent can be made. An appeal is the reconsideration of the result of any part of the identification process which would include the screening procedure or assessment instrument, the scheduling of the child for assessment, or the placement of a student in any program, or the receipt of services.  In the event of an appeal, the superintendent or designee will convene a meeting with the parent/guardian, which may include other school personnel. The superintendent or designee will issue a written final decision within 30 days of the appeal. This written notice should include the reason for the decision(s).

Appeal Form

Gifted Referral

Children who attend Danbury Local School District may be referred for gifted screening and assessment in writing using the district gifted referral form which can be obtained from your child’s school office. Referrals are accepted: 

September 1-30 - Annually

May 1-30 - Annually 

Referrals may come from the following:

• Child request (self-referral)

• Teacher recommendation

• Parent/guardian request

• Other (e.g., psychologist, community members, principal, gifted coordinator)

Upon receipt of a referral, the district will:

• Follow the process as outlined for identification

• Notify parents of results of screening or assessment and identification within 30 days of the completion of assessments.

Referral Form

Early Entrance to Kindergarten 

Children must turn five (5) years of age on or before September 30th in order to enroll in kindergarten.  Early entrance to kindergarten may be available for a child whose fifth birthday falls after the September 30th deadline and occurs on or before December 31st of the early entrance school year. To qualify for early entrance, a child must demonstrate marked high ability and maturation in the areas of intellectual ability, social and emotional maturity, language development, and physical development and motor coordination. The purpose of these early entrance procedures is to determine if a child is at the 95th percentile or above in these areas. Thus, a child must be functioning as many as 18 months above his/her chronological age mates with above average to very superior ratings in these areas. Approximately only five percent of children display this level of development.  

Applications are due on or before the Kindergarten round-up date.