Gifted and Talented

FORMS

• Subject Acceleration Recommendation (FOR STAFF)
• Referral and Assessments

As mandated by the ODE, two opportunities will be afforded each school year for students to be assessed for gifted identification, once in the fall, and once in the spring. Referral forms are available here, in all CPS school offices, as well as from the Gifted Services Manager located in the Administration Building. 

Deadlines for the referral period will be set to ensure adequate time for processing and preparation of assessment instruments and proctors.

Cincinnati Public Schools has established guidelines to provide for inclusion of disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, and students for whom English is a second language (EL or ESOL). This information is available upon request from the Gifted Manager.

REFERRAL SOURCES

• Teacher
• Parent
• Self
• Peer
• Counselor
• School Psychologist
• Administrator
• Gifted Services Representative
• Other adults familiar with student’s capabilities

Screening and Assessment

Cincinnati Public Schools ensure that there will be ample and appropriate scheduling procedures for assessment and reassessment, including:

• Group tests
• Individually administered assessments, audition, and/or performance
• Display of work
• Exhibition checklists

Instruments for identification are chosen from the list of approved assessments provided by ODE in the Chart of Approved Assessments:
Assessments Approved for Identification and Prescreening

Upon successful assessment and gifted identification, parents/guardians receive a letter regarding the area(s) in which the student has been identified and the score achieved. Parents will be notified of the results within thirty (30) days from the CPS Testing Department. Cincinnati Public Schools certifies that assessments will be administered by qualified personnel, including teachers, test coordinators, and/or gifted staff.

Parents are permitted to appeal, which is the reconsideration of the results of any part of the identification process, which would include:

• Screening procedure or assessment instrument
• The scheduling of children for assessment
• The replacement of a student in any program

Parents should submit a letter to the superintendent or the Director of Equity and Inclusion outlining the concern. 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).

When the screening assessment has been completed, if the data shows the student is within a district-specified range below the identification score, re-assessment for possible identification may occur. 

• Reassessment Score Ranges: 90th-94th percentile
  
  • Achievement Tests - Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies
  • K-12
• Reassessment Store Ranges: 123-127
  • Cognitive Abilities Test
  • K-12

Currently, Ohio school districts are required to identify students as gifted and talented in four areas: Cognitive Superior Ability, Specific Academic Achievement, Creative Thinking, and Visual/Performing Arts. However, at this time, school districts are not required to provide services for gifted learners. Cincinnati Public Schools is committed to providing opportunities for our gifted students through a variety of formats.

Cincinnati Public Schools students who are gifted or exceptional are found in full-time regular classrooms, magnet schools, pull-out programs, resource rooms, and a combination of these settings. Differentiated curriculum and enrichment opportunities are designed to address the students’ individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests - no matter the educational setting.

• Opportunity: Subject Acceleration
  • Regular classroom
  • K-12
  • General Education Teacher
• Opportunity: Whole Grade Acceleration
  • Regular classroom
  • K-12
  • General Education Teacher
• College Credit Plus
  • Regular Classroom or Alternate Site
  • 7-12
  • Credentialed Instructor
• Early Graduation
  • Regular Classroom
  • Graduation Criteria Met
  • General Education Teacher
• Self-Contained Classroom
  • Regular Classroom with gifted peer group
  • 3-11
  • Highly Qualified General Education Teacher or Credentialed Gifted Teacher
• Visual/Performing Arts
  • Visual or Performing Arts Instructor
  • K-12
  • Arts Instructor

The district accepts scores, completed within the preceding 24 months, on assessment instruments approved for use by the Ohio Department of Education, provided by other schools/and or trained personnel outside the school district.

If a student is transferring from an out of state school, the district ensures that the child will be assessed for gifted identification within 90 days of the transfer at the request of the parent or guardian. Parent or guardian should fill out the Gifted Identification Referral Form.

As mandated by the Ohio Department of Education, each identified gifted student receiving gifted services is provided with an Individual Written Education Plan (WEP). The WEP includes identification information as well as goals set by the teacher responsible for the student’s gifted services in the area of gifted identification. Cincinnati Public Schools currently only creates a WEP for a student during the first year of their official subject or whole grade acceleration, so the student’s WEP will be attached to their Written Acceleration Plan.  The Written Acceleration Plan (WAP) will outline how the student will transition from either the previous grade level or subject area into the higher level of education and will focus on ways to make the transition for the student as smooth as possible while keeping the parent or guardian informed about successes or challenges so the team can properly address them and make the transition a successful one for the student.

• The Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC)
• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
• Gifted Education | Ohio Department of Education