According to the Ohio Revised Code Section 3324.01, “Gifted means students who perform or show potential for performing at remarkable high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment.” To be identified as gifted, students must perform at a gifted level, generally at or above the 95th percentile, on a state approved, nationally normed test in one of the following areas: Cognitive Ability, Mathematics, Reading/Writing, Science, Social Studies, and Visual and Performing Arts.
Identifying Students for Gifted Programming
In the West Carrollton
School District, all second and fifth grade students take the Cognitive
Abilities Test (CogAT) tests in late winter. This test is used to identify
students with superior cognitive ability and superior creative thinking
ability. Students also take the iReady Diagnostic test three times per year in
reading and math, which can be used to identify students performing at the gifted
level in these subject areas in second through eighth grade. Teachers are
informed if their students are performing at a gifted level in these areas and
use this information with other classroom data to guide their planning and
instruction. Ohio State Test (AIR or OST) scores are not approved for
gifted identification in the state of Ohio because they are not nationally
normed. Students in any grade can also be nominated for gifted testing in
Cognitive Ability, Creative Thinking, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies,
or Visual and Performing Arts. Find the
nomination form by going to the section called “Nominations” on the side menu
bar on this page.
- Elementary
Gifted services at the elementary level are provided in grades three through five to students identified as gifted in math, reading, or cognitive ability. This program, known as the Enrichment Learning Center or ELC, is taught by a gifted intervention specialist in a pull-out program one day a week.
Gifted services at the middle school are provided in grades six through eight to students identified as gifted in reading or math. Reading students are served by a gifted intervention specialist in an Enriched Language Arts class, and math students are served by specially trained teachers in Enriched or Accelerated Math classes. Gifted and high achieving eighth grade students also have the opportunity to take high school classes for credit at the middle school and establish their WC High School GPA.
In grades nine through twelve, gifted students have options such as
Honors and AP classes, taking high school classes for college credit at WC High
School or off campus (CCP). Qualification for these opportunities varies and
some may require test scores and/or teacher recommendations.
Students and/or parents interested in learning more about these opportunities should contact teachers, counselors and/or administrators.