Services Manual - Geary County Schools USD 475

USD 475
Guide to Gifted Services
Mission Statement:
The USD 475 Extended Learning program strives to coordinate
staff, parent, student, and community efforts to make available
appropriate curriculum, instruction, and learning opportunities
that support gifted and talented students, ensuring them the
opportunity to achieve at a level and pace commensurate with
their abilities, interests, and needs.
~
In the state of Kansas, Gifted Services fall under the umbrella
of Special Education. Therefore students are protected by
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) which
includes the development of an IEP should the child qualify for
services.
~
General Information
What is giftedness?
What are some characteristics of gifted learners?
USD 475 Gifted Services
How are students identified?
What type of services may be offered for students?
How will services be delivered?
What are the responsibilities of family members?
What are the responsibilities of district employees?
Resources
Parent Questionnaire

What is Giftedness?
General Information
United States Federal Government
Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the
potential for performing at remarkably high levels of
accomplishment when compared with others of their age,
experience, or environment
These children and youth exhibit high performance capability in
intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual
leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They
require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools
Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all
cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of
human endeavor.
Kansas Department of Education
‘Gifted’ is defined as ‘Performing or demonstrating the potential for
performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment when
compared to others of similar age, experience and environment.’
This level of accomplishment may be demonstrated by exceptional
performance due to general intellectual ability or by excellence in
one or more specific academic fields
Kansas state statute requires Special Education services be
provided through the development and implementation of
individualized education plans (IEPs) for eligible students identified
as gifted and needing special instructional support
What are some Characteristics of Gifted Learners?
Gifted children may exhibit many, but not necessarily all, of these
characteristics:
Has and outstanding memory; possesses a broader base of knowledge
than peers
May be an early reader
Has advanced vocabulary for chronological age
Learns rapidly, easily, and efficiently
Enjoys learning
Thrives on complexity
Has the ability to concentrate for long periods of time
May be impatient and intolerant
Self-initiates learning
Asks thoughtful or penetrating questions
Is curious about many and different things

Has diverse interests
Is intense; gets totally absorbed in activities and thoughts
Is comfortable with abstract thinking
Is an analytical thinker; perceives subtle cause-and-effect relationships
May be able to attend to two or more things simultaneously
Has strong feelings and opinions; advanced sense of justice and fairness
Cares about ethical or humanitarian issues at an early age
Sets high standards for him/herself as well as others
Is persistent and highly motivated
Has a sophisticated sense of humor; loves to play with words and ideas
Transfers concepts and learning to new situations
Sees connections between apparently unconnected ideas and activities
May prefer the company of older children or adults
Works well independently
Exhibits leadership ability in peer group
Displays original ideas; flexibility in problem solving situations
Sees endless possibilities for various situations or uses for objects
Is passionately interested in some topic or field of endeavor
Is able to elaborate on ideas
USD 475 Gifted Services
How are students identified?
Level 1: Data Collection Phase – (See Data Collection Checklist in Appendix
A) Student must meet criteria as being high achieving within the data
collection phase in one or more areas(s), then they should be brought before
the building Student Intervention/ Improvement Team (SIT) for further
evaluation.
Teacher Data:
Pretest scores in math – 80% or higher
Reading data (SRI, Lexile, STAR, Fluency, Flynt-Cooter, Reading
Comprehension, Dibles) – two grade levels or more above current grade
level placement
Writing data (six-trait writing scores) – exceptional insight or creativity,
scores of 4’s and 5’s
State assessment scores (for all areas) – Exemplary
PLAN test scores – composite at 90 th percentile or better
Documentation of high academic ability (ie. Previous testing from other
schools)
Behavior – perfectionism, possible bossiness, may prefer to work alone,
possible boredom, sometimes lack of concern about unfinished work, use
of vocabulary that is above their peers, understanding of unique humor,
and being overly sensitive to minute details

Parent Data:
Parents sharing concerns about their child being bored, unchallenged, or
that they would like more for their child from school
Parents sharing the child’s projects that they have completed outside of
school (watch for problem solving, creativity, and task commitment)
Parents specifically requesting testing (for legal reasons, you need to
contact your building’s Gifted Facilitator immediately)
Level 2: Student Intervention/Improvement Team – (Sample forms in
Appendix A) Referral to SIT allows more than one professional to review
available data and collect more data in order to consider strategies that may
benefit the student. At this level, the need for services must be
demonstrated.
Consider Information from teachers
Consider Information from Cumulative folder
Develop interventions for student
Evaluate results of interventions
Level 3: Testing – Once it has been determined that a student’s needs extend
beyond the scope of serviced provided by the SIT committee, the team
recommends testing.
Academic and Intelligence testing administered by Gifted Facilitator and
school Psychologist
Level 4: Extended Learning Program/Writing the EL – Testing results
determine formal admittance to USD 475’s Extended Learning Program, a
team is assembled to construct a plan (known as an Individualized Education
Plan (IEP) specifically for that student.
Team:
Case Manager (generally building Gifted Coordinator)
Parents and/or Guardians
Regular Education Teacher(s)
Administration Representative
What type of services may be offered for students?
Elementary –
Study skills
Research skills
Interpersonal skills
Cooperative learning
Critical thinking skills

Problem solving skills
Analytical thinking skills
Enrichment in core areas (Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and
Math)
Other activities as determined by individual needs
Individual and group support and guidance in affective areas
Middle School -
Study skills
Cultural literacy
Learning styles
Research skills
Self-understanding
DUKE Talent Search
Self-initiated research projects
Introduction to SAT and ACT
Pre-AP skills (Critical reading, Analytical thinking, Detailed writing,
Articulate speaking)
Other activities as determined by individual needs
Individual and group support and guidance in affective areas
High School -
College Admission test preparation
Post Secondary preparation and planning
Other activities as determined by individual needs
Individual and group support and guidance in affective areas
How will services be delivered?
Elementary
Students are bussed to one of two central locations (one on post, and one
in town) for a 4-hour block of service time once per week.
Middle School
Services are provided through a pull-out model. Students are pulled from
activity and/or elective time (depending on building).
High School
Students receive services during the initial segment of building-wide
Seminar period once per week.
What are the responsibilities of family members?
Parent/Guardians
Refer students for identification consideration

Provide and support learning opportunities out of the scope of the district’s
jurisdiction (for example: summer enrichment programs, educational trips,
cultural opportunities, and enrollment in college level coursework)
Contribute to discussion and attend meetings pertaining to creating and
renewing IEP
Students
Pursue more challenging and/or specialized learning experiences
Learn to be appropriately assertive in requesting enrichment or
advancement to meet your educational needs
Contribute to discussion pertaining to creating and renewing IEP
What are the responsibilities of district employees?
Gifted Facilitator
Coordinate staff, parent, student, and community efforts to make available
appropriate curriculum, instruction, and learning opportunities that support
gifted and talented students
Administer appropriate testing for identification purposes
Maintain and contribute to discussion pertaining to Individual Learning
Plans (IEP) for identified students
Provide individual and group support and guidance in affective areas
Provide guidance to students in potential post-secondary plans
Assist teachers in differentiating curriculum
Providing additional instructional support in areas such as
o Critical thinking skills
o Problem solving skills
o Research skills
o Cooperative learning
o Interpersonal skills
o Study skills
o Analytical thinking skills
Facilitating independent study projects and courses
Provide access to information about Duke Talent Identification Program
(Which provides students with opportunity to take ACT or SAT and opens
doors for possible summer enrichment programs through Duke, KU, etc)
General Education Teachers
Refer students for identification consideration
Provide differentiated instruction and enrichment opportunities as defined
by IEP
Contribute to discussion and attend meetings pertaining to creating and
renewing IEP
Continued communication with gifted facilitator and parents regarding
progress

Resources
Kansas Department of Education (KSDE)
http://www.kansped.org/ksde/gifted/giftedindex.html - Hosted in the special education
portion of KSDE’s website, this site is a great starting point to explore what ‘gifted’ means
within the realm of Kansas schools. Included are links to state requirements, definitions,
and data along with both in and out-of-state resources
Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative (KGTC) -
http://www.kgtc.org/ - to promote, support, and improve services for talented,
intellectually, and creatively gifted youth of Kansas
National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) - http://www.nagc.org/ -
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is an organization of parents,
teachers, educators, other professionals, and community leaders who unite to address
the unique needs of children and youth with demonstrated gifts and talents as well as
those children who may be able to develop their talent potential with appropriate
educational experiences.
We support and develop policies and practices that encourage and respond to the
diverse expressions of gifts and talents in children and youth from all cultures, racial
and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic groups. NAGC supports and engages in
research and development, staff development, advocacy, communication, and
collaboration with other organizations and agencies who strive to improve the quality
of education for all students.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) - http://www.sengifted.org/
SENG is dedicated to fostering environments in which gifted adults and children, in all
their diversity, understand and accept themselves and are understood, valued, nurtured,
and supported by their families, schools, workplaces, and communities
NEAG Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development -
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/ - The only federally funded research organization, known as
The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), has existed since
1990 with various university partnerships. As of 2006, the University of Connecticut
partnership is with the University of Virginia. The current research studies for the
NRC/GT are an integrated approach to identifying, serving, and evaluating academic
outcomes.

Student Name:
Grade Level:
Parent Questionnaire
1. What special interests and/or skills does your child have? Give specific examples to illustrate.
2. Describe your child’s current educational needs.
3. Are these needs being met in the classroom?
4. Describe any projects or activities that your child has completed that showed their abilities.
5. Is there any educational testing that the school is not aware of?
6. Is there anything else the school should take into account when considering your child’s
educational placement?