Chances are, there are multiple documents, test booklets, and notes containing all of the data on the referred student that you have been collecting over the weeks. Most school divisions require that all of the documents be kept together in a file folder (often called a “working folder”). However, during the eligibility meeting, you don’t want to have to rifle through all of those documents to share out the information contained on each one to the Identification/Placement Committee members. It is better to compile the information in a reporting document so that all of the data is in one place. The research-based book on gifted identification, Identifying Gifted Students: A Practical Guide by Susan Johnsen (2018), recognizes two best practices to use to make determinations for gifted identification:
- the Profile Method, and
- the Case Study Method.
The Profile Method requires that the data for the student be inputted on a sheet designed to show bands of performance. Sometimes the bands include percentiles of performance (ex. 95th percentile, which means that the student scored higher than 95% of students the same age), and sometimes they include descriptors (such as “Superior,” or “Above Average”). School districts usually look for 3 or more data points being above the threshold selected to indicate giftedness. Here is an example of a Profile Sheet I found on the internet from Bryson Independent School District (though this sheet does not say how many data points are needed for gifted identification):
The Case Study Method also collects multiple types of data on a reporting sheet that often shows bands of performance, but usually has much more data involved (think of my prior discussion on Extenuating Circumstances and Alternative Data). The Identification/Placement Committee will look for a preponderance of data be high enough to indicate the student’s giftedness. This type of approach is similar to how special education eligibility decisions are made. I’ve mentioned the “Identification/Placement Committee” several times, but who exactly is on this committee?
Teaching for Talent 