Lamar County School District

Gifted Education Program

Each state has a unique set of eligibility criteria for placement in a gifted program; therefore, an out-of-state transfer student with a gifted eligibility from another state must satisfy the Mississippi eligibility criteria before being considered for placement in the gifted program. There is no temporary placement in the gifted program.

When a student with a Mississippi gifted ruling transfers to our school district from a school within the state, a copy of the eligibility ruling must be sent to the Gifted Education Program office. After review, appropriate placement will be made following written parental consent.

Placement of gifted students is governed by specific policies pertaining to test scores and other criteria. A student may be referred by a parent, teacher, counselor, administrator, peer, self, or anyone else having reason to believe that the student may be intellectually gifted. Students must qualify at each step of the sequential referral process to be eligible for gifted services.

The Referral Phase includes documentation of two or more of the following:

· group or individual intelligence test 91st percentile minimum

· group or individual achievement test 91st percentile in select area

· published measure of characteristics of giftedness, score at or above the superior range

· published measure of creativity, score at or above the superior range

· published measure of leadership, score at or above the superior range

If two or more criteria are documented, the Local Survey Committee recommends further assessment. During the Assessment Phase, the Assessment Team collects, administers, and/or documents three of the following:

· a full scale score at or above the 90th percentile on a norm-referenced group measure of intelligence

· a score at or above the superior range on a norm-referenced measure of characteristics of giftedness

· a score at or above the superior range on a norm-referenced measure of characteristics of creativity

· a score at or above the superior range on a norm-referenced measure of characteristics of leadership

· a score at or above the 90th percentile on a norm-referenced measure of cognitive abilities

· a score at or above the 90th percentile in select areas on a norm-referenced achievement test

At this time, if parental permission has not been obtained, district personnel shall obtain written parental permission for testing. A student who has satisfied the minimal acceptable criteria on any three of the above measures shall have an individually administered norm-referenced intelligence test administered to them. A score of 90th percentile or above must be obtained for eligibility. Properly certified district personnel may administer the test at no cost to parents.

Students who do not satisfy the criteria for placement in the gifted program may not be re-tested until the completion of one calendar year.  A student who is referred for re-testing must complete all stages of the Gifted Identification Process.  A student may be screened every year, but a student may only be tested twice in his/her school career.

The assessment team report and recommendation profile are sent to the District Local Survey Committee for determining eligibility according to criteria set forth by the state guidelines. Once criteria are met and a written eligibility ruling has been made, the student is eligible to be placed in the EXCEL program at the appropriate time. The parent must give written consent to place the student in the program. No student is placed without a proper eligibility ruling and consent for placement.

General Information

Exceptional Children's Education in Lamar County (EXCEL) serves children in grades 2-6 who have been identified as having high intellectual abilities through enrichment opportunities to study a variety of topics not offered in regular curriculum. Our gifted education program seeks to provide a differentiated curriculum which:

· systematically exposes the student to many fields of learning

· provides process skills for advanced levels of thinking

· allows the learner the opportunity to become a producer rather than a consumer

· incorporates the interests and strengths of the student producing motivation for learning

Students are taught the following in EXCEL:

· communication skills that include debating, distinguishing between fact and opinion, listening, propaganda techniques, speaking skills, spontaneous thinking, and writing skills

· creativity through analogical thinking, divergent thinking, visualization, solving, and creative expression

· group dynamics/leadership by developing ethical awareness, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, learning skills, risk taking, and speaking/writings skills

· research skills by identifying and defining the problem, designing a research plan appropriate to problem, conducting the investigation, deciding on the most appropriate media for dissemination of the findings/solution(s), and presenting results before an audience

· self-directed learning developed through ethical awareness, evaluation techniques, goal setting, research skills, and risk taking

· thinking skills that enable one to define and classify the problem(s), make connections and draw distinctions, analyze information objectively and critically, reflectively develop a relationship between facts and values, and differentiate beliefs and what is true from one's understanding of what is logically and realistically possible

 

EXCEL

Referral-to-Placement Process

Transfer Students

Contact Us

Phone: 601-794-8137

Fax: 601-794-1457

 

Teachers of the gifted meet annually to reassess each gifted student's continuation in the gifted program.  Should the committee determine that the student should exit the program due to lack of progress or unsatisfactory participation, the student's parents will be notified and given opportunity to discuss the decision with the committee before the student is removed.  If removed, the student may not re-enter the program for one school year. 

Students who have been removed from the program by parents may not re-enter the program until the beginning of the next semester

Annual Reassessment of Identified Intellectually Gifted Students