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When can I refer my child for gifted? Referral times depend on your child's current grade level. New students
2nd and 4th Grade
3rd Grade
Kindergarten and 1st
What scores does my child need to qualify?
Was my child tested for gifted? If your child is in 2nd or 4th grade, then yes, he or she has been tested at the beginning of the year for gifted. The gifted program uses scores from CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) and the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). If your child had some qualifying scores or needed further testing, then a letter of consent was sent home. If you did not receive anything, then your child did not have qualifying scores. We do not announce to the students that these scores are used for gifted and do not need parental consent because everyone in 2nd and 4th in Coweta County takes the tests. Your child will be tested in these grades automatically to insure equal access to the program. Please remember that scores are valid for two years.
When can my child be tested again? Your child can be tested for gifted every two years. Most students fall in the category of automatic testing because they are tested in 2nd and then will be tested in 4th. After this, you can request testing in 6th grade if you wish. Some students who are new to the county or state may be tested in 3rd and 5th, but will still need to wait two years for retesting. Students who are tested in 1st grade will still automatically be tested in 2nd. Students in Kindergarten cannot be retested until 2nd grade.
My child was in the gifted program in another state, isn't he or she eligible here? Students coming from out-of-state are not automatically eligible for gifted in Georgia. There is no reciprocity between states. We will have to wait to get records from your child's previous school and then we will have to use the most current test scores from that state, if available. These may not be the scores that initially qualified your child in that state. We will then do additional testing for Georgia if your child is missing any of the four areas of testing (mental ability, achievement, motivation, and creativity). Georgia's requirements abide by national guidelines, but may be higher than your previous state so your child may not be eligible here. He or she will have to meet all of the eligibility requirements for this state to be eligible for services. Students coming from another county in Georgia who have previously qualified for gifted are still eligible for services in Coweta County. However, for your child to receive services, we will have to have his or her gifted records on file at the school before he or she can attend REACH.
My child gets straight A's, doesn't that count toward gifted eligibility? No, elementary schools cannot use grades as a referral or qualifier for the gifted program. In fact, just because a child gets all A's does not necessarily mean they will qualify. Some students are really great students and are extremely bright, but are not gifted. They will still excel in everything they do, even though they do not qualify and are still extremely good students regardless of their test results for gifted! Middle schools and high schools can use grade point average as one qualifier for gifted, so please keep that in mind when your child enters those schools.
If my child qualifies, when will he or she come to REACH? Students come to REACH one day a week for the entire day. The state requires that students receive 5 segments of gifted, which are approximately 50 minutes each, except 1st grade which has segments of approximately 35 minutes each. The state of Georgia promotes the all day method because it gives students more than the 5 segments required and is conducive to the curriculum taught.
In Coweta County, we have adopted one of the state's most recommended curriculum methods. We teach interdisciplinary broad units, which simply put means that we teach general units that include all subjects intertwined. There are not set times in the day for subjects. All of the subjects are mixed together and we move from one activity to another, not one subject to another. The units are based on broad topics, such as Survival, and have materials that are gathered by gifted teachers in our county. We have the ability to pick and choose activities and units based on our knowledge of our students. Beyond the units, students are given activities in critical thinking, logic, spatial thinking, and other activities that stretch their mind and forces them to challenge themselves. Students also have a more flexible classroom setting in which they can choose to work in groups for a lot of activities, they can move freely in the room, and they can get materials as they need them.
What about the work my child misses while in REACH? While in REACH, your child is considered present at school and will not be responsible for make-up work from the regular classroom. However, the teacher has the right to assign the designated homework for the day to your child, just no additional homework can be given because he or she is in REACH. Teachers are very willing to work with parents on this matter, so if you are concerned in any way or have any concerns, please speak to your child's teacher.
What does my child need to do to stay in the REACH program? In the Regular Classroom: In order to continue gifted services, your child must maintain an A or B average in all academic areas. If he or she does not, you will be notified and a probationary period will begin. After a nine week period, if your child does not bring the average(s) up to the standard, then he or she will discontinue services in the program until further notice. In the REACH Classroom: Your child must also maintain a meets expectations in at least 12 out of 15 areas for grade 3-5 and 9 out of 12 areas for grade 1-2 on the REACH report card. These areas include items such as works well individually, works well in groups, strives for neatness, accepts challenges, etc. The report card includes items in both process and performance skills. If your child does not maintain the minimum number of meets expectations, then you will be notified and he or she will be put on probation. After a nine week period, if the report card does not improve then he or she will discontinue gifted services.
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