Rena Ingram 3/03/2020

Scavenger Hunt for Review of Multiple Criteria and Eligibility

This assignment is designed to help you become familiar with eligibility and placement issues. Don’t hesitate
to discuss these with your mentor or a gifted contact teacher at your school. Use Pages 1-12 of the Georgia
Gifted Resource Manual https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-
Instruction/Documents/Gifted%20Education/Georgia-Gifted-Resource-Manual.pdf to answer the questions.
(Before beginning to hunt, read the forward on p. 3 and look at the definitions on page 5 to get background in
the GA Gifted Resource Manual.) You may also use page 7 in the Fulton County Schools Gifted Resource
Manual or page 5 in the Fulton County Schools Testing Manual for some questions.
Remember that with a scavenger hunt the questions are not in order!

1. What is Reciprocity? What are its limitations in GA? What state(s) will Fulton County Schools along
with other districts in GA accept reciprocity from?

Reciprocity is when any student who meets the initial eligibility criteria for gifted services in one school
system is considered eligible to receive gifted service in any school system within the state. A student
transferring from one school system to another within the state must meet the criteria for continuation of
services established by the LBOE of the receiving school system. There is no mandated reciprocity between
states unless the student is a dependent of military personnel.

2. What are the four criteria and requirements for each assessment used to determine eligibility in
Georgia?

In order to be eligible for gifted services, students must meet the criteria of the following four areas: mental
ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation. The requirements for each assessment used to determine
eligibility in Georgia is as follows:
i. Mental Ability Measures intelligence and cognitive ability.
a. Students must score ≥ 96% on a composite or full-scale score or appropriate component
score on a norm-referenced test of mental ability.
ii. Achievement Measures reading and comprehension skills, and mathematical concepts and
applications.
a. Students must score ≥ 90% on the total battery, total math or total reading section(s) of a
norm-referenced achievement test or have produced a superior student-generated
product/performance that is translated into a numerical score ≥ 90 on a 100 point scale as
evaluated by a panel of qualified evaluators.
iii. Creativity Measures fluency, originality, and elaboration.
a. Students must score ≥ 90% on the total battery score of a norm-referenced test of creative
thinking, receive a score ≥ 90% on a standardized creativity characteristics rating scale, or
receive a ≥ 90 on a 100-point scale on a structured observation/evaluation of creative
products and/or performances from a panel of qualified evaluators.
iv. Motivation A calculation of grades earned during the 2 years prior to evaluation in the subjects
of mathematics, science, ELA, social studies, and a full year of world language.
a. Students must score ≥ 90% on a standardized motivational characteristics rating scale,
receive a ≥ 90 on a 100-point scale on a structured observation/evaluation of creative
Rena Ingram 3/03/2020
Scavenger Hunt for Review of Multiple Criteria and Eligibility

products and/or performances from a panel of qualified evaluators, or for grades 6-12
have a GPA of at least a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale where a 4.0 = A and a 3.0 = B, or a numeric
GPA of 90% on a 100 point scale where 100 = A and a 89 = B.

3. How long is assessment data valid for and who sets the criteria?

The Local Board of Education (LBOE) adopts eligibility criteria that is defined in the GaDOE Resource
Manual for Gifted Education Services, and assessment data used to establish eligibility is valid for 2 years.

4. What are the rules about the use of assessment data gathered and analyzed by a source outside the
school system? You may want to look at page 7 of the FCS Gifted Resource Manual.

Data gathered and analyzed by a private licensed psychologist must be considered as part of the referral and
evaluation process and only used in the mental ability category for Option B. It cannot be substituted for or
used as the sole source of data the school generates during the initial eligibility process, so it must be
supported by two of the three remaining categories and one of the remaining categories must be a nationally
normed test administered by a school. External evaluations must also be reviewed for bias with respect to
race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background.

5. Compare and contrast the ways that Achievement, Creativity and Motivation can be assessed.

For each of the criteria in question (achievement, creativity, and motivation), performances and products are
assessed by a panel of qualified evaluators and must have been produced within the two calendar years prior
to evaluation. However, for both creativity and motivation, products and/or performances can be submitted
by students and by individuals on behalf of students that provide evidence of outstanding performances.

6. Who may refer a student? Please expand on your response.

Student referrals can either be automatic or reported. Automatic screening takes places in August-September
and the list of students automatically eligible for further assessment is derived from students who score at
specified levels on a nationally norm-referenced test. Reported screening takes placed in January-February
and can only be made by a teacher. Teachers use CISS to identify students with superior abilities in 10 areas:
motivation, interests, communication skills, problem-solving ability, memory, inquiry, insight, reasoning,
creativity, and humor. The CISS reports are compiled into a single form for each student, and in order to be
eligible for further assessment, students must have at least 5 area checked within the 10 total areas.

7. What are the steps for both Automatic Referral and Reported (or Teacher) Referral? Why must a
student also have more information gathered (or “supporting documentation”)?

In Fulton County, students are screened for eligibility twice a year. Automatic Screening takes place in
August-September, testing takes places in September-October and parents are notified of student eligibility
by December. Reported Screening takes places in January-February, testing takes places in January-March,
and parents are notified of eligibility by May. For students referred through reported CISS Screening, the
eligibility team reviews each student in a 10-day window through screening and documentation submitted
that highlights outstanding performances in each of the 4 qualifying areas: mental ability, achievement,
creativity, and motivation. In both methods, when/if determined eligible for further assessment, the parent
will receive a consent form. For student to be tested, a parent must turn in the consent form with their written
consent. After the students take their assessments and their tests are graded, parent will receive their test
result within 6 weeks and if eligibility is determined, the student will be placed in TAG to receive additional
services.
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Scavenger Hunt for Review of Multiple Criteria and Eligibility

8. Is a team finished with the process of evaluation if the student qualifies in Mental Ability and
Achievement under option A? Explain.

Yes, a team is finished with the process of evaluation if a student has a qualifying score in the mental ability
and achievement categories based on the following requirements for Option A:
a. Mental Ability: A K-2 student must score in the 99th percentile on a composite or full-scale score
on a nationally normed mental ability test while a 3-12 student must score ≥ 96% on a composite or
full-scale score or appropriate component score on a norm-referenced test of mental ability.
b. Achievement: A K-12 student must score ≥ 90th percentile in Total Reading, Total Math, or
Complete Battery on a nationally normed achievement test.

9. What are the curriculum areas in which gifted students can receive differentiation? How many
segments per week should the placed student receive?

Local Board of Education (LBOE) curricula for gifted students must focus on developing cognitive, learning,
research and reference, and metacognitive skills at each grade grouping, using principles of differentiation in
mathematics, science, ELA, social studies, world languages, fine arts, and career, technical and/or
agricultural education. Students who are identified as gifted (and received parental consent to be involved)
should receive at least 5 segments per week (or the yearly equivalent) of gifted education services.

10. Using the Fulton County Schools Gifted Resource Manual on page 26, explain what an Eligibility
Team at your school should look like? What improvements can you suggest to your school based on
what you learned on page 26?

The TAG Eligibility Team for a school is critical for the success of the multiple criteria screening and
identification processes for students with gifted abilities. Each of the following must be present on the
eligibility team:
 One General Education Teacher (Chair)
 Principal/Designee
 One Special Area Teacher (Art, Music, Physical Education, Career Tech, and/or SPED)
 One Representative from Each Grade Level/Core Content Department (Preferably Grade
Level/Department Chair)
 One TAG Teacher
Regarding the TAG team that we have at Creekside High School, I honestly believe that our TAG Chair
needs better assistance. This year, myself (Science) as well as two other teachers in the Gifted program
(Science & ELA), she was provided with additional assistance; however, on a standard basis, she’s been left
pretty independent which is a lot for a single person to take on from teacher referrals to administering testing
and notifying parents. I honestly believe the lack of teachers interested in becoming TAG certified aids to the
problem; however, since we do have numerous TAG teachers at CHS, there needs to be more priority on
expectation of a legitimate TAG “team”.

11. Think About This One: What are the possible consequences if teachers and schools fail to follow our
state and the system’s due process procedures? Explain.

If teachers/schools fail to follow Georgia’s state and the system’s due process procedures, students may
either fall through the cracks and we may also risk ethical violations. The eligibility process must be
analyzed on a regular basis for any factors that may lead to underrepresentation of some groups of students
or biases against race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities (twice exceptional), and economic
background.