3 minute read
Gifted Count
by CCOSA
Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA Education Policy & Research Analyst
Only those students identified as gifted before October 1 become part of the school district’s funding, so it is very important that you have a game plan to ensure a full count of any newly identified students before October 1 to maximize your state dollars. The identification and subsequent service of gifted students is carefully prescribed through Oklahoma Statutes and Oklahoma Administrative Code cited on page 19 of the OAC.
A gifted student receives a 0.34 weight in the Foundation and Salary Incentive Formula.
Schools receive funding based on their gifted student count through two categories.
1. Category One students are those identified by their performance on an aptitude test, or nationally standardized test of intellectual ability. Schools will receive funding for ALL Category One students. There is no cap for the number of students identified and served through Category One.
a. Students must score in the top 3% on any nationally standardized test of intellectual ability. This means a composite, total or full scale score in the 97th percentile or above, including the standard error of measure as denoted in each nationally standardized test of intellectual ability technical manual. (OAC 210:15-23-1.2)
b. No additional criteria are required for placement. Students can qualify for gifted services through either group or individual tests of ability.
i. Group tests of ability examples:
1. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test Pearson
2. Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT)
3. Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test- Pearson
ii. Individual tests of ability examples:
1. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Fourth Edition and L-M)
2. Wechsler Intelligence Scale (III, for Children, and Preschool and Primary)
3. The Slosson Intelligence Test-Revised, Slosson Publications 4. The Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery
c. Students cannot be identified for Category One funding through performance on an achievement test. Examples of achievement tests include, but are not limited to:
i. Metropolitan Achievement Tests
ii. SRA Achievement Series
iii. California Test of Basic Skills
iv. Stanford Achievement Test
v. California Achievement Test vi. Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
vii. Oklahoma’s Subject-Area Tests through the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP)
viii. Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
2. Category Two students are those who meet two or more criteria (a.k.a. multi-criteria) that are determined by the local school district and spelled out specifically in each district’s Gifted Educational Plan (GEP).
a. This identification process yields information obtained through a variety of procedures and from many independent sources, such as, but not limited to, teacher referrals, parent nominations, achievement tests, observations, a predetermined ability test score (less than 97th percentile), etc. This process is clearly articulated in the district’s Gifted Educational Plan (GEP).
b. Although there is no cap to the number of students that can be identified through multicriteria and served, state funding will only be available for up to 8% of the district’s average daily membership (ADM) in this category.
c. Students cannot be identified for Category One funding through performance on an achievement test. Examples of achievement tests include, but are not limited to: i. Metropolitan Achievement Tests ii. SRA Achievement Series iii. California Test of Basic Skills iv. Stanford Achievement Test v. California Achievement Test vi. Iowa Tests of Basic Skills vii. Oklahoma’s Subject-Area Tests through the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) viii. Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement.
2. Category Two students are those who meet two or more criteria (a.k.a. multi-criteria) that are determined by the local school district and spelled out specifically in each district’s Gifted Educational Plan (GEP).
a. This identification process yields information obtained through a variety of procedures and from many independent sources, such as, but not limited to, teacher referrals, parent nominations, achievement tests, observations, a predetermined ability test score (less than 97th percentile), etc. This process is clearly articulated in the district’s Gifted Educational Plan (GEP).
b. Although there is no cap to the number of students that can be identified through multicriteria and served, state funding will only be available for up to 8% of the district’s average daily membership (ADM) in this category.
