Gifted
The Gifted Endorsement is designed to increase the level of knowledge, expertise, and understanding of educators working with students who are gifted. The endorsement is intended to raise the awareness of the unique characteristics, emotional/social needs, and other challenges and issues associated with students who are gifted. It is designed to foster an understanding of historical state and national trends, policies, and guidelines in order to ensure implementation of appropriate academic curriculum, differentiation strategies, educational intervention, and support for this diverse population.
How Are Students Identified for the Gifted Program?
Most students are referred by a teacher, but parents and others may also refer.
Referred students are screened at the school by our diagnostician. Once results are received it is determined if a full evaluation is warranted.
A school psychologist administers an individualized test of intelligence to determine a student’s intellectual ability. In Florida, a student must score two standard deviations above the mean or higher in order to meet the intellectual criterion for the gifted program.
In conjunction with the psychologist’s testing, a checklist of gifted student behavioral characteristics is completed by one or more teachers familiar with the student. All information is then reviewed by an eligibility staffing committee at the school to determine if the student has a need for the gifted program and meets eligibility criteria.
Parents may also choose to contract with a private psychologist for their child's evaluation. The private psychologist must be licensed. When a private psychologist is used, the child’s school psychologist will review copies of the evaluation. The staffing committee will then determine eligibility according to the same criteria mentioned above.