Gifted Program Plan & Professional Development
__ Does the school district’s strategic plan include procedures
for the education of ALL gifted students enrolled in the
district?
__  Does the school district’s policy address gifted education
early admission options, such as early admission to programs
or school, early graduation and credit by examination?
__  Is in-service training concerning education for the gifted provided
for gifted and regular education teachers, principals,
administrators and support staff?
__  Are all teachers knowledgeable about the needs of the gifted?
__  Does the school district have in place board policies relating
to caseloads, class sizes, and assurances to provide services
required in each gifted student’s GIEP?
__  Do the programs for gifted across the buildings and grade
levels in the school district provide for equal and consistent
services?
__  Are the stated mission and goals of the gifted program
evident in the day-to-day operation?
__  Is the gifted program evaluated on an ongoing basis?
__  What are the program strengths and needs in relation
to best practices in gifted education?

Student Screening and Identification
__  Is there a system in the district for identifying all students
in K-12 who are mentally gifted?
__  Is a system in place for making parents aware of the district’s
gifted student services, and how to recommend students for
evaluation?
__  Does the system of identification advertise to parents of
students within the district who are home-schooled or in
nonpublic, parochial, or private schools?
__  Does the school psychologist administer tests and evaluation
materials to determine whether a student is mentally gifted?
__  Does the criteria include multiple factors such as:
..... Achievement scores
..... Acquisition and Retention rates
..... Demonstrated achievement, performance or expertise in
one or more academic areas
..... High-level thinking skills, academic creativity, leadership
skills, academic interest areas, communication skills,
foreign language aptitude or technology expertise
..... Evidence that intervening factors are masking gifted
abilities
__  Is the decision about eligibility a GIEP team decision?

Gifted Individualized Education Program (GIEP)
__  Were the appropriate members of the GIEP team involved in
the development of the GIEP?
..... Parents
..... Student, if parent choose to have student participate
..... District representative
..... One or more of the student’s current teachers,
..... Others at parent or school district discretion
..... Does the GIEP address all required areas in Present Levels?
__  Was comprehensive assessment data used to profile the
student’s present levels of performance, including the student’s
rate of learning and retention and instructional levels?
__  Is the GIEP or specially designed instruction based directly
on the individual student’s abilities as stated in the present
levels section?
__  Does the GIEP include programs or services across a
variety of content and skill areas in both regular and s
pecial education?
__  What evidence exists to document positive student
performance?
__  Is the curriculum appropriate for gifted students?

Procedural Issues
__  Are timelines for evaluation, Gifted Written Report (GWR),
GIEP, and placement followed?
__  Is the Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA) given
to the parents with each new GIEP?
__  Is the Notice of Parental Rights for Gifted Children given
to parents in a timely and consistent manner and the rights
explained to parents?
__  Is there a list of resources, including telephone numbers,
addresses, and/or email addresses that are available to help
parents understand their rights?

Educational Placement and Program Delivery
__  Are specially designed instruction and learning modification
available and made across all grade levels, K-12?
__  Do programming options include early entrance to kindergarten,
grade or subject skipping, early-to-college and early
graduation?
__  Does the program, curricula, or specially designed instruction
address individual needs of students?
__  Are gifted students provided curriculum that addresses their
socio-emotional needs and enhances development of the
whole child, rather than just their cognitive development?
__  Is the regular classroom curricula and instruction adapted,
modified, or replaced to meet the unique needs of each gifted
student?
__  Does the school district make adaptations for each gifted
student that provide for both acceleration and enrichment,
as the GIEP requires?
__  Do the learning opportunities for each gifted student consist
of a continuum of differentiated curricular options, instructional
approaches, and resource materials?
__  Is the programming for gifted coordinated and integrated
with the regular education program?
__  Are gifted students provided with career guidance services
designed for their unique needs?
__  Are underachieving (or at-risk) gifted students provided with
guidance and counseling to help them reach their potential?
__  Does the district look beyond mentally gifted students’ underachievement
to determine its basis and identify other program
approaches to ensure the child reaching his/her potential?
from PA Department of Education Gifted Guidelines 2004

www.BensalemGifted.org