The Identification Process

The Gifted Identification Process involves several, vigorous factors. Normally, the first step in the process is a referral to the program. In Petersburg City Public Schools, students can be referred to the program by teachers, administrators, parents, and other students already enrolled in the program, or they can refer themselves for admission.

Once referred to, students are presented with a selection of forms to be completed by parents/guardians. The most time-sensitive of the forms is the ‘Permission of Assessment’, allowing students to be assessed for entry into the Gifted Program. These forms are a vital part of the identification process and provide information about the student’s learning styles, curiosities, and interests. Completion of these forms should happen as soon as possible to ensure an efficient process and provide helpful insight to strengthen the student’s portfolio.

As forms are being completed by families of potentially gifted students, classroom teachers, and the gifted team work together to collect work samples for the student portfolios. Work samples are included in student portfolios to provide insight into exemplary student work the potential candidates have produced.

After all forms, work samples, scores, and grades are collected, a Gifted Committee meeting is held to determine admission into the gifted program. Typically, aptitude testing and/or universal testing are administered by this point and results from those tests, along with teacher recommendations, are discussed with the committee as well. If it is determined that the student(s) should be admitted to the program, then they will start the following school year.