Regulation 6310-1

Gifted Program

Referral, Identification and Placement Criteria for Gifted Program

Reviewed and affirmed by the Board: 
Last Revision: 2025-04-23
Original publish date: 04/01/2015
Related policies & regulations:  
Legal references:  

 A. Referral Process
A student may be referred by parent/guardian, staff member, community member, peer or self.

A student may be referred for consideration based on any of the following:
  1. Student products of high quality
  2. Evidence of outstanding performance
  3. Evidence of high ability, as determined by use of differentiated characteristics checklists
  4. Standardized group aptitude test scores in the 9th stanine
  5. Standardized achievement test scores in the 9th stanine
B. Data Gathering Team, Building Based
Each school will establish a data gathering team, consisting of a building administrator, building facilitator, classroom teacher(s) and others.  The makeup of this group may change depending on the students who are being considered.  It will be the responsibility of this team to facilitate the referral and identification of gifted students in the building.

C. Identification and Placement Criteria for Gifted Services
The criteria to be followed by the school data gathering team for identification and placement of students for gifted services and the differentiated curriculum are:
 
  1. Meet district criterion on at least two of the following:
Standardized aptitude or achievement score(s) in 9th stanine on total reading or total math or total language or total battery

Student products or evidence of outstanding performance with supporting data, submitted by staff, parent/guardian, peers, self and/or community members

Outstanding records of past performance (e.g., grades, performance in class/courses)

Evidence of ability as indicated on the differentiated characteristics checklists
or

Students may also qualify based on additional criteria including:
 
Score two standard deviations above the norm or above on an approved individual intellectual test, as follows:
 
Wechsler V
General Ability Index score of 130 or above, or
Verbal Comprehension Index score of 130 and a General Ability Index score of 120 or above, or
 
Fluid Reasoning Index score of 130 and a General Ability Index score of 120 or above
 
2. Identified students who transfer within Lincoln Public Schools and identified students who enroll from out of district will be provided gifted program services.

D. Identification and Placement Criteria for Highly Gifted Services
 
The criteria used for identification and placement of students in the highly gifted program are:
 
1. Score three standard deviations above the norm on any of the following approved individual intellectual test as follows:
Wechsler V, General Ability Index score of 145 or above
Wechsler V, Verbal Comprehension Index score of 145 or above and a General Ability Index score of 130 or above
Wechsler V, Fluid Reasoning Index score of 145 and a General Ability Index score of 130 or above

E. Identification by District Administrative Steering Committee for the Gifted and Highly Gifted Program

If a student does not meet the specified criteria for identification and gifted program services seem warranted, then staff members, the student, and/or parents/guardians may submit data to the District Steering Committee for the Gifted Program.

The District Administrative Steering Committee for the Gifted Program will consider the following information on which to base decisions for providing gifted program services:
 
Demonstrated accomplishment(s),
Expert testimony or reports
Outstanding scores on objective tests
Other evidence

F. Facilitating School Experiences for Students with High Ability and Low Achievement
Students identified as gifted and who achieve at a low level will be referred to the data gathering team who, working with parents/guardians, will determine the school experiences that best meet the student's needs. The team, collaborating with parents/guardians, will determine programming to best meet the student's needs. Student progress will be reviewed annually by the data gathering team.