Identify:
School districts must attempt to identify school-age children who might
be gifted - 'gifted' in the sense of their
not receiving meaningful educational benefit from the curriculum - through a formal process initiated by either 1) parents
submitting written requests for gifted evaluation or 2) Districts using their own evaluation rubrics, using appropriateassements which create an accurate, thorough, objective picture of the student's abilities and achievements.
Educate:
Once
the child is identified as not receiving educational benefit from the unmodified curriculum due to giftedness, the district must
provide the gifted student with an educational plan, called a Gifted IEP, that is reasonably calculated to provide that
student with an education of 'meaningful benefit' based on the student's needs, and then implement that plan.
Quick points:
In gifted education regulations the term 'gifted' identifies a 'need relative to the curriculum' not an 'ability
relative to peers'. So, when you refer to a child as 'gifted', it does not mean 'gee, this child is
really bright', though that may be true. "Gifted" in this case means 'gee, the regular curriculum, if left unmodified, is really
not going to educate this child very much, if at all, this year, because the child is really bright, learns quickly and retains
knowledge'. The distinction between 'gifted' and 'gifted: in need of specially designed instruction" is crucial. Remember
it while discussing your child's Gifted IEP.
If a parent requests gifted evaluation in writing the district must perform a full
gifted evaluation, including IQ test. It must do this regardless of the results of any of its preliminary gifted screening or
identification rubrics. You must also have an initial GIEP meeting to discuss the results of the evaluation. The Gifted
IEP team still meets even if the district recommends that your child not be identified as 'gifted'.
Chapter 16 contains the regulations for gifted education in Pennsylvania. School Districts are obligated under Chapter 16 to
first identify and then appropriately educate children for whom its regular, unmodified curriculum may be inappropriate. Their
two tasks are these:
