Screening and Testing Timeline

The Fulton County School System screens all students for eligibility for gifted services twice a year and uses a systematic approach to identify highly capable students who may qualify for gifted services. The gifted teacher routinely reviews available data to refer students for further assessment. Students meeting either the automatic screening OR the classroom screening criteria AND who have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for additional testing to determine gifted eligibility.

 

#1: Automatic Screening: Identifies students who score at specified levels on a norm-referenced test as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services, for further assessment to determine eligibility for gifted services.

During each school year, TAG teachers review existing test data as outlined below.

Grades K-9:

• Students with scores in the 90th percentile or greater on the current school year’s administration of the system’s iReady assessment for Reading or Mathematics. Supporting data is needed. (Grades K-8) 

• Students must score in the 90th percentile or greater on the current school year’s administration of the system’s MAP assessment for Reading or Mathematics. Supporting data is needed. (Grades 2, 7)

• Students must score in the Distinguished Level (Level 4) in Reading or Mathematics sections of the previous year’s Georgia Milestones assessment. Supporting data is needed. (Grades 3-9) 

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#2: Classroom Screening: A district screening window of 10 days at the end of the first semester to review all students in the school in grades K-11. Classroom teachers use the Characteristics Instrument for Screening Students (CISS) to identify students with superior abilities in five or more of the following areas: motivation, interests, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, memory, inquiry, insight, reasoning, creativity, and humor.

#3: Reported Referrals: All reported referrals (parent, teacher, self, peer, and/or administrator) are completed through the two system-level screening and referral processes each year. All reported referrals are first reviewed by the local TAG Advocacy Council to consider if two pieces of supporting data exist to warrant formal testing for gifted eligibility.

 

Additional Information: Students who meet either the automatic screening OR classroom screening criteria AND who have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for gifted placement testing. Parents may request to view their child’s screening results by reaching out to their school’s gifted contact. Once referred to testing: • Parents receive the FCS Notification of Consideration for Gifted Services (Consent to Test) and must give written permission for testing to take place. • Student is tested for the gifted program. • Parents receive test results. • If state eligibility is determined to be met, students are placed in the gifted program with parental consent. 

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Explanation of Eligibility Report

Please view this extremely helpful video that will show you how to interpret the results of your child's eligibility report (the report that is mailed home after they are tested for TAG and tells you whether or not they qualify to be served),
Link to Eligibility Explanation Video

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