Arkansas State Department of Education Definition of Giftedness:

Gifted and talented children and youth are those of high potential or ability whose learning characteristics and educational needs require quantitatively differentiated educational experiences and/or services.

Possession of these talents and gifts, or the potential for their development, will be evidenced through an interaction of above average intellectual ability, task commitment and/or motivation, and creative ability.

GT Referral Process: School staff, parents, family members, or students themselves may refer any student in grades 3-11 for the gifted education program.  Referrals for the GT program are accepted at any time during the school year. A public call for GT referrals happens in the spring of each year.  A notice will appear in the newspaper and forms will be available in the Central and Corning High School offices. After a student is referred, a parent or guardian must give consent for further testing of the referred student.  Students cannot be considered for the gifted education program until all evaluation procedures are complete.

Testing Process: A battery of tests, checklists, and scores are used to determine possible placement.  In compliance with Arkansas State Department of Education GT guidelines, benchmark scores, achievement test scores, intelligence test scores, teacher rating scales, parent rating scales, grade point average, Accelerated Reading and STAR Reading scores, as well as objective and subjective test scores are used.  A licensed GT Coordinator administers the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and the Frank Williams Creativity Test and/or the Divergent Feeling and Thinking Test in the GT classroom.

Placement Process: Once the testing and scoring process is complete on each referred student, the placement committee meets.  The placement committee is chaired by the GT Coordinator and is made up of a combination of experienced, specially-trained teachers, administrators, and counselors.  Profile sheets with each student’s scores are shared with the placement committee.  The placement process is completed using blind placement.  Blind placement means that each student is assigned a number in place of his or her name.  No names, birth dates, or any other kind of identifying data is included.  In the interest of complete fairness, the GT Coordinator is not a voting member of the placement committee. Students who meet and exceed all state department of education gifted and talented criteria are placed in the program.  Students who do not meet or exceed program guidelines are not placed.  Students may be referred again and may meet all of the requirements in the future.

How the Corning School District Services Students:

Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grades: Kindergarten, first and second graders attend whole group enrichment classes with the GT Coordinator.  Lessons include such activities as: brainstorming, higher level questioning, creative and open-ended assignments, stories, poems, making models, maps, or illustrations, vocabulary extension, productive thinking, communication, forecasting, decision making, planning, and implementation.

Grades 4-6: Students who are placed in the GT program attend 150 minutes of weekly pullout classes with the elementary GT Coordinator. GT students are expected to be able to keep up with all of their regular classroom curriculum and assignments, in addition to assigned work and projects for GT.

GT Activities and Lessons Include Such Topics as: character and affective education, creative thinking, critical thinking, research and independent learning, effective communication, technology, team building, mentoring, community service, using higher level thinking skills and participating in local, regional and state level competitions.

Grades 7-12: High school GT students are served through secondary course content curriculum and fulfill program requirements by enrolling in honors courses, Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement Classes, concurrent credit and dual enrollment courses. GT students also have the opportunity to participate in such activities as chess, quiz bowl and other types of shows, trips and competitions.

Exit Policy: Students, parents or guardians, or a GT staff member may request that a student be exited from the program.  Each student is expected to regularly attend GT classes and be an active participant.  If a student exits the program, it should not be viewed as a punishment but simply that the student’s needs could best be served in the regular classroom.  Detailed exit policies and procedures are available on each campus, upon request.