Gifted Referral Process

RISD elementary students in grades K-6 may be referred for evaluation once per year to determine if they qualify for gifted/talented services. The window to referral window opens October 3, 2025 and closes October 17, 2025. If you would like your child/ren to be evaluated to determine if they qualify for gifted/talented services, please complete the correct 2025-2026 Elementary Referral for GT Testing Google Form. Referrals are not accepted outside the referral window.

This document identifies students with a need for gifted services as those who are "advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, and environment." It also states students must qualify for services based on both quantitative and qualitative data. You may access the State Plan HERE.

In accordance with the State Plan, RISD students are evaluated for gifted services using multiple measures of qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data is obtained from parent, teacher, and/or student observations and input. RISD administers the CogAT to capture quantitative data. The CogAT is a norm-referenced ability test that assesses a student's reasoning and problem-solving capability. The test is broken into three domains.

• The verbal domain measures a child’s ability to remember, transform, understand, and make inferences about sequences of words.
• The quantitative domain measures a child’s understanding of mathematical concepts and relationships.
• The non-verbal domain measures reasoning and problem solving using pictures, geometric shapes, and visual-spatial models.

RISD uses Standard Age Scores (SAS)* in qualifying students for gifted services. Students may qualify for elementary gifted services if they meet any of the following measures:

• Two CogAT domain scores of 130 or higher of national norms

• Two CogAT domain scores in the top 5% of their campus
• Two CogAT domain scores in the top 5% of allowable subpopulations

Qualitative data obtained from parent, teacher, and/or student observations is used to support, not exclude, student qualification.

*Standard Age Score (SAS) is a normalized standard score, with a mean (average) of 100. Standard Age Scores of 84-116 are all within the average range. For example: A student with an SAS of 100 on the verbal domain has the rate and level of development of verbal reasoning skills that are typical for his/her age group.

The Texas State Plan and RISD practice support multiple pathways of identification. The State Plan includes the following:

1.11 For any standard of service for which the district is out of compliance, develop a written plan specifying actions and timelines for achieving compliance.

2.25 The population of the gifted/talented services program is closely reflective of the population of the total district and/or campus.

Additionally, RISD practice includes:

• distributing resources, opportunities, facilities, supports, and teachers/staff, to meet the identified needs of a campus, even if carrying out the commitment results in differentiated resource allocations.
• using qualitative and quantitative data to monitor and address practices that could result in disproportionality in student success and achievement, including the use of assessments and assessment data in programs such as, but not limited to, Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement.

The referral form includes a section for you to check characteristics you see in your child. Please take the time to consider what you observe on a frequent basis, so Advanced Learning Programs & Services may see your child/ren in a more holistic way and determine if they have an instructional need for gifted services.

To help you better understand the academic and social-emotional nature of gifted students, click here for a list of characteristics. Please remember to consider if gifted services may be a good fit for your child's educational needs, as identified students are pulled out of their core content classrooms for up to two hours per week.

"THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX"

This term has lost meaning because it has become so overused.

"CREATIVE"

Just like the previous example, the term creative has lost meaning because it has been overused or incorrectly used. A better way to share about your child is to say, "My child shows creative thinking when she or he..." and then give concrete examples.

"ARTISTIC"

Some children may be artistic but we do not provide services in the arts.

"MAKES GOOD GRADES" OR "HAS HIGH TEST SCORES"

Families often share that their child needs gifted services because they make good grades or they have high test scores. However, many students beyond the expected range of students who would need gifted services perform in that range.

"HAS WON AWARDS"

While we will also be proud of a child's awards for leadership, character, or even sports, these are not specifically applicable to how we identify a student who needs gifted services.

"WOULD THRIVE/BENEFIT"

While the students may thrive or benefit, the services are designed for students who have demonstrated a need for them.

"IS BORED IN CLASS"

This statement is one of the more common that we hear from families. While bored is a term children often use to describe various feelings including disengaged, overwhelmed, or even disinterested, those do not indicate a need for gifted services. We recommend reaching out to the classroom teacher to discuss these concerns.

The window to complete referral forms opens October 3, 2025 and closes October 17, 2025. Before beginning the process, please check that your primary contact information in Focus is accurate and up to date. Referrals are not accepted outside the referral window.

1. Please complete the appropriate 2025-2026 Elementary GT Testing Referral Form via the red link below. You will need your child's six-digit RISD student ID number. (This is not their lunch number.)
   
2. Submit the form. You will receive a receipt of your submission via email. You may also wish to screenshot the submission page.

1. What happens if my child is absent on the day of testing? We will schedule makeup testing as time is available. Contact your campus Advanced Learning Teacher.
2. Does my child need to retest if they are already receiving services? Your child does not need to retest once they have qualified for services. However, we do retest in 2nd grade for updated scores to determine if a child qualifies for a change in placement to GT3 services or the Responsive Acceleration Pathway (RAP) program. We also test all 5th graders in the Lake Highlands Learning Community and all 6th graders in the Berkner, Pearce, and Richardson Learning Communities to determine secondary course qualifications. Regardless of the scores, students are not removed from services.
3. My child did not qualify last time they were tested. Can they be tested again? Yes, students may test once per academic year to determine if they qualify for gifted services. In deciding if you should refer your child multiple times, consider the child's instructional needs and their response to potentially testing and not qualifying. Sometimes students internalize this as a failure because they do not understand the nature of this kind of assessment and process.

Email: kelsey.karcher@risd.org