Warrior Run School District
Annual Notice of Gifted Support Services
2024-2025
The Warrior Run School District is committed to providing Gifted Support services to those students who are eligible and in need of these services. Each school district shall conduct awareness activities to inform the public of gifted educational services and programs and the manner by which to request these services and programs. These awareness activities shall be designed to reach parents of students enrolled in the public schools and the parents of school age children not enrolled in the public schools.
The Warrior Run School District provides programming for students who are identified as Mentally Gifted. This term includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher or when multiple criteria as set forth in Chapter 16 regulations and in Department Guidelines indicate gifted ability. Determination of gifted ability will not be based on IQ score alone. Deficits in memory or processing speed, as indicated by testing, cannot be the sole basis upon which a student is determined to be ineligible for gifted special education. A person with an IQ score lower than 130 may be admitted to gifted programs when other educational criteria in the profile of the person strongly indicate gifted ability. Determination of mentally gifted must include an assessment by a certified school psychologist.
Identification (Child Find) Activities:
Building level teams meet regularly at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels to monitor student progress, to develop intervention strategies, and to identify students who may need gifted services. The teams consider a variety of academic, behavioral, speech/language, and motor development information. Teachers within the district are trained in referral procedures. Guidance counselors, working in collaboration with their district colleagues at all levels, are also important front line personnel in child find procedures.
The Warrior Run School District has an assessment plan which specifies the type of evaluations that are administered at various grade levels. The analysis of assessment results is an important child find strategy, and students may be referred to the school guidance counselor and/or school psychologist for additional assessment.
A second grade gifted screening is completed in April of each school year. From the screening which includes ratings by teachers on may different domains, the school psychologists will complete brief ability screeners on the top 5-10% of students in September of the following year. Those students who demonstrate a need for further assessment will be moved to level 3 which includes a comprehensive gifted evaluation.
Initiating an Evaluation
Parents who have questions about their child’s academic or developmental growth and believe that their child may be Mentally Gifted should contact the appropriate building principal, school guidance counselor, or the Gifted Service Coordinator to request screening and/or evaluation. A parental request for a gifted evaluation should be made in writing.
Confidentiality of Student Records:
If a screening procedure finds evidence of giftedness and a gifted evaluation is recommended, the district must issue a Permission to Evaluate form to parents or guardians. Written consent is required prior to conducting the evaluation. An evaluation report is prepared after the assessments are completed. The written record of the results is considered an educational record and is maintained by the District. The record contains information that personally identifies a child’s name, name of parents or other family members, address, and other traceable information. The school district protects the confidentiality of personally identifiable information regarding a gifted student or a student thought to be gifted in accordance with section 13(a) of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C.A. § 1232g), 34 CFR Part 99 (relating to family educational rights and privacy), Chapter 12 (relating to students) and other applicable law.
Further information about gifted education is available from building principals or Gifted Service coordinator (Amanda Velte) at 649-5138 ext 5011.
WHAT IS GIFTED EDUCATION?
Title 22 Education, Chapter 16: Special Education for Gifted Students regulations, the Parent Guide to Gifted Education, the Basic Education Circular Special Education for Gifted Students and the Gifted Guidelines reflect Pennsylvania's commitment to gifted students as "children with exceptionalities" and therefore in need of specially designed instruction.
Gifted education is the shared responsibility of the Bureau of Special Education and the Bureau of Teaching and Learning Support. The integrated approach commits both Bureaus to providing support for Chapter 16.
DOES YOUR CHILD QUALIFY FOR GIFTED EDUCATION?
The multiple criteria indicating a student may be mentally gifted include:
- A year or more above grade achievement level in one or more subjects as measured by nationally normed and validated achievement tests.
- An observed or measured rate of acquisition/retention of new academic content or skills.
- Demonstrated achievement, performance or expertise in one or more academic areas as evidenced by excellence of products, portfolio, or research, as well as criterion-referenced team judgement.
- Early and measured use of high level thinking skills, academic creativity, leadership skills, intense academic interest areas, communication skills, foreign language aptitude or technology expertise.
- Documented, observed, validated or assessed evidence that intervening factors such as English as a second language, learning disability, physical impairment, emotional disability, gender or race bias, or socio/cultural deprivation are masking gifted abilities.
Gifted Education Resources:
| PA Chapter 16 Regulations |  |
| PA Gifted Guidelines |  |
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