Who can refer students?
A teacher, parent/guardian, peer, the student support team, the student, or any person who has knowledge of the student's abilities may initiate a referral. Referral forms can be obtained from the gifted resource teacher at your school.Back to Top
What are the steps in the referral process?
*The classroom teacher or parent/guardian obtains a Referral Form from the gifted contact person in school. *A classroom teacher completes the Teacher Information Form and attaches a copy of the student’s current report card. *If the parent/guardian did not refer the student, then the Parent Letter and Parent Information Form is sent home to be completed, signed, and returned to the classroom teacher. *All forms are sent to the school’s gifted contact person who forwards them to the Gifted Testing Department located at Old Donation Center. *Parents/guardians are notified of the date that the assessment specialist administers the tests. *The Eligibility/Placement Committee meets quarterly (November, January, March, and May), reviews all information, and makes eligibility decisions. *Parents/guardians and/or the referral source receive notification of the decision by mail within ten working days. *Confidentiality is maintained during all steps in the process. Back to Top
What is the resource cluster model?
Gifted services are available to elementary school children in their neighborhood schools through the resource-cluster model. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers, along with the gifted resource teacher and the building principal, collaborate to decide the appropriate level of instruction for the students. Instructional involvement may come through staff development services, extension activities, whole group lessons, or various configurations of small groupings of students. Identified students in grades two through five are placed in heterogeneous classrooms, in groups of six to eight, and are taught by a cluster teacher trained in gifted education. A resource teacher, endorsed in gifted education, assists the cluster teacher in delivering instruction at a depth and rate conducive to the intellectual needs of gifted learners. The resource-cluster program is grounded in general education curriculum but is differentiated, modified, and expanded to provide appropriate learning challenges. Students are required to demonstrate mastery of the state-mandated Standards of Learning and their instruction is differentiated to meet their intellectual needs.Back to Top
What about kindergarten and first grade students? Do they receive gifted services?
Kindergarten and first grade students are considered members of the school division's talent pool where the focus on gifted services is on the recognition and development of student potential. Students in kindergarten and grade 1(K-1) are provided gifted curriculum and instruction through whole group and small group lessons by the gifted resource teacher and through differentiated curriculum and instruction developed by the classroom teacher in collaboration with the gifted resource teacher. These lessons are designed to develop student abilities to think critically, creatively, logically, and to reason and problem solve. All gifted resource lessons are based on the Virginia Beach City Public Schools regular education curriculum but are differentiated to increase the level of challenge for students.While the gifted resource teacher models strategies and conducts lessons, the classroom teacher actively participates by observing students' responses or co-teaching lessons. All kindergarten and first grade teachers are trained in recognizing and recording evidence of gifted behaviors. Ongoing assessment of student performance is used to differentiate the K-1 curriculum in order to appropriately challenge and engage high ability students. The gifted resource teacher supports the kindergarten and first-grade teachers by offering support in the ongoing differentiation of the regular curriculum, by providing resources, and by training teachers in gifted education curriculum models and instructional strategies.In first grade, all students enrolled in Virginia Beach City Public Schools are screened to ensure consideration for gifted program services. With parent/guardian permission for continued assessment, students who score at the 90th percentile or higher on the screening instrument are referred for additional testing. All students referred for testing are reviewed by the Gifted Identification and Placement Committee. Any student can be referred for continued assessment, regardless of their score on the screening instrument. Parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or anyone with knowledge of the child's abilities may refer the student for continued assessment and consideration by the Gifted Identification and Placement Committee.Back to Top