Academically Gifted Programs

Academic Program Referral

Administrators, parents, teachers, and students may refer students in grades 3-9 for screening for the gifted and talented program. To nominate a student for screening, complete the form linked below.

Request for Academic Screening

All students will be screened with MAP Growth Reading and Math in the Fall and Spring of each year. The SC Ready ELA and Math scores are also evaluated for every student. Second grade students are screened through census testing that takes place in late October. Because the screening process is multi-faceted, additional testing may be required.

Identification of Students for Academic Gifted and Talented Programs

Gifted and talented students may be found within any racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group; within genders; and within populations with disabilities.

Gifted and talented identification uses three dimensions: A. Reasoning Abilities, B. High Achievement in Reading and/or mathematical area(s), and C. Intellectual/Academic Performance.

A student can be identified as gifted by one of the following ways.

Student meets the criteria for two of the three dimensions listed below. Possible combinations include meeting the criteria for dimensions A & B or A & C or B & C.
Dimension A only. Student earns a composite/total score at or above the 96th national age percentile on a nationally normed aptitude test. (See Dimension A column below for examples of possible tests.)

Dimension A Reasoning Abilities	Dimension B High Achievement	Dimension C Academic Performance
93rd national age percentile or higher on a nationally normed aptitude test in the area of verbal/linguistics, quantitative/mathematical, nonverbal and/or a composite/total of the three. Examples: A student may meet the criteria for Dimension A with a score of a 97th%tile on a Verbal assessment and would qualify as gifted by also meeting the criteria for either Dimension B or Dimension C. OR A student who receives a composite/total score at the 96th%tile or above on a Dimension A assessment would automatically qualify without needing to met Dimension B or Dimension C.	94th national percentile or higher on approved subtest (reading comprehension and/or math concepts and problem solving). If approved subtests are unavailable, the total reading and/or total math score is used. OR A qualifying score* in Reading and/or Math on SCREADY. *Qualifying scores are determined yearly based on the population taking the assessment. Scores range in the top 10%.	Students entering grades 3-6: Performance Task Assessment Primary Verbal: Grade 2- 16 or better Grade 3- 18 or better OR Primary Nonverbal: Grade 2- 16 or better Grade 3- 18 or better Intermediate Verbal: Grade 4- 16 or better Grade 5- 18 or better OR Intermediate Nonverbal: Grade 5- 25 or better Grade 4- 22 or better Students entering grades 6-12: Year-end GPA in academic areas* of 3.75 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). *Academic areas include ELA (Reading), Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Examples: Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)	Examples: Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), SCREADY

Dimension A
Reasoning Abilities

Dimension B
High Achievement

Dimension C
Academic Performance

93rd national age percentile or higher on a nationally normed aptitude test in the area of verbal/linguistics, quantitative/mathematical, nonverbal and/or a composite/total of the three.

Examples:

A student may meet the criteria for Dimension A with a score of a 97th%tile on a Verbal assessment and would qualify as gifted by also meeting the criteria for either Dimension B or Dimension C.

A student who receives a composite/total score at the 96th%tile or above on a Dimension A assessment would automatically qualify without needing to met Dimension B or Dimension C.

94th national percentile or higher on approved subtest (reading comprehension and/or math concepts and problem solving). If approved subtests are unavailable, the total reading and/or total math score is used.

A qualifying score* in Reading and/or Math on SCREADY.

*Qualifying scores are determined yearly based on the population taking the assessment. Scores range in the top 10%.

Students entering grades 3-6:

Performance Task Assessment

Primary Verbal:
- Grade 2- 16 or better
- Grade 3- 18 or better OR
Primary Nonverbal:
- Grade 2- 16 or better
- Grade 3- 18 or better

Intermediate Verbal:
- Grade 4- 16 or better
- Grade 5- 18 or better OR
Intermediate Nonverbal:
- Grade 5- 25 or better
- Grade 4- 22 or better

Students entering grades 6-12:

Year-end GPA in academic areas* of 3.75 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

*Academic areas include ELA (Reading), Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Examples:
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Examples:
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), SCREADY

South Carolina GT Identification Criteria

QUEST
Honors

QUEST

Honors

Criteria for Honors Placement: Information for Students, Parents, and Stakeholders

The Honors Program, in grades 6-12, aims to support gifted and talented students by providing an enriching and challenging curriculum that adapts to their unique needs in pace, depth, complexity, and novelty. This program is designed to engage students with accelerated content in specific disciplines, responding to their readiness levels, interests, passions, and learning styles through effective differentiation practices.

Gifted and Talented (G/T) Student Placement

All qualified G/T students are considered for placement in areas of academic strength, as outlined in their South Carolina Gifted Profiles. These profiles, available from Heather Clemmons, SSD’s Coordinator of Gifted Education, help guide decisions on appropriate placement in Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) coursework. It'’'s important to note that G/T students may excel in some areas but not others, so their individual learning needs and achievements will be central to placement decisions.

A student coded as G/T can participate in just one Honors/AP/IB course while still receiving services in their area of strength. Provisional placement in the Honors program may involve a trial period of one semester, extendable up to a year. If progress isn't adequate, an evaluation team may recommend withdrawal from the program. Students previously identified for G/T services will continue to qualify, provided their participation meets program requirements.

High Achievers in Honors Classes

In addition to G/T students, high-achieving students may be included in Honors classes to benefit from an advanced curriculum, higher-level thinking, and collaboration with similarly motivated peers. High achievers typically score similarly to G/T students on assessments such as MAP, SCREADY, PSAT, SAT, and/or ACT but may not yet meet state criteria for G/T identification.

The following criteria guide the inclusion of high-achieving students:

Peer Ability: High-achieving students added to G/T classes should be close in ability to identified G/T students. Ideally, these students’ scores on assessments should not differ by more than 10 percentile points to maintain a challenging curriculum.
Class Balance: High-achieving students should not exceed the number of identified G/T students in a classroom. However, if the number of identified G/T students is low, a waiver may allow for flexibility in placement.
Class Size Limits: G/T class sizes cannot exceed 25 students by state regulation and should not surpass the size of other classes in the school. Adding too many high achievers could lead to removal to make room for newly or previously identified G/T students.
Parent Agreement: High-achieving students placed in Honors classes will receive a provisional placement letter, explaining that the placement depends on both their success and available seats in the class. Parents of provisional Honors students must sign consent for their participation under these conditions.

Contact

Heather Clemmons

Coordinator of Fine Arts and Gifted and Talented

Work: 803-469-6900 ext. 521

Work

1345 Wilson Hall Rd

Sumter, South Carolina 29150

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