Gifted and Talented in CCISD

Rigorous learning opportunities exist at all grade levels for students in the Gifted and Talented program. The goal is to provide resources to engage and develop GT students who are academically successful.

Gifted and Talented class working on class assignment

Gifted and Talented students looking under microscope

Elementary

In the elementary grades, students identified as gifted are clustered together with Gifted and Talented (GT) trained teachers in otherwise academically diverse classrooms. The campus GT specialist works closely with the grade level cluster teachers to meet the needs of each identified child. They determine the best learning plan for each student including aligned TEKS-based lessons which explore content in depth and with complexity. Some differentiated lessons occur in the regular classroom with the cluster teacher and/or the GT specialist, and some occur outside the regular classroom. Specific services may vary based on campus and student needs.

Pull Out: In Grades K-3, gifted students participate with a GT Specialist in a program, on their campus, designed to provide challenging activities in seven strands: creativity, problem solving, research, communication, thinking skills, affective thinking, and leadership training. GT Specialists work with students K-5 as well as with GT Cluster teachers in meeting the needs of the gifted learners on each campus
Cluster: Students in the district’s Elementary Gifted and Talented Program, grades K- 5, are cluster grouped and receive differentiated instruction in the core content areas with a classroom teacher who has at least 30 hours of gifted awareness training, plus the required six hour annual update.
Alpha: In Grades 4-5, gifted students receive differentiated instruction in the regular classroom, attend sessions on campus one semester, and attend their chosen off campus GT mini-course the other semester. Click here to view the Alpha Park map.

Intermediate

At the intermediate levels (grade 6-8), GT students have the opportunity to attend WAVE, a GT magnet program, at either League City Intermediate or Westbrook Intermediate. Both magnets share the same philosophy to meet the unique intellectual, social and emotional needs of GT students. Additionally, students at WAVE are also part of the overall student body of the intermediate school. Click here to learn more about WAVE.

High School

Taking advanced courses in high school is a great way to prepare for college admission and college success. A rigorous curriculum in high school is a solid predictor of students’ ability to complete a bachelor's degree. Students also generally tend to score higher on the ACT, SAT and have higher GPAs. View the multitude of offerings for Gifted students in high school.

Identification and Referrals

Referrals

The Clear Creek Independent School District Gifted and Talented Department accepts written referrals for students in grades 1-12 for the current school year. Referrals are accepted on an ongoing basis, from the following: teachers, students, administrators, special education personnel, counselors, or parents/guardians. The referral must be submitted in writing to the Advanced Academic Specialist or to a campus counselor.

Gifted Services are designed for students who demonstrate significantly above-average achievement or potential in the areas of general intellectual ability, specific subject matter aptitude, and creative/productive thinking skills. Criteria for selection include cognitive skill tests, professional recommendations, classroom performance and portfolio samples. All kindergarten students are screened for possible testing throughout the school year. The deadline for accepting referrals for students in kindergarten is December 1. For more information, feel free to contact your child's campus.

Identification

The program for gifted and talented students is designed to serve those who perform or show potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment in the following areas: general intellectual ability, specific subject matter aptitude, creative & productive thinking and leadership. Clear Creek ISD screens for qualified Gifted and Talented students using a variety of sources:

Classroom performance
Authentic assessments
Portfolio data
Performance on qualitative and quantitative screening instruments
Teacher recommendations
Cumulative records, etc.
Selection Procedures

A selection committee consisting of at least three Gifted and Talented specialists will examine the qualifications of each candidate and recommend appropriate placement. Criteria for selection includes both quantitative (cognitive skills tests, etc.) and qualitative (professional recommendation, grades, portfolio samples, etc.) data.

Notification

Parents and students will be notified in writing of the testing results and the decision of the selection committee. Once the parents know the results, the teachers will be notified.

Placement
Students who qualify for the Gifted and Talented Program will be placed in Gifted and Talented classes
Appeal process

A parent or staff member may appeal an identification decision made by the selection committee. The appellant must submit an appeal letter no later than 15 working days after the committee has announced its selection decisions. The committee will respond to the person making the appeal no later than 15 working days after receipt of the letter of appeal. Any subsequent appeal shall be made in accordance with FNG (LOCAL) beginning at Level Two.

For NON-ENROLLED students (Private school, homeschool, or planning to move into the CCISD attendance boundaries)

Each year, many parents contact CCISD expressing their interest in learning more about the gifted opportunities we offer. In an effort to assist parents in determining the most appropriate instructional setting for their child, the Department of Advanced Academics and Gifted Programming has developed the following referral guidelines:

Guidelines for three distinct referral windows

August 2^nd – December 1^st

Parent initial contact and referral form completed
ALL requested student records* or a complete file must be received by December 1^st in order for a GT Identification Committee to determine student’s gifted identification in Clear Creek ISD.
GT Identification Committee will meet in December to review the completed files of students whose parents would like them evaluated for the gifted program in CCISD for the upcoming school year.
Current 5^th grade students who are identified during this cycle will be eligible for a WAVE math placement test.

December 2^nd – May 1^st

Parent initial contact and referral form completed
ALL requested student records* or a complete file must be received by May 1^st in order for a GT Identification Committee to determine student’s gifted identification in Clear Creek ISD.
GT Identification Committee will meet in May to review the completed files of students whose parents would like them evaluated for the gifted program in CCISD for the upcoming school year.
Students who are identified during this cycle will be NOT be eligible for a WAVE math placement test.

May 2^nd – August 1^st

Parent initial contact and referral form completed
ALL requested student records* or a complete file must be received by August 1^st in order for a GT Identification Committee to determine student’s gifted identification in Clear Creek ISD.
GT Identification Committee will meet in August to review the completed files of students whose parents would like them evaluated for the gifted program in CCISD for the upcoming school year.
Students who are identified during this cycle will be NOT be eligible for a WAVE math placement test.
Any candidates without a complete file by August 1^st will be reviewed after the beginning of the school year.

Testing for gifted identification for students enrolled in CCISD takes place during the fall or spring testing sessions.

Once a student’s gifted identification has been established and the student is officially enrolled in CCISD, he/she will begin receiving gifted services.

CCISD enrolled intermediate students whose gifted identification has been established are eligible to transfer to the appropriate zoned WAVE campus.

CCISD’s Gifted Program follows the Texas Education Agency’s guidelines for student assessment in the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students.

Records Request

Requested records include:

The last two years of ANY standardized testing the student has taken (including abilities testing, IQ testing, achievement testing, state assessments)
ANY documentation showing a student’s participation in a gifted program in another school or district that includes the quantitative and qualitative data used to identify the child:
- Name of test/assessment and results
- Teacher evaluations
- Parent evaluations
- Other criteria used by the previous school or district for gifted identification
A copy of the student’s most recent report card
A letter of recommendation from the child’s teacher, coach, club leader, or religious leader may be requested at a later date

If the student’s current district requires a “Release of Confidential Information” form from CCISD in order to send records to us, it is the parent’s responsibility to provide us with the contact information of the person/school to whom/which we are to send the form:

Name of individual/campus
Phone number, fax number, and/or email address of contact/campus

Requested records may be faxed, emailed, or sent via traditional mail to the GT Office.

Stanley M. Zavala
Advanced Academics & Gifted and Talented Programs
CCISD – Education Support Center
P.O. Box 799
League City, TX 77574

Fax: 281-284-9978
Email to Tami Carroll: tcarrol2@ccisd.net

GT Assessment

Testing Kindergarten

Private testing is accepted from approved psychologists. Please contact the Advanced Academics and Gifted and Talented Office for a list of recommended professionals.

Teachers and parents may refer Kindergarten students for testing. The deadline for referrals to participate in the kindergarten testing cycle is December 1.
Nominees for the Gifted and Talented Program in Kindergarten are tested in January.
Qualifying students will be placed in the Gifted and Talented Program by March 1 of that school year.
Students who are non-English speaking will be assessed using a nonverbal based test.
All kindergarten students will be screened during the fall semester.

Testing: Grades 1-12

Referrals in grades 1 -12 are tested during the fall Gifted and Talented Testing Cycle.
Private testing is accepted from approved psychologists.
Students who are non-English speaking will be assessed using a nonverbal based test.
In order for 1st - 12th grade students to participate in the fall testing cycle, referrals must be turned in to the Gifted and Talented Specialist or counselor on the child's campus by October 1.

Credit by Examination (CBE)

Clear Creek ISD offers four opportunities throughout the year for students to gain credit by examination. Exams are available for Kindergarten acceleration (summer only), all grade levels 1-8, and selected TEKS-based courses in grades 6-12 in accordance with the Texas State Board of Education rules and District policy. The purpose of credit by examination is to allow a student to accelerate and earn credit without prior formal instruction in that course or grade. For more information about Credit by Examination (CBE), please contact your campus counselor. Click here to view the assessment calendar

Contact

Tami Carroll

Admin Assistant - Advanced Academics/Gifted Talented Director

School: 281-284-0081

Stanley Zavala

Director

School: 281-284-0080

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