top of page

Gifted Testing Requirements

Assessment and eligibility for the Gifted Program for all students (K-12 grades) is based on multiple criteria as determined by the state of Georgia under SBOE 160-4-2-.38 EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR GIFTED STUDENTS. Data for each child will be gathered in four domains: Mental Ability, Creativity, Achievement, and Motivation. After student information has been gathered, all data is reviewed by the local education agency (LEA) Eligibility Committee to determine eligibility. The Eligibility Committee may be comprised of Regional Gifted Facilitators, gifted certified teachers, and/or the Director of Advanced Learning and Gifted Programs.

  • Mental Ability: 96th percentile on a standardized test of mental ability –approved component or composite score

  • Achievement: 90th percentile in total battery, total reading, or total math section of a standardized achievement battery

  • Creativity: 90th percentile / 90 percent on a creativity assessment or rating scale**

  • Motivation: 90th percentile / 90 percent on a motivation evaluation or rating scale** OR for grades 6-12 only, a GPA equivalent to a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale

**A rating scale can only be used to establish eligibility in one area

 

Mental Ability Assessment

Students must achieve a score at or above the 96% national age percentile on a standardized mental ability test on either a composite or an appropriate component score.

Muscogee County School District administers the following mental ability tests:

  • Cognitive Ability Test (CogAT) - Administer this test first to students. Use verbal, quantitative, nonverbal and/or total score.

    • The CogAT is administered, system-wide, to all 1st graders during September of the current school year. These scores are used for automatic referral for gifted education eligibility.

What is the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)?

The CogAT is a group-administered mental ability test, typically referred to as an IQ test.  The test has three batteries:  Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal.  The Verbal Battery appraises the child’s verbal inductive and deductive reasoning skills as well as flexibility, fluency, and adaptability in working with verbal materials and solving verbal problems.  The Quantitative Battery appraises high-level problem solving with quantitative symbols and concepts.  The Nonverbal Battery appraises general inductive reasoning skills in using and adapting cognitive strategies.  This battery contains the most novel problems and uses only geometric shapes and figures.  The battery requires no reading and no outside fund of knowledge.  The CogAT is typically administered to the K-5 student over two—three days.  Each testing session takes approximately one hour.  The resulting score for each battery is reported as a national percentile ranking in the Mental Ability section on the Data Collection Instrument.  The national percentile ranking allows you to compare your child’s results to others of the same age across the nation.  The typical child will score around the 50% while a 96% is a qualifying score for the mental ability category. 

  • Naglieri’s Nonverbal Ability Test 3 (NNAT3) - Use only a total score. Beneficial for ESOL, ELL, and minority students. Use this as a second test for students that demonstrate strength in quantitative and/or nonverbal domains.

What is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 3 (NNAT3)?

The NNAT3 is mental ability test that only measures nonverbal abilities.  It is similar to, but more in-depth, than the Nonverbal battery of the CogAT.  It consists of four sub-tests that require students to complete patterns, sequences, and analogies as well as combine two or more geometric designs.  The battery requires no reading and no outside fund of knowledge. The NNAT3 is typically administered in one 45-minute session.  The resulting score is reported as a national percentile ranking to parents in the Mental Ability section on the Data Collection Instrument.  The 96% is the qualifying score. 

​

Achievement Assessment

Students must achieve a score at or above the 90th national grade percentile on the core total, total mathematics and/or total reading score of a standardized achievement test that meets criteria outlined in assessment instrument eligibility.

Muscogee County School District administers the following achievement test:

  • Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Iowa) - Use total reading, total math and/or total composite score.

    • The Iowa is administered on a referral basis in the process of determining Gifted Eligibility.

    • The Iowa is the primary testing instrument used in meeting the criteria for achievement.

What is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Iowa)?

The Iowa is a nationally standardized, norm-referenced achievement testing (NRT) series developed by Riverside Publishing. It is a NRT because it compares students ‘abilities rather than to a criteria. Thus, the Iowa allows educators to get a look at the performance of their students in relation to the rest of the nation. A NRT is designed to highlight achievement differences between and among students.

The Iowa measures the skills and achievement of students from kindergarten through grade eight and provides an in-depth measure of important educational objectives. It also yields reliable and comprehensive information both about the development of students’ skills and about their ability to think critically. It measures students against their peers. Test subjects in the Iowa are in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. The percentile scores that may be used to determine gifted eligibility are Reading Total, Math Total, or Complete Battery. The 90th percentile is the qualifying score.

  • PSAT 8/9 scores may also be utilized for students in grades 8, 9, and 10 for Achievement.

 

  • The Stanford Achievement Test Series Tenth Edition (SAT10) - Use total reading, total math and/or total composite score.

    • The SAT10 is administered on a referral basis in the process of determining Gifted Eligibility.

    • The SAT10 is a secondary testing instrument used in meeting the criteria for achievement.

What is the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT10)?

This multiple-choice assessment by Pearson helps identify student strengths and needs, leading to effective placement and instructional planning. The SAT10 covers reading and comprehension, sound and letters, mathematics, language, spelling, listening comprehension, science and social science. The content of the assessment is aligned to state and national standards and normed on a representative sample of students.

 

Creativity Assessment 

A student must score at or above the 90%ile on the total battery of a creativity test by age or Creativity Index Percentile on the standardized Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) OR the student must achieve superior performance or produce a product earning a score at or above (>) 90 on a scale of 1-100 as evaluated by a panel of three or more highly qualified individuals on a district, regional, state, or national level.

Muscogee County School District administers the following tests for creativity:

  • Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) - Use only for ages 6 and up. Use age norms, not grade level norms. This is also an appropriate test for ELL students.

What is the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT)?

The TTCT requires responses that are mainly drawing or pictorial in nature.  However, it does not measure artistic talent nor is artistic talent required to do well on the instrument.  The TTCT requires students to use their imagination, solve problems, think of new ideas, and elaborate on their ideas.  The TTCT is administered in one 30 minute (actual testing time) session. The resulting score is reported as a national percentile ranking to parents in the Creativity section of the data collection instrument. The 90th percentile is the qualifying score.

  • Product Portfolio - Portfolios may be used for evidence of exceptional creativity or motivation ONLY when a student has met the criteria in two of the other areas of identification. Panel members must be provided training in the scoring or product portfolios.  Scoring rubrics are provided with detailed descriptions of various levels of performance.  This is a secondary assessment to use only when students demonstrate a need in profound circumstances as determined by the Eligibility Team.

    • Student portfolios are collections of artifacts (8 to 10) that represent independent work on projects/performances that extend and/or enrich learning.

    • A variety of materials should be included that address the characteristics of the specific target area.

    • Original paperwork must be kept with the students gifted eligibility file.

    • Work gathered should be labeled and dated.

    • Work completed within the previous two years may be included.

    • Unfinished work may be included, but should be labeled as such.

    • If an art project is submitted, the student is to write an explanation to go along with the project explaining why it is included in the portfolio.

    • Worksheets, workbook pages, and copies of tests will not indicate a gifted level of ability and should not be included in the portfolio.

    • A qualified official of the student’s school or institution should verify the authorship of the student’s work as his or her own.

    • Product/Performance Portfolios are evaluated by 3 individuals considered as experts in the area of the portfolio.

      • Each evaluation is done independently.

      • Evaluators are not privileged to each other’s rubric assessments.

      • A specific rubric is used in assessing Product/Performance Portfolios.

Rubrics are totaled and averaged. 90% is required to meet the criteria for Creativity.

​

Motivation Assessment

Students may be assessed using any of the following measures:

  • Students in grades 6 to 12 must achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a scale of 4.0, or numerical average of 85 or higher in the subjects of math, science, English/language arts, social studies, and a full-year world language, over the previous two years.

  • Students shall receive a rating at or above the 90th percentile on a standardized motivational characteristic rating scale which relates to the construct of motivation.

  • Students shall receive a rating at or above the 90th percentile on a Product Performance Portfolio which relates to the construct of motivation.

  • Students in grades K-2 must receive a rating at or above the 90th percentile on a normed student interview.

* If a rating scale is used to determine motivation, a rating scale may not be used for creativity.

Muscogee County School District utilizes the Gifted Rating Scales by Pearson (GRS), the Renzulli Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students, and normed Student Interview processes to determine scores for Motivation.  The Product Performance Portfolio is used ONLY as a tertiary measure when a student has met the criteria in two of the other areas of identification and this assessment is deemed appropriate and necessary by the Director of Advanced Learning and Gifted Programs.

bottom of page