Elementary Gifted Program, Grades 3 – 5
The goal of the gifted program is to meet the unique needs of intellectually and academically gifted students. Using State of Illinois guidelines and District 200 criteria, students are identified to participate in the gifted program, which offers daily instruction in mathematics and/or reading to students in grades three, four, and five.

Elementary Gifted Program Identification Process
The process used for identifying students eligible for the gifted math and gifted reading programs includes a Level I Screening and Level II Selection. Students may test only once for each school year. New students should contact the gifted office for testing information, including the testing schedule throughout the school year.

Level I Screening Parents may recommend their children be tested for the Gifted Program by contacting the District 200 Gifted Office and completing Parent Referral Forms. Prior to the 2004 – 2005 school year, the TerraNova was administered district-wide, and these standardized achievement and aptitude test scores were carefully reviewed in the spring for all 2 nd, 3 rd, and 4 th grade students. The TerraNova was not administered this school year, so parent and teacher recommendation identify the students invited to test for the Gifted Program.

Level II Selection The students who are identified through Level I Screening are administered the following tests: Gifted Math Mathematics subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test that could cover the following areas depending on grade level: number sense, operations with whole numbers, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, data analysis, statistics, probability, patterns, functions, and pre-algebra Quantitative battery of the Cognitive Abilities Test * an above-level aptitude test covering the following areas: quantitative relations, number series, and equation building Nonverbal battery of the Cognitive Abilities Test * an above-level aptitude test covering the following areas: figure classification, figure analogies, and figure analysis Gifted Reading Verbal Reasoning subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 (not available for students testing for participation in 3 rd grade) * an at-level achievement test covering the following areas: analogical reasoning, categorical reasoning, and logical reasoning Reading Comprehension subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test that could cover the following areas depending on grade level: explicit information, inference, analysis, reading comprehension, and vocabulary in context Verbal battery of the Cognitive Abilities Test * an above-level aptitude test covering the following areas: verbal classification, sentence completion, and verbal analogies Students Served by the ELL Program are also administered the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, an at-level aptitude test utilizing shapes and designs that are not unique to any cultural group. Student profile forms are completed for each student by his or her classroom teacher

This testing is unique to District 200 and therefore ONLY District 200 tests will be used as qualifiers for the gifted program. NO outside testing will be accepted for this purpose.

A professional committee reviews information from Level II Selection. This committee will recommend students for participation if they qualify through this process. ONLY the Identification Committee is authorized to place students in the gifted program.

All parents will receive a letter with their student’s test results. Students who qualify for the program must have parent consent to participate in the program. Students do not need to retest for the program from year to year once they have qualified unless they discontinue participation in our program for a school year. Students may test for the program only once for each school year. There is an appeal process following each round of testing for students who do not qualify for the program but whose test results do not reflect their capability. Please contact the Gifted Office for more information on the appeal process.

Middle School Gifted Program, Grades 6 – 8
The goal of the gifted program is to meet the unique needs of intellectually and academically gifted students. Using State of Illinois guidelines and District 200 criteria, students are identified to participate in the gifted program, which offers daily instruction in mathematics and/or language arts.

Fast Paced Mathematics Students identified for participation in Fast Paced Math will take Pre-Algebra in 6 th grade, Algebra I in 7 th grade, and Geometry in 8 th grade. The classes meet at each middle school and fulfill a student’s daily math requirement. The curriculum is aligned to the Illinois State Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. The critical content for Algebra I and Geometry are the same as the high school advanced level course offerings; however, high school credit is not given for these classes.

Fast Paced Language Arts This Fast Paced Language Arts classes meet at each middle school and fulfill a student’s daily language arts requirement. The Fast Paced Language Arts program is academically rigorous and includes compacting grade-level concepts as well as providing enrichment and acceleration. A special emphasis is placed on critical and creative thinking. A list of core novels for each grade level may be obtained from the Gifted Office or each middle school’s FPLA teacher. The curriculum is aligned to the Illinois State Standards and the National Council of Teachers of English standards.

Middle School Gifted Program Identification Process

The process used for identifying students eligible for the Fast Paced Math and Fast Paced Language Arts programs includes a Level I Screening and Level II Selection. Students may test only once for each school year. New students should contact the gifted office for testing information, including the testing schedule throughout the school year.

Level I Screening Parents may recommend their children be tested for the Gifted Program by contacting the District 200 Gifted Office and completing Parent Referral Forms. Prior to the 2004 – 2005 school year, the TerraNova was administered district-wide, and these standardized achievement and aptitude test scores were carefully reviewed in the spring for all 2 nd, 3 rd, and 4 th grade students. The TerraNova was not administered this school year, so parent and teacher recommendation identify the students invited to test for the Gifted Program. Students who are interested in participation in the Gifted Program in 7 th and 8 th grades may be recommended for testing by classroom teachers, parents, or other school personnel.

Level II Selection Students interested in participation in the Gifted Program in 6 th grade who are identified through Level I Screening are administered the following tests: Fast Paced Mathematics Mathematics subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test covering the following areas: numbers and number relationships, number systems and number theory, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, statistics, probability, and pre-algebra Quantitative Reasoning subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test covering the following areas: comparison, extensions and generalizations, and analysis Fast Paced Language Arts Verbal Reasoning subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test covering the following areas: analogical reasoning, categorical reasoning, and logical reasoning Reading Comprehension subtest of the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 * an at-level achievement test covering the following areas: explicit information, inference, and analysis Verbal Reasoning subtest of the Differential Aptitude Test * an above-level aptitude test including analogies Students Served by the ELL Program are also administered the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, an at-level aptitude test utilizing shapes and designs that are not unique to any cultural group. Students who are interested in participating in the Gifted Program in 7 th and 8 th grades must take the SAT I Reasoning Test, the same test given to college-bound high school juniors. Please note that the sequence of middle school math courses must be preserved.

This testing is unique to District 200 and therefore ONLY District 200 tests will be used as qualifiers for the gifted program. NO outside testing will be accepted for this purpose.

A professional committee reviews information from Level II Selection. This committee will recommend students for participation if they qualify through this process. ONLY the Identification Committee is authorized to place students in the gifted program.

All parents will receive a letter with their student’s test results. Students who qualify for the program must have parent consent to participate in the program. Students do not need to retest for the program from year to year once they have qualified unless they discontinue participation in our program for a school year. Students may test for the program only once for each school year. There is an appeal process following each round of testing for students who do not qualify for the program but whose test results do not reflect their capability. Please contact the Gifted Office for more information on the appeal process.

High School Gifted Courses, Grades 9 – 12
Many high school courses are appropriate for gifted students, including advanced level courses and Advanced Placement courses. Placement for these courses is based on criteria established by the high schools. Please refer to the high school course catalog and guidance offices for more information on these programs and placement guidelines. Advanced Placement courses offered at the high schools include: AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Programming A, AP English, AP European History, AP Government and Politics, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, and AP U.S. History.

More information about District 200’s Gifted Program is available from the District 200 Gifted Office, (630) 682-2010.