Identification & Testing

Lakota’s gifted identification model follows Ohio's standards as mandated in Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3301-51-15. If your child is identified as gifted, it means that he/she has met the criteria set out by the state for a specific area. The state of Ohio recognizes seven different areas of giftedness: Superior Cognitive, Specific Academic-Reading, Specific Academic-Math, Specific Academic-Science, Specific Academic-Social Studies, Creativity, Visual and Performing Arts. Your child could be identified in multiple areas.

The Board of Education of each district shall identify gifted children in grades kindergarten through twelfth as follows:

Superior Cognitive Ability

A child shall be identified as exhibiting “Superior Cognitive Ability” if the child did either of the following within the preceding 24 months:

• Scored two standard deviations above the mean, minus the standard error of measurement, on an approved individual standardized intelligence test administered by a licensed psychologist; or
   
• Accomplished any one of the following:
  • Scored at least two standard deviations above the mean, minus the standard error of measurement, on an approved standardized group intelligence test.
  • Performed at or above the ninety-fifth percentile on an approved individual or group standardized basic or composite battery of a nationally normed achievement test, or
  • Attained an approved score on one or more above grade-level standardized, nationally normed approved tests.
     

Specific Academic Ability

A child shall be identified as exhibiting “specific academic ability” superior to that of children of similar age in a specific academic ability field if within the preceding 24 months the child performs at or above the ninety-fifth percentile at the national level on an approved individual or group standardized achievement test of specific academic ability in that field. A child may be identified as gifted in more than one specific academic ability field.
 

Creative Thinking Ability

A child shall be identified as exhibiting “creative thinking ability” superior to children of a similar age, if within the previous 24 months, the child scored one standard deviation above the mean, minus the standard error of measurement, on an approved individual or group intelligence test and also did either of the following:

• Attained a sufficient score, as established by the department of education, on an approved individual or group test of creative ability; or
   
• Exhibited sufficient performance, as established by the department of education, on an approved checklist by a trained individual of creative behaviors.
   

Visual or Performing Arts Ability

A child shall be identified as exhibiting “visual or performing arts ability” superior to that of children of similar age if the child has done both of the following:

• Demonstrated to a trained individual through a display of work, an audition, or other performance or exhibition, superior ability in a visual or performing arts area; and
   
• Exhibited to a trained individual sufficient performance, as established by the department of education, on an approved checklist of behaviors related to a specific arts area.

While Ohio law is very specific about how students are identified, there is no requirement to provide service for our identified gifted students at this time.

 

During the elementary years, Lakota administers tests to all students across various grades. The Terra Nova, MAP and InView tests are national tests used to assess achievement and ability.  The results from tests are used for a variety of reasons:

• Identification of potentially gifted students;
• Planning for differentiated instruction; and
• Data points to qualify for advanced placement classes. In most situations, a singular score does not place a student.

Parental permission to test is not required for whole grade testing.

Accessing Test Results

Results can be found within your child's account on Home Access Center. Once logged in, go to Report Card, then choose Test Scores.

Students are identified as academically gifted. The MAP assessment, given two to three times annually, can serve to identify students as academically gifted in reading and math. The Ohio Department of Education Revised Code set the 95th percentile, or above, as the NPR (National Percentile Ranking) for identification. The 50th percentile is the norm average with the average range being from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile.

Students are identified as cognitively gifted from the InView Test, as noted by the CSI (Cognitive Student Index). The Ohio Department of Education set a score of 128 or above for identification. The norm average score is 100 with the average range from 85-115.

Students whose scores meet this criteria for gifted identification are reported on the Educational Information Management System (EMIS) as gifted. Notification is given to families via a letter explaining the criteria for identification.

Ohio operating standards require that districts offer individual assessment opportunities two times per school year. Lakota offers an additional testing period. For all additional assessment requests beyond these prescheduled ones, a Gifted Identification Referral Form should be submitted before May 1 for the current school year. Testing request for the upcoming school year will open on August 1.

Helpful 2^nd opportunity testing FAQ linked here

While national tests can be used to identify students who qualify for gifted services, state tests and assessments are not designed for this purpose. 

A state standards-based test tells how well a child is achieving the state standards and can also provide important information about how well the school is teaching those standards. A national norm-referenced test provides valuable information that can be compared to a national average. On the other hand, standards-based tests often are not able to assess a student's deeper conceptual understanding or complex thinking abilities. Major advantages of state tests are that they can provide information on student progress, help diagnose specific strengths and weaknesses, and can lead to improved instruction for classrooms. However, these tests lack a national comparison and scoring may be less precise than a norm-referenced test.

national standardized tests: terra nova & Inview	state test: ohio achievement assessment
Aligned to National Standards such as National Council of Teachers and Mathematics (NCTM)	Aligned to Ohio Content Standards
Language Arts focus is on vocabulary, reading, comprehension, word analysis, listening, language development in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage	Focus is on extended response questions and assessed according to OAA rubric
Social Studies focus is on world and U.S. history, political, economics Multiple choice responses	Focus is on world, U.S., political, economics Focus is on Ohio history in certain grades
Science responses selected from multiple choice options	Assessment delves into fluency, methods, extended response answers and uses a rubric to evaluate
Questions based on grade level and above	Questions derived from grade level and below
Measures ability (InView) and achievement (Terra Nova)	Measures only achievement
Parent report compares achievement to ability and to national student populations	Parent report compares achievement to statewide measures only
Includes additional measures for research and sources of information (tests)	Assesses four core content areas: math, reading/writing, math, and science (social studies not tested)
Uses “bell curve” with average at 50%, top 5% recognized as gifted. Results reported as Percentile Ranks and Stanines	Reports five levels: advanced, accelerated, proficient, basic, and limited skill levels. Top 20% reported as “advanced”