Buckingham County Public Schools

Students are referred, identified and selected to participate in Gifted Education in grades K-12. Parents, teachers and community adults may refer students for screening to the Buckingham County Public Schools Gifted Program. Once referred, a student participates in a screening, which is designed to highlight areas in the gifted profile. With parent permission, once a student passes the screening, they begin the process of full evaluation. The evaluation includes an IQ test, Achievement testing, review of grades and achievement history, interviews and teacher/parent questionnaires.

The evaluation committee is comprised of the school principal, classroom teacher(s), school guidance counselor, and school psychologist. Once a child is found eligible, the Office of Academic Services notifies the parent and requests permission for the student to participate in the program.

Gifted Referral Procedures

1. Gifted screening form is completed by referring source - teacher, parent, etc. These forms are available from your school's guidance department. (All students in grade 2 and grade 7 will be screened using a nonverbal assessment.)

2. Completed form is to be forwarded to the school guidance counselor. Parent permission is required for individual student screening.

3. Once permission is received, the guidance department staff will assess the students using the NNAT screener. The student's teacher will be asked to complete the Gifted Evaluation Scales (GES) These scales are used as screening instruments to determine if further testing is warranted for the referred student.

4. If the student does not pass the cut scores for the GES screening criteria and the NNAT Nonverbal Assessment, the screening process is terminated at this point and no further evaluation is required. A letter will be sent to the parents indicating that the screening process is complete.

5. If the student passes the screening test, the parent will be contacted for permission for a full evaluation. The permission form is mailed to parent and continued testing occurs upon receipt of signed permission.

6. When the assessment is completed, the Director of Academic Services will be apprised as to whether or not the student met the eligibility criteria for the gifted program. The parents of the student will then be contacted by the Director of Academic Services as to this status.

7. Lastly, the Director of Academic Services will notify the building principal as to the eligibility status of the referred student.

Daily & Weekly Enrichment Activities In The Schools

Gifted students need differentiated instruction in the form of:

• Learning choices

• Rigorous content

• Intellectually stimulating activities

• Active participation

• Interaction with peers

• Integrated curriculum

• Multiple learning styles

• Self-assessment

• Open-ended activities

Gifted Programs Offered Off-Campus Include:

• Governor's School of Southside Virginia: Humanities and STEM Program

• Regional Governor's School

• Residential Governor's School

Local Gifted Education Plan