GT: FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Kindergarten through Grade 5 (Elementary Campuses)
Q: My student has been nominated for GT testing, and I have signed permission to test.
When will my student be tested, and will I be informed of the day they are to be tested?
A: When a parent signs permission to test, they consent for the assessment to be
administered to their students within the testing administration window. The Office of
Advanced Academic Services works with principals to set dates for the assessments to
be administered. It is not common practice to notify students or parents about the exact time
of testing at each campus. The purpose of the assessments is to determine overall
reasoning and creative skills, and are not tests for which one studies or prepares.
Q: Since our gifted children in Kindergarten through grade 5 have been successful with a
special time of the week for their services, why should we change to cluster grouping?
A: Research (Rogers 1991) has shown that academic growth of gifted students occurs
when they are clustered together. That research, along with the fact that gifted people
are gifted all the time (not just on one day a week), influenced the decision to provide
gifted learners with the most appropriate setting for learning.
Q: Who will teach our gifted children?
A: Principals have been offered information about characteristics of teachers who are
appropriate for teaching gifted learners. Principals will select the most qualified teachers
for this population. In addition to a variety of personal characteristics, each teacher
must have completed 30 hours of Professional Development in Gifted Education, plus
they are required to complete 6 hours every year after the original 30 hours.
Q: What is the curriculum for our children?
A: State law requires that the teacher modify the regular curriculum (Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) through depth, complexity, and pacing. Teachers will use
the CSCOPE curriculum that all teachers use and differentiate (modify) it in ways
mandated by state law. For example, they will pre-test students when they start a unit
to determine if they already know all or parts of the content to determine how quickly
or how much time they will spend on the TEKS for that unit. This allows them to
use curriculum compacting, a term that means that students learn what they do not
know at a faster pace. Curriculum compacting will free the teacher and students to
spend more time on new learning at greater depth and in more complex ways.
Students will also complete the Texas Performance Standards Projects (TPSP). TPSP is
curriculum provided by the state that is designed for gifted learners. It is similar to the
units students have been working on in their G/T classes in past years, but provides
opportunity for students to go deeper into a study and to look at it in more complex
ways. It also requires greater depth in research while, at the same time, teaching
students how to research. Teachers will infuse TPSP into the regular curriculum and/or
provide it to students when they have met the TEKS for a unit of study.
All student work will be evaluated through rubrics on a regular basis. The curriculum
will be evaluated throughout the year to ensure that your gifted child’s academic
growth is accelerated as required.
Q: Will the gifted students still be required to participate in History and Science Fairs?
A: No and yes. History Fair and Science Fair are not required of gifted students, but
both will be encouraged and can fulfill their participation in the APP. The phenomenal
success in these competitions demands that we continue both for those who wish to
participate. Academic UIL competitions, Destination Imagination, and all other
competitions will be continued according to the interests and needs of students. The
nature of gifted children is that they are often very competitive. In that light, all
academic competitions will be encouraged.
Pre-Advanced (Pre-Adv) and Advanced Placement (AP) (Middle and High School Campuses)
Q: When middle and high school gifted/talented students are served through Pre-Adv or AP
courses and students who are not identified as gifted/talented are in the class, must
the Pre-Adv/AP teacher differentiate the curriculum for the gifted/talented students?
A: Yes. Teachers who are using flexible grouping for instruction and product development,
giving choices in assignments, and establishing a student-centered classroom with lots
of student-to-student interaction are providing differentiated instruction. One of the
reasons for requiring PAP/AP teachers to have professional development in nature and
needs of gifted/talented students and assessing student needs is so they will be able to
recognize a need for differentiation and provide it as needed. Teachers will want to add
depth and complexity appropriate for gifted/talented students and differentiate for those
who need it. (Source: Texas Education Agency)
Q: Can Pre-Adv be used to service gifted/talented students?
A: Yes, but remember that Pre-Adv is designed to increase the pool of students who will be
successful in AP classes in the 11th and 12th grades. It is, therefore, a curriculum that
is used to strengthen the educational program of all students in middle and high school.
Following this philosophy, it would be necessary for a district to differentiate Pre-Adv the
way any general curriculum would be modified for gifted/talented students. (Source:
Texas Education Agency)