How can a student be referred to the Gifted Program? 

• Referrals may come from individuals with knowledge of the student’s abilities. This may include teachers, parents, peers, or self.
• Generally, teachers make referrals; however, parents may refer their own child by completing a referral packet, which can be obtained online.  Parent Referral Packets are due Friday, August 9 to be considered for the fall testing window. Parent Referral Packets are due January 21, 2025 at 12:00 noon to be considered for the spring testing window.

 The Referral Process:  

Once a child is referred, a GET team will meet to determine if testing is appropriate, or if the student’s needs are being met in the regular classroom. If testing is recommended by the team, students must then qualify in three of four areas:

Mental Ability, Achievement, Creativity, Motivation

 *Transfer students from out-of-state must have official documentation of former gifted program eligibility before they will be automatically referred to the Gifted Evaluation Team. State of Georgia gifted eligibility rules do not allow for reciprocity of gifted eligibility from out-of-state or private school programs.  Students transferring from out-of-state, private school, and home school programs will require updated testing in order to determine gifted program eligibility.  

*Transfer students who meet the initial eligibility criteria for gifted education services in another Georgia school district shall be considered eligible to receive gifted education services in Forsyth County through reciprocity. There is no reciprocity between states unless the student is a dependent of military personnel as provided in O.C.G.A § 20-2-2140 et. seq.

What tests will my child take for determination of gifted eligibility? 

FCS administers state approved tests for gifted eligibility. The tests administered adhere to the State of Georgia Board of Education Policy, 160-4-2-.38, having been reviewed for bias and are normed on a nationally representative sample with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background within a 10-year period prior to administration. In accordance with Professional Standards Commission Educator Code of Ethics assessment regulations, test security will be maintained among all levels of test administration. Test security measures include that other than the name of the evaluation instrument, further information will not be shared about gifted eligibility assessments with regard to form, section, or level.  

Outside Test Data

Any assessments approved by the GaDOE may be considered for gifted eligibility if the following applies:  less than 2 years old and administered by a certified school-based educator or a school-based psychologist.  Assessments administered by a private-practice psychologist can be considered as part of the body of evidence but cannot be a reported score in any of the 4 criteria areas for determining gifted eligibility.

Likewise, assessments administered by a private-practice psychologist can be considered as part of the body of evidence for purposes of whole grade and/or content acceleration but cannot be a reported score used for final whole grade and/or content acceleration determination.

 Test Preparation

Gifted eligibility assessments measure four different areas of a student’s abilities:  mental ability, achievement, motivation, and creativity. Only one of these areas, achievement, is the actual result of content learned and measured in the school setting.  The other three areas are typically innate abilities and traits that a student possesses at varying levels. If your child has been referred and you have been notified by the school that eligibility testing will take place, the best preparation available is to make sure your child gets a good night’s rest on the nights prior to testing and a good high-protein breakfast on the days of testing prior to coming to school.  You should also encourage perseverance but not to the point of inducing stress.

Score Validity Period

Gifted eligibility scores are valid and applicable for two full years after administration.  Students with valid scores will not be re-tested prior to the end of the validity period.