Gifted Education
Meet the Teachers
Courtney Atkins
Michelle Doniphan
Debra Warnecke
Gifted Eligibility Criteria
Referrals and Eligibility for the Gifted Education Program
The Gifted Education Program follows the eligibility criteria established by the Georgia Department of Education.
Testing and programs are only available to students who are currently attending Forsyth County Elementary Schools.
How can a student who is currently attending a Forsyth County Elementary School be referred?
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.
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.
Eligibility Guidelines
- Forsyth County Gifted and Advanced Education Policies
- Guidelines detailing eligibility are available by visiting the GA Department of Education website.
Option A (Gifted)
Grades K-2:
- 99% rank on a nationally normed mental abilities test, and
- 90% or higher on a nationally normed referenced achievement test
Grades 3-5:
- 96% rank on the nationally normed mental abilities test, and
- 90% or higher on a nationally normed achievement test like ITBS
Option B
Georgia eligibility under Option B states a student must have qualifying scores in three of the four areas
Grades K-5
If a student is found ineligible, they are not eligible for retesting for two years.
For additional information about the Gifted Education program, visit the Forsyth County Schools website at forsyth.k12.ga.us or the Georgia Department of Education website at http:public.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_iap_gifted.aspx.
Forsyth County Schools 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.
High Achiever vs. Gifted
It can be difficult to differentiate between high achievers, gifted learners and creative thinkers.
Here is a chart from Bertie Kingore that sheds some light on their similarities and differences.
A High Achiever
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Remembers the answers. |
|---|
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Is interested. |
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Is attentive. |
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Generates advanced ideas. |
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Words hard to achieve. |
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Answers the questions in detail. |
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Performs at the top of the group. |
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Responds with interest and opinions. |
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Learns with ease. |
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Needs 6-8 repetitions to master |
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Comprehends at a high level. |
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Enjoys the company of age-level peers. |
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Understands complex, abstract humor. |
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Grasps the meaning. |
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Completes assignments on time. |
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Is receptive. |
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Is accurate and complete. |
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Enjoys school often. |
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Absorbs information. |
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Is a technician with expertise in a field. |
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Memorizes well. |
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Is highly alert and observant. |
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Is pleased with own learning. |
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Gets A’s. |
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Is able. |
A Gifted Learner
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Poses unforeseen questions. |
|---|
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Is curious. |
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Is selectively mentally engaged. |
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Generates complex, abstract ideas. |
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Knows without working hard. |
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Ponders with depth and multiple perspectives. |
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Is beyond the group. |
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Exhibits feelings and opinions from multiple perspectives. |
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Already knows. |
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Needs 1-3 repetitions to master. |
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Comprehends in-depth, complex ideas. |
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Prefers the company of intellectual peers. |
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Creates complex, abstract humor. |
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Infers and connects concepts. |
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Initiates projects and extensions of assignments. |
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Is intense. |
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Is original and continually developing. |
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Enjoys self-directed learning. |
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Manipulates information. |
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Is an expert, abstracting beyond the field. |
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Guesses and infers well. |
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Anticipates and relates observations. |
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Is self-critical. |
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May not be motivated by grades. |
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Is intellectual. |
A Creative Thinker
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Sees exceptions. |
|---|
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Wonders. |
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Daydreams; may seem off task. |
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Overflows with ideas, many of which will never be developed. |
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Plays with ideas and concepts. |
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Injects new possibilities. |
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Is in own group. |
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Shares bizarre, sometimes conflicting opinions. |
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Questions: What if…? |
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Questions the need for mastery. |
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Comprehends in-depth, complex ideas. |
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Prefers the company of creative peers but often works alone. |
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Relishes wild, off-the-wall humor. |
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Makes mental leaps: Aha! |
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Initiates more projects than will ever be completed. |
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Is independent and unconventional. |
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Is original and continually developing. |
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Enjoys creating. |
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Improvises. |
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Is an inventor and an idea generator. |
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Creates and brainstorms well. |
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Is intuitive. |
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Is never finished with possibilities. |
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May not be motivated by grades. |
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Is idiosyncratic. |



