Talented and Gifted Frequently Asked Questions

1.  How and when will my child be identified as talented?

Kindergarten:  A child may be identified in January after the Metropolitan Readiness Test is administered and scored.  A teacher recommendation form will be completed for each child who scores at the 95^th percentile or above on this test. 

1^st/2^nd grade: A child may be identified at the end of 1^st quarter (October). A teacher recommendation form will be completed for each child who scores at the 95^th percentile or above on the Metropolitan Readiness Test for 1^st graders, and the Stanford Achievement Test for 2^nd graders.

 

2.   How will I know if my child has successfully been identified? 

Kindergarten:  Identification is discussed at 2^nd quarter conferences (January).  In addition, the Assistant Superintendent will contact the families of the identified students.

1^st/2^nd grade:  A formal letter of identification will be mailed from the district office.  In addition, identification will be discussed during November conferences.

 

3.   If my child is not formally identified for the talented program, will he/she still be offered extension activities? 

Kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd grade:  Our philosophy at Benson Primary School is to meet children where they’re at and enhance their educational needs from that point. Teachers create and offer extension activities for all students. Identified talented students are strongly encouraged to participate in these extension activities.  Parents will be notified upon completion.

 

4.   When will my child be offered extensions? 

Kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd grade:  Extensions are ongoing and connected to the wide variety of classroom curricular areas. Heightened expectations for those children who have shown the ability to extend classroom activities occur on a weekly basis.

 

5.    How will I know that my child has participated in an extension? 

Kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd grade:  There will be several things to look for in your child’s folder.  A paper may come home with a green stamp stating “Attention Extension” on it.  If the extension is not ‘stampable,’ you will receive an “Attention! Extension!” form on mint green paper. Extension participation will ultimately be noted on each quarterly report card.

 

6.   Examples of extensions?

• Kindergarten

• K-Prep

• First Grade

• Second Grade

• Media Center