K-12 High Ability Identification Process

• • New students who are exceeding grade level standards and are consistently scoring above the 80th percentile in i-Ready
  • Students for whom qualitative data provide evidence of High Ability characteristics
    
    
• Timeline: Spring
• Identification: Students scoring at the 96th percentile in verbal reasoning are identified as High Ability in reading/language arts; students scoring at the 96th percentile in quantitative reasoning or in quantitative/nonverbal combined are identified as High Ability in math
  
  

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 - December/January
  • Assessment 3 - April/May

• • Timeline: October/November
  • Identification: Students scoring at the 96th percentile in verbal reasoning are identified as High Ability in reading/language arts; students scoring at the 96th percentile in quantitative reasoning or in quantitative/nonverbal combined are identified as High Ability in math
    
    

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 - December/January
  • Assessment 3 - April/May
• Identification: For students who have scored between the 80th and 95th percentiles in verbal reasoning or quantitative reasoning on the Naglieri, the i-Ready achievement assessment is used to determine eligibility as follows:
  • Students who score at the 96th percentile or above on the i-Ready reading and/or math assessment will be identified as High Ability in the corresponding subject area

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 - December/January
  • Assessment 3 - April/May 

• • Timeline: September/October
  • Identification: Students scoring at the 96th percentile in verbal reasoning are identified as High Ability in reading/language arts; students scoring at the 96th percentile in quantitative reasoning or in quantitative/nonverbal combined are identified as High Ability in math

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 - December/January
  • Assessment 3 - April/May
• Identification: For students who have scored between the 80th and 95th percentiles in verbal reasoning or quantitative reasoning on the Naglieri, the i-Ready achievement assessment is used to determine eligibility as follows:
  • Students who score at the 96th percentile or above on the i-Ready reading and/or math assessment will be identified as High Ability in the corresponding subject area

• Timeline: Spring
• Identification: Students scoring at the 96th percentile in verbal reasoning are identified as High Ability in reading/language arts; students scoring at the 96th percentile in quantitative reasoning or in quantitative/nonverbal combined are identified as High Ability in math
  
  

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 - December/January
  • Assessment 3 - April/May

• Timeline: Fall semester
  
  

• High ability identification
• Identify students likely to succeed on AP exams
• Help determine which AP classes / Pre-AP classes should be offered to students

• Timeline:
  • Assessment 1 - August/September
  • Assessment 2 December/January

• Timeline: Fall semester

• High ability identification
• Identify students likely to succeed on AP exams
• Help determine which AP classes / Pre-AP classes should be offered to students
  • NOTE: Teacher nominations and self selections are accepted for placement into AP courses.

Letters will be sent to the parents of the newly identified students at the end of the spring semester. 

Students who are not identified as High Ability using the guidelines above but score in the 90th percentile or above on the Naglieri or the i-Ready can be identified using quantitative data, including supporting documentation such as parent rating scale, teacher observation/rating scale, teacher-generated data, reading level, portfolio, etc.

In grades K-6, it is recommended that a student participate in the full high ability identification process no more than three times.

All students in grades K-6 are eligible to be nominated for the identification process by parent/guardian request. 

• The Parent/guardian must contact the school and request a High Ability Appeal Request form for the student to be retested. 
• Parent/guardian will complete the Parent/Guardian Checklist form.
• Students must score in the 90th percentile in one or more academic areas: General Academic Ability, Language Arts, and/or Mathematics

If a child is not placed in high ability, a teacher or parent/guardian may request the child be reconsidered for services. The following steps to the appeal process must be followed:

1. The petitioner contacts the office at school where the student attends and requests a High Ability Appeal Request form for the student to be retested.
2. The High Ability Coordinator will review the student profile and information. A different testing tool is used to measure a student's cognitive ability and/or achievement.
3. The identification committee reconvenes to consider new data. This meeting may include an interview with the student and/or petitioners.
4. The High Ability coordinator reports results to the petitioner.

Local norms will be established if fewer than 10 percent of students are identified as High Ability.

Students new to Marion Community Schools who have been identified as high ability in another district will enter the Marion Community Schools High Ability Program without participating in the identification process.

Exit procedures will be followed when a student, parent/guardian, or teacher has data to prove that the High Ability Program services are not the best placement. 

• A conference with the student, parent/guardian, classroom teacher(s), High Ability Coordinator, and the principal will be held to discuss possible interventions. A time frame of at least one grading period will be allowed for interventions to be implemented. After that amount of time, another meeting will be held to determine the best placement for the student.
• If the student exits the program, the parent/guardian will be notified by letter.
• High Ability Designation will be changed in student’s records at Marion Community Schools.