Referral deadlines are as follows:
The online referral form below should be used to submit a referral form prior to the appropriate deadline:
Gifted learners are those students who demonstrate or show the potential for advanced thinking and reasoning, creativity, and high achievement when compared to others of the same age, of similar prior learning experiences, and of comparable home environments and cultures.
Their aptitudes and potentials are such that they require programs and services designed to meet their unique cognitive strengths and socio-emotional needs.
Each CCPS school has a gifted education facilitator that serves as your contact for gifted education concerns. They are supported by the Office of Gifted Education.
Detailed information and resources on gifted education processes, procedures, programs, and services is available below. Click on each tab below to view.
In order for a student to be evaluated for possible gifted services, the online Gifted Program Services Referral and Review Form must be submitted to start the process. Verbal or email communications do not serve as a substitute for this form.
There are referral windows during which students are screened and referrals are solicited. These windows are the recommended times to refer, as they occur prior to the division’s established gifted assessment dates and CBG Academy selections for particular grade levels. Referral forms must be submitted prior to the following deadlines:
A referral form should be completed and submitted by the individual desiring the child’s evaluation for eligibility determination. A potential candidate for gifted education program services may be referred in one of the following ways:
When the referral is processed (which occurs after the referral deadline), parents/guardians receive:
Instructions for completing the online CCPS Home Perception Inventory.
After a student is referred, information is collected during the evaluation process. From this information, an eligibility and placement decision is determined.
Student referrals are processed after the referral deadline for the student’s grade level. Once processed, the following data is collected and reviewed:
All testing occurs in the student’s CCPS school. If qualifying assessment data or previous areas of academic strength exist, certain portions may not be required.
Each component of the CCPS operational definition of giftedness is considered in the holistic evaluation of the child:
GIFTED INDICATORS
ACADEMIC STRENGTH
In order to be identified eligible for gifted program services, students must have evident measures in two gifted indicators used in the student’s evaluation and possess at least one identified area of academic strength.
Students determined ineligible for gifted services that display notable gifted indicators – regardless of the number of demonstrated academic strength areas – shall be placed on monitor status. These students are placed in classes containing a cluster of identified gifted students, monitored, and re-evaluated in two years.
The selection of candidates for CBG Academies is conducted at the division level. Students added to the pool of candidates are those students referred or reviewed that have been determined eligible for gifted services in their home school. The selection process uses quantitative and qualitative measures combined with a holistic review of data to facilitate the appropriate and equitable placement of candidates for each CBG site. The number of admission offers sent for each site is limited by capacity, staffing, and funding factors that may exist. Once a student is found eligible for a CBG Academy, that eligibility remains should the parents choose for their child to not participate and reconsider in a subsequent school year.
Data that may be considered in the CBG selection process:
Due to the number of different pieces of information that are gathered during the evaluation process, time is required for data collection, scoring, and processing. Families should expect to receive eligibility results in early February (grades 2-12) or early June (grades K-1).
Results are reported to families with a decision letter and a Gifted Education Eligibility Report (GEER). An example of a CCPS GEER and an explanation of it can be found at the following link.
Parents/guardians who have initial questions regarding an eligibility decision shall contact the school’s gifted identification facilitator, building principal, or designee. Parents/guardians who have initial questions regarding a CBG Academy decision shall contact the gifted support staff assigned to the child’s home school.
Parents/guardians may submit an appeal within 10 instructional days from receipt of the decision letter. Appeals should include specific concerns or circumstances that the parent or guardian believes impacted the eligibility decision. Appeals are directed to the Office of Gifted Education and the division’s appeals committee for review.
The division-level appeals committee reviews all information used in determining student eligibility and considers factors/concerns raised in the letter of appeal to arrive at a decision. The appeals committee provides written notification of its decisions to parents/guardians and school-level personnel within 15 instructional days after the committee’s decision. Decisions rendered by the committee are final.
Chesterfield County Public Schools provides services in the areas of English, math, social studies, and science for identified gifted students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Teachers consider readiness, achievement, and interests to modify curriculum and instruction while striving to provide appropriate challenge. This may include the following:
In grades 1-8, these students are clustered in a group with other identified gifted children for instruction that targets their identified areas of strength
In grades 3-8, elementary and middle school CBG Academies provide an additional opportunity for challenging instruction. This offering uses advanced content, pacing, and instructional strategies to enhance complexity, depth, and challenge. Core content area classes in CBG Academies are composed of only students qualifying for the academy.
The high school honors program in English, mathematics, science, and history/social sciences provides rigorous curriculum experiences for gifted students in grades 9-12. Additional offerings include advanced placement courses and dual enrollment opportunities. Regional programs and specialty centers provide comprehensive services for students with high ability and interest in specific areas.
Current eighth grade students whose primary residence is in Chesterfield County are eligible to apply to participate in two regional governor’s school opportunities. Below are application materials and information pertaining to Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS) and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (MLWGS).
Beginning October 15, students will be able to apply to these regional programs through the CCPS Online application portal at the following link. Applicants should review the important information for each school that appears on this page prior to applying.
When enrolling children in a Chesterfield County public school, parents/guardians shall notify the enrolling school if the student was identified for gifted services in the previous school system. This ensures that the receiving school obtains necessary gifted education documents. Helpful documentation includes:
After confirming the gifted identification from the previous school system, the student will be provisionally placed in services most comparable to those received in the student’s last school. The child will then be evaluated for gifted services eligibility using Chesterfield County criteria, occurring prior to the end of the school year when possible. A previous identification in another school system does not automatically guarantee eligibility for CCPS gifted education services.
A student whose main residence exists in Chesterfield County and who is in second grade or higher in a non-CCPS school may be referred for gifted evaluation prior to enrolling for the next school year. An online submission may be made through the online Gifted Program Services Referral and Review Form.
The school the student would attend if currently enrolled (student’s zoned school) will process the referral, and any required testing will occur at this location according to the group testing schedule established by that school. The parent/guardian is responsible for ensuring that their child attends the scheduled group testing sessions at the school. Other required components of the identification protocol that include grades, work samples, and teacher perception inventories will be requested from the student’s current, non-CCPS school. These components must be provided in order to determine student eligibility for services.
The purpose of this advisory committee of the School Board is to review annually the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted and to determine the extent to which the plan for the previous year was implemented. It is composed of parents of identified gifted students, community members, teachers, administrators, and identified gifted students.
Meetings are open to the public. Information on meeting dates and locations may be found on the Chesterfield County School Board site at the link below. To navigate to the materials, select LIBRARY in the upper right corner and select Gifted Education Advisory Committee from the dark gray list of items that appears on the left.
Office of Gifted Education
13900 Hull Street Road
Midlothian, VA 23112
(804) 639-8620
gifted@ccpsnet.net