Gifted Identification Procedures
The Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) requires all administrative units (AUs) in Colorado to identify and serve students between the ages of five and twenty-one, and age four in administrative units with Early Access, whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. AUs include: school districts, Charter School Institute (CSI), multi-district administrative units and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
ECEA Rules guide an AU's development of procedures and processes for identification assessment and making gifted determinations while still providing opportunities for local decision-making. The Office of Gifted Education provides an identification guidebook to support administrative units with implementation of ECEA Rules.
Body of Evidence
Assessment means methods, tools, and data collected as a body of evidence (BOE) for use in identification and programming. [C.R.S. 22-20-202(5)].
A review team, with at least one person trained or endorsed in gifted identification and programming, reviews the BOE in order to make a determination. While some of the data in a body of evidence will be used to meet the criteria for gifted identification, other data or information may be used to build a learner profile for the purpose of developing appropriate programming options defined in the Advanced Learning Plan (ALP). Criteria are the rules for evaluating a level of exceptionality for identification.
Military Compact
Military Students
The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children created legislation to ease school-to-school transfers for military children. The intent of the Compact is to minimize the disruption in education when a military child is forced to move as a result of a transfer or deployment.
The Compact states:
Educational Program Placement: As long as the program is offered by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), acting as the receiving Local Education Agency (LEA), it will honor placement of the child in educational programs based on current educational assessments and placement in like programs in the sending State. Such programs include, but are not limited to, gifted and talented programs and English language learners. The receiving State school may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure the child’s appropriate educational program placement. Continuing the child’s academic program from the previous school and promoting placement in academically and career challenging courses shall be a primary consideration when DoDEA considers the placement of a transferring child.
District Military Liaison: kelli.chappelle@d49.org
Overview of Appeals
Selection Committee Decisions Grades K-11
Parents may appeal the decision of the Selection Committee within 10 days of receiving the notification that the child was not accepted.
Below are the steps to follow:
1. Parent/Guardian notifies Coordinator of Gifted Education of the parent’s concerns.
2. Coordinator of Gifted Education meets with parent/guardian explaining the process and show him/her the child’s profile and the guidelines for selection. The student products may be examined along with the results of the tests and checklists.
Most appeals end here.
If the parent/guardian is not satisfied with the explanation, they may ask to go to the next step.
3. Parent/Guardian must write a formal letter/email explaining their disagreement with the decision of the Selection Committee and return the letter/email to the Executive Director of Individualized Education.
4. The Executive Director of Individualized Education and Gifted Coordinator will work with the school to set up an appointment at the campus. The Executive Director of Individualized Education, the Gifted Coordinator, school principal, and school gifted education facilitator will meet with parent/guardian to discuss testing results and other data.
Conclusion of appeal ends here.