Gifted Identification Process

Liberty Public Schools conducts a universal screening of all students in first, third, fifth, and seventh grades. Elementary students scoring at or above the 90%ile on designated reading and math benchmarks of the i-Ready tests and/or at or above a 120 Total Local Score at the building or district level on the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT) are identified for further testing to determine eligibility for local gifted programming. Seventh-grade students scoring at or above the 95%ile on designated reading benchmarks of the i-Ready test are identified for further testing. 

i-Ready

• i-Ready is an adaptive standardized achievement test in reading and math.

Naglieri General Ability Tests

• The Naglieri General Abilities Test (NGAT) includes three tests that measure general ability across verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative areas. 
• The Naglieri General Ability Tests–Verbal test uses universally recognized pictures that are appropriate across cultures, representing verbal concepts, rather than presenting questions orally or in writing. The test questions require students to understand the relationships among six pictures to determine what verbal concept is shared by five of the pictures and which does not represent the concept.
• The Naglieri General Ability Tests–Nonverbal test is comprised of questions that are presented using diagrams and pictorial formats. These questions require the student to decipher the logic behind the relationships among shapes, their color, sequences, orientation, etc. to determine which option completes the pattern
• The Naglieri General Ability Tests–Quantitative test is composed of questions that are presented using numbers and shapes arranged in a pattern. The test items require students to examine the relationships, patterns, and sequences among numbers and/or symbols using basic math concepts. There are no math word problems so the items can be solved regardless of the language(s) spoken by students.

Students identified for further testing may be given the SAGES-3 nonverbal reasoning test, the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, an individual IQ test, and/or the HOPE Teacher Rating Scale. 

• The SAGES-3 is is a nonverbal reasoning test. Students use pictures and shapes to make analogies.  The SAGES-3 is administered in a small group setting or to individual students.
• The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking assess divergent thinking. It is administered in a small group setting or to individual students. 
• The WISC-V is an individually administered IQ test. Liberty Public Schools considers the full scale score and several index scores when reviewing a student's WISC-V results: General Abilities Index (GAI), Verbal Expanded Crystallized Index (VECI), Nonverbal Index (NVI), and the Expanded Fluid Index (EFI)
• Alternative IQ tests are administered as needed.

In compliance with guidelines from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, students must meet eligibility criteria in three of the following four areas in order to qualify for gifted services. In Liberty Public Schools, one of the areas must be general mental ability (IQ).

• Academic Ability (i-Ready Achievement Tests)
• Reasoning/Creative Ability (SAGES-3 nonverbal reasoning or Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking)
• Documented evidence of exceptional performance (HOPE Rating Scale)
• General Mental Ability (IQ)

Parents/guardians will be notified if their student qualifies for gifted programming. Students who do not qualify for gifted programming will have the opportunity to be tested again if they meet the criteria in one of the district's other universal screening grade levels: third, fifth, or seventh grades.

When students are identified for further testing to determine eligibility for gifted programming, their parents/guardians are notified, and permission for further testing is obtained. 

SAGES-3 Nonverbal Reasoning Test

• Students will be given the SAGES-3 in their building soon after testing permission is received.
• Results from the SAGES-3 will be shared with parents/guardians.

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

• Students scoring at or below the 90%ile on the SAGES-3 will be given the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
• Results from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking will be shared with parents/guardians.

General Mental Ability (IQ)

• Students meeting eligibility in two of these three areas will be given an individual IQ test:
  • Academic (i-Ready)
  • Reasoning/Creativity (SAGES-3 or Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking)
  • Documented evidence of exceptional performance (HOPE Teacher Rating Scale)
• Most students will be given the WISC-V. Other IQ tests will be administered, as needed.

If a student does not meet eligibility criteria during universal screening or for placement in the district's gifted program, parents/guardians may request a review of that decision by contacting the district's gifted coordinator or an administrator in the district.

FAQ PEAK Appeals Process