Gifted and Talented Information

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• Elementary K-5

  Students in the district’s Elementary Gifted and Talented Program, grades K- 5, are cluster grouped and receive differentiated instruction in the core content areas with a classroom teacher who has at least 30 hours of gifted awareness training, plus the required 6 hour annual update.

  In Grades K-3, gifted students participate with a GT Specialist in a program on their campus; designed to provide challenging activities in seven strands: creativity, problem solving, research, communication, thinking skills, affective thinking, and leadership training.

  In Grades 4-5, gifted students receive differentiated instruction in the regular classroom, attend sessions on campus one semester, and attend their chosen off campus GT mini-course the other semester.

  GT Specialists work with students K-5 as well as with GT Cluster teachers in meeting the needs of the gifted learners on each campus.

• Intermediate 6-8

  Gifted and Talented students in grades 6-8, who prefer to attend their neighborhood schools may participate in the OMEGA Program. Which offers an interdisciplinary learning environment and district curriculum.  OMEGA classes are taught by teams of teachers who are trained to work with gifted students. The academic core of the OMEGA Program is pre-AP language arts, pre-AP science and pre-AP social studies. Opportunities for math acceleration are available to fit each individual student's need.

• WAVE GT Magnet

  Westbrook Academy Visions in Education (WAVE) is Clear Creek ISD's gifted and talented magnet school for grades 6 - 8.   Academics, mini courses, independent study, WAVE Basics class, acceleration in mathematics, differentiated, interdisciplinary instruction in language arts, science and social studies are offered by highly trained teachers and staff in a learning community that focuses on the nature and needs of adolescent gifted learners.
    
  At WAVE, the students have the opportunity to interact with their intellectual peers from across the district and participate in award-winning fine arts, athletics and student activities. Since all WAVE students must take a compacted language arts courses, applicants must be identified as gifted by Clear Creek ISD and qualify via a Language Arts Matrix.

  Focusing on student strengths and the nature and needs of the GT population, WAVE provides the nurturing environment necessary for the development of creative, confident leaders.

• High School 9-12

  Gifted high school students have many options. The five comprehensive high schools have strong Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement programs, 9th and 10th grade have GT Only English Leadership classes, college classes, as well as strong Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) programs. We also offer Early College High School opportunities to all students.

  By using community partners and resources, the GT program provides experiences for students beyond the traditional curriculum in many subject areas.

• How Do I refer my child for GT classes/assessment?

  Clear Creek ISD screens for qualified Gifted and Talented students using a variety of sources:

  • Classroom Performance
  • Authentic Assessments
  • Portfolio Data
  • Performance on Qualitative and Quantitative Screening Instruments
  • Teacher Recommendations
  • Cumulative Records, etc.

• TESTING: Kindergarten

  • All kindergarten students will be screened during the fall semester.
  • Students may be tested only two times in Elementary (K-5).
  • Nominees for the Gifted and Talented Program in Kindergarten are tested in January.
  • Qualifying students will be placed in the Gifted and Talented Program by March 1 of that school year. 
  • Teachers and parents may refer Kindergarten students for testing. The deadline for referrals to participate in the kindergarten testing cycle is December 1. 
  • Private testing is accepted from approved psychologists only. Please contact the Gifted and Talented Office for a list of approved professionals.
  • Students who are non-English speaking will be assessed using a nonverbal based test.

• TESTING: Grades 1-12

   

  • Referrals in grades 1 -12 are tested during the fall Gifted and Talented Testing Cycle.
  • Students may be tested only two times in Secondary (6-12).
  • Private testing is accepted from approved psychologists only. Please contact the Gifted and Talented Office for a list of approved professionals.
  • Students who are non-English speaking will be assessed using a nonverbal based test.
  • In order for 1st - 12th grade students to participate in the fall testing cycle, referrals must be turned in to the Gifted and Talented Specialist or counselor on the child's campus by October 1. 

   

• Selection Procedures

  A selection committee consisting of at least three Gifted and Talented specialists will examine the qualifications of each candidate and recommend appropriate placement. Criteria for selection includes both quantitative (cognitive skills tests, etc.) and qualitative (professional recommendation, grades, portfolio samples, etc.) data.

• Notification

  Parents and students will be notified in writing of the testing results and the decision of the selection committee. Once the parents know the results, the teachers will be notified.

• Placement

  Students who qualify for the Gifted and Talented Program will be placed in Gifted and Talented classes