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Mission
The mission of Crosby Gifted and Talented Education (GT) is to provide students with services designed to help them develop academic skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication as evidenced by the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity and are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, or environment.

Definition of Gifted and Talented Student
“ Gifted and talented student” means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who exhibits high performance capabilities for leadership, or excels in a specific academic field. Texas Education Code 29.121

The Crosby ISD Commitment
Crosby ISD recognizes that children learn in different ways, at various rates, and attain different levels of mastery. A program for academically advance students is a necessary and integral part of the district’s commitment to its students. Crosby ISD is committed to providing developmentally appropriate instruction and activities to students whose academic abilities will take them beyond the required mastery of general knowledge and sills. Instructional strategies are multi-sensory. The program develops higher order thinking skills, creative and productive thinking skills, and leadership opportunities.

Students who are “Identified” as a Gifted and Talented Student will be automatically serviced in the four core subjects in a “Challenge Reading / Math / Science / Social Studies Class.” The Crosby ISD advanced classes in grades 1 – 6 are structured more as an academically, accelerated content program.

Elementary School (Grades K – 6)

Primary (Grades K-2)
At Crosby Kindergarten Center, students are served as a “Talent Pool.” Under this concept, all students are considered to be potentially gifted and/or talented. The regular teacher, trained in gifted strategies, provides acceleration and /or enrichment to all students within the self-contained class. Appropriate lessons are presented regularly to challenge and enhance the potentially gifted student. During the second semester students will be screened for the potentially Gifted and Talented program. This program is a pull-out program beginning on March 1.

At Barrett Primary School’s 1st and 2nd grade, GT identified students will be serviced in a self-contained classroom with advanced instruction provided in all subject areas. Students who are GT identified will be reassessed at the end of the second grade. A GT identified student must maintain the standards set for the Challenge Reading and Math Classes. These standards are addressed under the sections for each area.

Elementary/Intermediate

Starting with the 3rd grade, gifted students are served in special classes, and the program continues to be primarily academically, accelerated content program. At Newport Elementary School and Drew Intermediate School GT identified students receive instruction by teams of teachers for the core subjects. At Newport Elementary one team is responsible for the instruction of reading, language arts and social studies and the other is responsible for the instruction of math and science. At Drew Intermediate pods are composed of a reading / language arts / social studies teacher, math teacher, and a science teacher. On occasion there may be a self-contained class contingent on enrollment numbers of the grade level. The Challenge Reading/Language Arts/Social Studies, Challenge Math, and Challenge Science classes differ from regular classes in depth, content and pace.

The Identification Process

Step 1: Nomination
Parents, staff, or students may nominate students for GT testing who exhibit
gifted characteristics and exceed grade level standard of achievement and aptitude beginning the first day of school until the last school day of
December of the current school year. This nomination form can be obtained from one of the following: the principal or assistant principal, school counselor, the Curriculum Department in the Administration Building or the Crosby ISD web site. The only exception to this deadline will be for students enrolling after January 1. Your child must meet the required minimum criteria for each grade level in our screening process in order to be eligible for GT testing in early spring. Nominating your child does not guarantee he/she will be tested. Minimum criteria are different for each grade level. Academically struggling students who are served in a GRIP or Math Lab are ineligible until they have been out of the program for a semester.

Kindergarten eligibility requirements for GT Testing:
Student must pass 8 out of 9 tasks on the mid-year TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory), be reading fluently and showing comprehension in a second or third reader at the end of January and have a teacher or staff recommendation.
First grade eligibility requirements for GT Testing:
Student must have a 90 or higher average on both reading and math
six-weeks test.
Second grade eligibility requirements for GT Testing:
Student must have a 90 or higher average on both reading and math
six-week tests and must score higher than 75% on the ITBS test. A student must also have a teacher or staff recommendation.
Third through fifth grade eligibility requirements for GT Testing:
Student must have a test average in reading and math of 85 or higher. A student must also have a teacher or staff recommendation.

Step 2: Screening
The screening process will determine which students should be considered for the placement or service. Qualitative and quantitative assessment data will be analyzed during the screening process.

Step 3: Placement
The selection committee, consisting of a least three persons to include a teacher of gifted, an administrator, a counselor, and other professionals, considers the data collected on each nominated student. The students selected will meet or exceed the district standards on a majority of criteria. The number of students selected will reflect approximately 5% of the district population.

The selection committee ensures that careful consideration is given to culturally different, learning disable, or physically challenged students. Some students may be recommended by the selection committee for trial placement or for “served” status in the program. Parents will be notified that continued placement is contingent upon performance in the gifted classroom.

Parents of all screened students are informed of the results of the identification process. Participation in the program is voluntary and requires parent permission. Test scores from outside sources will not be accepted for appeals consideration. Identification scores will be considered/appropriate for placement up to one academic year. After this period, students must qualify for the Gifted/Talented program again if they chose not to enter the program at the time of selection.

Step 4: Appeals Process
Parent, guardians, or teachers with parent approval may appeal any final decision or the selection committee. The following procedure will be observed:

1. A request for a hearing is made by contacting the director of the GT program within ten (10) working days after decision notification.
2. Additional information is presented to the district appeals committee which should include anecdotal records, other testing, and other pertinent materials.
3. The appeals committee convenes to review the case. The director of GT notifies parents and principal of the result of the committee’s deliberations.
4. Appeals committee decisions are final.