Talented and Gifted Program (TAG)

Creekside High School

7405 Herndon Road
Fairburn, GA 30213
Phone: (470) 254-4300
Fax: (470) 254-4303

A Brochure by Gregory Gray, Rena Ingram, and Carmen A. Kinnebrew


IN THIS BROCHURE...
 What is the Purpose of TAG?
 Creekside High School’s Gifted
Model
 The TAG Referral Process
 Automatic vs. Reported
Screening
 The Testing Process
 Eligibility Criteria
 Frequently Asked Questions
More about the ICM…
The Integrated Curriculum Model is suit-
able for gifted students because, rather
than serving as a type of remediation,
this model serves as a method of provid-
ing further education to students who
already possess background knowledge.
The ICM also focuses on advanced con-
tent instruction and supports higher or-
der thinking and processing. The Inte-
grated Curriculum Model encourages
students to develop disciplinary literacy,
as well as interdisciplinary literacy, allow-
ing students to understand and apply
concepts across contents. Additionally,
the scaffolding of student learning pro-
vides chances for in-depth exploration of
contents and concepts.
CHS TAG Program
Understanding the Function of Fulton County’s
Gifted Program
A gifted student is a student who demonstrates a high degree of
intellectual and/or creative ability(ties), exhibits an exceptionally
high degree of motivation, and/or excels in specific academic fields,
and who needs special instruction and/or special ancillary services
to achieve at levels commensurate with his/her abilities.
[GA Definition 160-4-2-.38]
Creekside High School’s Gifted Model
The Integrated Curriculum Model
In its Gifted Program, Creekside High School uses the Integrated
Curriculum Model (ICM). This instructional approach allows for
greater sensitivity to individual student needs. The Integrated Cur-
riculum Model stresses the importance of advanced content
knowledge, encourages higher order thinking skills, and concen-
trates a student’s learning on key interdisciplinary problems. The
three elements of the ICM are Overarching Concepts, Advanced
Content, and Process-Product.
Overarching Concepts:
Reading, reflections, and discussions allow students the ability to
develop ideas, themes, and determine related concepts and ideas
among various fields of study.
Advanced Content:
This provides gifted students the opportunity to delve deeper into a
content area, rather than "skim the top" as may occur in a regular
education class. Advanced Content provides opportunities for stu-
dents to use advanced skills and move through the curriculum at a
more rapid pace.
Process-Product:
The ICM allows students to explore a topic and conduct research
relevant to their topic or engage in problem-based learning experi-
ences.
TAG Referral Process
Schools within the Fulton County School
System screen all students for eligibility
for gifted services twice a year and use a
systematic approach to identify students
that are highly capable and may poten-
tially qualify. The consideration for gifted
services may be reported or automatic as
defined by the GaDOE Resources Manual
for Gifted Education Services.
• Automatic Screening takes place in
August-September and identifies stu-
dents who score at specified levels
on a norm-referenced standardized
test, i.e. IOWA, iReady, and GA Mile-
stones.
• Reported Screening takes places in
January-February and is conducted
by teachers who use the Characteris-
tics Instrument for Screening Stu-
dents (CISS) to identify students with
superior abilities in five of more of
the following areas: motivation, in-
terests, communication skills, prob-
lem-solving abilities, memory, in-
quiry, insight, reasoning, creativity,
and humor. All reported referrals are
completed through a two system-
level screening and referral processes
as the eligibility team reviews each
student in a 10-day window to deter-
mine eligibility for further assess-
ment.
All referrals are first reviewed by our
school eligibility team in addition to doc-
umentation submitted that highlights
outstanding performances to consider if
the existing information warrants a for-
mal testing for eligibility. The TAG Eligibil-
ity teams for a school are critical for the
success of the multiple criteria screening
and identification process for students
with gifted abilities and includes the fol-
lowing members: one general education
teacher (chair), principal/designee, one
special area teacher (art, music, physical
education, career tech and/or SPED), one
representative from each grade level/
core content department, and one TAG
teacher.
More about the referral process...
If a student is new to Fulton from another county in Georgia, the TAG
Chair will review all data and information in the student’s permanent rec-
ords and will consider all available screening data and make the determi-
nation if formal testing is warranted. If there is evidence the student pre-
viously received gifted services at another public school in Georgia, the
student is immediately eligible through in-state reciprocity. If a student
has documentation of eligibility in an out-of-state gifted program, s/he is
immediately referred for consideration to Fulton County’s gifted program.
Testing Process
Students who meet either the automatic or classroom screening criteria
and have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or
advanced content levels are referred for addition testing to determine
gifted eligibility. Once deemed eligible, their parent will receive a Notifica-
tion of Consideration or Consent for Evaluation form as testing cannot
occur for a student without written consent from their parent. Testing,
which is administered by the TAG Chair, collects data in each of the fol-
lowing four qualifying areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and
motivation. After the students take their assessments and their tests are
graded, parents will receive their test result within 6 weeks and if eligibil-
ity is determined, the student will be placed in TAG the following semes-
ter to receive additional services.
• Students who are determined eligible for further assessment through
the Automatic Screening process are tested in September-October
and parents will be notified of student eligibility for gifted services by
December.
• Students who are determined eligible for further assessment through
the Classroom Screening process Testing are tested in January-March
and parents will be notified of student eligibility for gifted services by
May.
CHS TAG Program
Eligibility Criteria
In order for a student to be deter-
mined eligible to receive gifted ser-
vices, data shall be gathered in each
of the four assessment categories
(mental ability, achievement, crea-
tivity, and motivation), and at least
one criteria must be met by a score
on a nationally normed test. Any
data used to establish eligibility in
one category cannot be used to es-
tablish eligibility in another catego-
ry and any test score used to estab-
lish eligibility shall be current within
a two-calendar year period. Stu-
dents can qualify for gifted services
at Creekside High School under-
neath two options (Option A or Op-
tion B) according to the following
chart.
*Data gathered and analyzed by a
private psychologist can only be
used in the mental ability category
in Option B and it must be support-
ed by two of the three remaining
categories of which one must be a
nationally normed test adminis-
tered by a school.
Data
Option A Option B
Category
Student must have a Student must qualify in three of
qualifying score in the four categories.
the mental ability
AND achievement
categories.
Student must score ≥ Student must score ≥ 96% on a com-
96% on a composite posite or full-scale score or appropri-
or full-scale score or ate component score on a norm-
Mental appropriate compo- referenced test of mental ability.
Ability* nent score on a norm-
referenced test of
mental ability.
Student must score ≥ Students must score ≥ 90% on the
90th percentile in To- total battery, total math or total read-
tal Reading, Total ing section(s) of a norm-referenced
Achieve- Math, or Complete achievement test OR have a cumula-
ment Battery on a national- tive average ≥ 85 on a 100-point in
ly normed achieve- Honors or Advanced Placement
ment test. courses.
Students must score ≥ 90% compo-
site score on a nationally normed test
of creative thinking, receive a score ≥
90% on a standardized creativity
characteristics rating scale, OR have
a superior product/performance with
Creativity Data gathered. a score ≥ 90 on a 100-point scale as
evaluated by a panel of three or more
qualified evaluators, as indicted by
being an individual winner of district
level academic competition.
Student must have a superior
product/performance with a score ≥
90 on a 100-point scale, as evaluated
by a panel of three or more qualified
evaluators, indicated in:
• individual winner of district level
academic competition, OR
Motivation Data gathered. • cumulative average ≥ 85 on a
scale of 1-100 in Honors or Ad-
vanced Placement courses, OR
• cumulative average ≥ 85 on a
scale of 1-100 over the last two
years in core academic areas.
CHS TAG Program
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I consider when deciding the number of TAG classes my child should take?

Students are academically ready for rigorous instruction in the TAG classes for which they meet the placement criteria. Howev-
er, other factors (organizational, time management, and study skills, maturity, and extracurricular activities) may contribute to
a student’s ultimate success in his or her classes. The option to take fewer than the recommended number of classes and add
more TAG classes based on classroom performance and the Continuous Achievement guidelines is available.

What are the benefits of the TAG program?

Intellectually gifted and exceptionally creative students have unique learning characteristics, interests, personal needs, and ca-
pabilities. The FCS TAG program addresses these traits by providing opportunities for gifted students to interact with intellectu-
al peers while taking classes that extend past the basic curriculum.

What happens when my child’s performance does not meet Fulton County’s criteria for continued participation in the TAG
program?

The student may be placed on probation, which allows for interventions when his or her performance in any gifted service class
falls below the continuation criteria. Once a student is placed on probation, the student’s probationary status remains in effect
until the end of the course.

Can a parent request a student to be removed from the gifted service program?

Yes, parent may request their student to be removed from the gifted service program at any time by providing written notifica-
tion.

Do students have to re-establish gifted eligibility if there is break in services?

Once identified eligible for gifted service in the state of Georgia, students are not required to re-establish eligibility, regardless
of the length of break in service. Factors to be considered in the re-entry decision should include evidence of the student’s ad-
vanced learning needs and the recency and performance levels of any previous gifted program referrals or placements.

How does Fulton County Schools address English Language Learners with backgrounds that are culturally and/or linguistically
different from the traditional takers of gifted and talented assessments during the screening and identification process?

FCS uses the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test in an effort to provide better profiles for the identification of ELL gifted students.
The results of this test are not influenced by the student’s verbal or quantitative knowledge, which makes this assessment ap-
propriate for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Need more information?

Check out the following resources.

• Georgia Department of Education (Gifted Ed): https://

www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/
Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/Gifted-Education.aspx
• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC): https://
www.nagc.org
• Georgia Association for Gifted Children (GAGC): https://
www.gagc.org
• Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG): https://
www.sengifted.org
• National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
(NRCGT): https://nrcgt.uconn.edu

CHS TAG Program

 Creekside High School
7405 Herndon Road
Fairburn, GA 30213
Phone: (470) 254-4300
Fax: (470) 254-4303
fultonschools.org/creeksidehs

A Brochure by Gregory Gray, Rena Ingram, and Carmen A. Kinnebrew