Author: Backup User

What is “Gifted”
For De Soto Schools, “gifted” means performing or demonstrating the potential for performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment in overall academic areas due to intellectual ability, when compared to others of similar age, experience, and environment.
Gifted Education in Kansas is part of Special Education. Special education services for students with giftedness should be regarded as one part of the continuum in the total educational system. Gifted services are required when a student is severely discrepant from his/her peers and their needs are unable to be met in general education.
How does a student receive gifted services?
Students must be found eligible and demonstrate a need to receive gifted educational services. To determine eligibility, De Soto Schools use a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), recommended by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). The multi-tiers include school-wide supports and resources. In the classroom, teachers implement general education interventions (GEI) prior to referring any child in kindergarten through grade 12 for an initial evaluation. Classroom teachers document the impact of these classroom activities and projects on students’ individual academic progress and behavior. This data is useful in planning the next steps in the process.

Gifted

Gifted and MTSS?
MTSS is a system of best practices that supports a rapid response to academic and behavioral needs of students. In this system De Soto educators form a Student Intervention Team (SIT). This team determines appropriate general education interventions and frequently analyzes the data for individual student progress. In addition, the SIT team proposes changes to the instructional plan in order to stretch individual students to achieve higher academic and behavior standards.
Parents may participate as part of the SIT team.
What might the SIT team decide?
Possible outcomes of the SIT process:
Interventions are successful and continue to be carried out in general education.
Interventions in general education do not appear to meet the student’s needs. The team refers the student for a special education evaluation, and the process is initiated with parental consent.
What happens if a parent requests a Special Education evaluation?
Parents may request an evaluation in writing at which point the school provides Prior Written Notice to the parent explaining that an evaluation will be done concurrently with the SIT process or refuses to do the evaluation and provides reasons for refusal.

An initial evaluation for gifted involves the use of a variety of assessment tools and existing data to determine eligibility by addressing these two questions.
1. Does the child meet the definition of gifted?
The results of standardized, norm- referenced tests of intellectual ability and achievement indicate an exceptionality (giftedness).
AND
2. Does the child demonstrate a need requiring specially designed instruction to address the unique needs that result from the child’s giftedness ? Is specially designed instruction necessary to ensure access to and progress of the child in the general education curriculum?
Examples of need indicators include:
Progress monitoring data indicates a need for intense and sustained resources
Intensive adaptations or accelerations
Increasingly customized and individualized instruction
Intensive modifications needed in instruction, curriculum, grouping, and assignments in order to demonstrate appropriate progress
General education interventions, alternative course selections or cross-age grouping are insufficient to support student progress

What Happens After the Referral?
At the point of referral, the School Psychologist contacts parents to explain the evaluation process and complete paperwork for consent to evaluate the student. Once the School Psychologist receives the signed consent form from parents, the school, by law, has sixty school days to administer, coordinate, and evaluate the assessments.
Once this is completed, and within the sixty school day timeline, the evaluation team (parents, School Psychologist, special educator, classroom teacher and administrator) will meet to review the evaluation results and determine eligibility.
If the team determines the student meets eligibility criteria, an individual education plan is proposed. If the team determines that the student does not meet eligibility criteria, they will discuss other options for addressing the needs of the student.

De Soto Schools
De Soto High School
Phone: (913) 667-6250
Mill Valley High School
Phone: (913) 422-4351
Lexington Trails Middle School
Phone: (913) 667-6260
Monticello Trails Middle School
Phone: (913) 422-1100
Mill Creek Middle School
Phone: (913) 667-3512
Clear Creek Elementary
Phone: (913) 422-8700
Mize Elementary
Phone: (913) 441-0880
Prairie Ridge Elementary
Phone: (913) 667-1800
Riverview Elementary
Phone: (913) 441-0808
Starside Elementary
Phone: (913) 667-6270
Horizon Elementary
Phone: (913) 667-3535

Gifted
Identification Process in
De Soto USD 232