Cumberland County Schools: gifted testing

Academically or Intellectually Gifted (ACES grades 3-5, GEMS 6-8)

All second graders take a district aptitude screener at the end of grade 2 (the plan does not name the test). Formal screening for identification starts in grade 3. Students who meet screening criteria (for example, an 87th percentile aptitude score or a 90th percentile achievement score) are considered for identification.

Published criteria

• Grade 3 reading pathway: aptitude at or above the 87th percentile on the Verbal or Nonverbal battery and the NC Beginning-of-Grade reading test at or above the 80th percentile. source
• Grades 3-8: achievement at the 98th-99th percentile with aptitude at the 80th percentile or higher, or aptitude at the 98th-99th percentile with achievement at the 80th percentile or higher, or 85th-97th percentile on both with a three-year record of high performance. Intellectually gifted: 98th or 99th percentile on an approved aptitude test. source

Appeals / retesting: Start at school: meet the AIG teacher, then the principal. Next, the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Programs and the AIG Program Coordinator review the case. Then a written request for review by the Chief Academic Officer. NC law then allows a contested case hearing. source