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Talented & Gifted Identification

Trumbull's TALENTED And Academically Gifted (TAG) IDENTIFCATION

Consistent with Connecticut General Statutes §10-76a, Trumbull identifies the top 10% of students at the end of their third-grade year as having “extraordinary learning ability” using a balanced combination of standardized measurements of abstract thinking and reasoning ability (e.g., the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test or O.L.S.A.T. ) with nationally-normed measurements of learning achievement (e.g., i-Ready) and classroom teacher ratings based on published metrics for identifying gifted students. At the beginning of the school year, an information letter is provided for the parents/guardians whose child(ren) met the qualification criteria. 

To identify those children, the District employs the following steps in sequential order. The steps balance standardized measurements of abstract thinking and reasoning ability (e.g., the OLSAT) with nationally-normed measurements of learning achievement (e.g., i-Ready) and classroom teacher ratings based on published metrics for identifying gifted students.

  1. Students who have received a 130 or higher as a subscore on the Verbal and the Non-Verbal section of the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) given in February of the third-grade year are selected for further analysis. (If this criterion does not generate at least 10% of the District’s third-grade population, a score of 125 or higher on both sections will be used.)
  2. For each student meeting the criterion of Step (1), the following verbal and non-verbal assessment data points are combined according to the percentages indicated below.
    • OLSAT Verbal total subscore: 25%
    • OLSAT Non-Verbal total subscore: 25%
    • Third-grade end-of-year i-Ready Assessment total scores on:
      • i-ReadyReading Standards Mastery 20%
      • i-Ready Mathematics Standards Mastery 20%
    • Third-grade classroom teacher total rating on TPS Rating Scales for the Gifted Students: 10%
  3. Consistent with State regulations, a District team of "certified and/or licensed professionals, who represent each of the teaching, administrative and pupil personnel staffs," will review the data to certify the top ten per cent of students, who will then be identified as Talented and Academically Gifted (TAG)  prior to the end of the school year. Parents of eligible students will be notified at the beginning of the next school year of the identification of their child, district and state contacts for questions, and resources. 

On occasion, a student enters the District in grade 3, 4, or 5 subsequent to the administration of the data points referenced above. If a parent of a student in such a situation believes that his/her child may be qualified for TAG identification, he/she should contact the Assistant Superintendent.

District Contact for Talented and Academically Gifted (TAG)

  • Office of Teaching and Learning,  Assistant Superintendent (203) 452-4340

RESOURCES FOR TALENTED And Academically Gifted (TAG) 

Below you will find a list of potential resources that have been developed by Trumbull Public Schools to support your child. 

Journals and Magazines

Museums and Zoos for Children

Reading Lists for Students

Magazines for Kids

Math Sites for Kids

Gifted and Talented Advocacy Groups

Places for Students to Publish

Contests and Other Activities

State Department of Education Contact and Resources
 

For questions about gifted education at the state department level, please contact the state consultant Dr. Dori Papa at 860-713-6923 or Dori.Papa@ct.gov 

  • Click here to visit the Connecticut State Department of Education's Resource page for TAG students' families.