MGSD AIG Program

Empowering Students to Realize Their Maximum Potential

Services for Academically/Intellectually Gifted Students

Although students in Kindergarten through third grade are not formally identified as gifted, they may be included in instruction aimed at talent development such as Primary Education Thinking Skills (P.E.T.S.), Project-Based Learning, William and Mary English Language Arts Curriculum, and Project M2 Math, etc. In grades four and five, students are grouped in clusters of 6-8 students within a homeroom class and are provided differentiation in Core subjects through Project-Based Learning and other extension activities. They also participate in pull-out enrichment time with AIG peers for subject specific enhancement, bibliotherapy, and other activities.

During sixth through eighth grade, AIG students will be in honors courses in their identified subjects; other high ability/academically advanced students may opt to enroll in honors through open enrollment. In the high school years, open enrollment provides students numerous opportunities, such as advanced placement courses, honors, advanced, or virtually accessible high interest coursework, and a large variety of extracurricular options.

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Screening Process

Third and fifth grade students are administered a group ability test during the second semester of each school year. Results from group ability tests are reviewed to establish a pool of students to consider for further screening and/or automatic AIG identification. Transfer and other selected students in grades four, six and beyond may be individually screened or re-screened, depending on the student’s specific circumstances or as a result of a referral by a teacher or parent/guardian.

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ID Criteria

Students who score sufficiently high on a group ability assessment may automatically be eligible for AIG identification and services. For those who are placed in the pool of students to be considered for identification, a scoring grid is used that includes scores from academic performance, ability assessment/s, characteristics associated with giftedness, and consideration of the student’s environmental or cultural factors or influence. The scoring grid offers multiple opportunities for meeting AIG eligibility requirements. Students can be formally identified as AIG beginning in the second semester of grade three and are eligible for services from grade four and beyond.