Vistas Talent Pool

Armstrong, Arizona Fleming, Blue Ridge-Briargate, Burton, Glover, Goodman, Heritage Rose, Holley, Hunters Glen, Jones, Jordan, Lantern Lane, Mission Bend-Glen, Mission West, Parks, Ridgegate, Ridgemont, Townewest

The Vistas Talent Pool is a group of students on Title I campuses who possess demonstrated or potential ability to perform at exceptionally high levels . These students may be referred to as high-potential learners. The purpose of selecting students to participate in the Vistas Talent Pool is to provide early enrichment for those students whose talents must be nurtured in order for them to meet their full potential.

No. Students identified for gifted services must meet a different set of selection criteria. For more information on selection criteria for Gifted and Talented services, please see the GT Referral and Identification page.

Students are selected for the Vistas program through formal (e.g., cognitive abilities assessments) and informal (e.g., teacher observations) measures that provide evidence of high ability. All kindergarten students attending a campus that receives Title I funds or is designated as a low-Social Economic School (low-SES) participate in a universal screener to determine eligibility for the Vistas Talent Pool. Kindergarten teachers use the FBISD Gifted Behavior Observation questionnaire to identify students who exhibit high ability or gifted potential characteristics in the classroom.

Yes. Students who are referred in grades 1, 3, and 4 for Gifted and Talented services are also considered for participation in the Vistas Talent Pool. Students in grade 2 are universally screened (do not require a referral) and may be considered for participation in the Vistas Talent Pool.

• An ability score at or above the 71st percentile in at least one area (non-verbal, verbal, quantitative) on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT).
• A score at or above the 80th percentile on the FBISD Gifted Behavior Observation Questionnaire
• Teacher observations of student behavior

High-potential learners are students who learn and comprehend at a faster pace and more complex level than their age peers. These students often acquire skills earlier and progress at an accelerated rate.

Informal assessment measures rely on observations and professional judgment rather than being standardized or norm-referenced with numbers and scores. Examples of informal assessment measures used to determine high potential in kindergarten students include behavior checklists, anecdotal records, work samples, products and performances.

It is important to cast a wide a net to provide early enrichment for high potential learners. The students selected represent the top 15% to 25% of the kindergarten population on that campus.

There is not a referral process for the Vistas Talent Pool program. Kindergarten students attending a campus that receives Title I funds or designated as low-Social Economic school (low-SES) participate in a Universal Screener. The data from that screener and teacher observations are used to identify students for the Vistas Talent Pool program.

Students participating in the Vistas Talent Pool program will receive differentiated services that match their needs, interests, and abilities. Vistas Talent Pool students are cluster-grouped for reading and math. A GT-trained classroom teacher will enrich the curriculum to build the verbal intelligence of students. To strengthen verbal intelligence, instruction focuses on the linguistic and nonlinguistic aspects of background knowledge through language rich classrooms. Students receive services in a classroom that nurtures the traits, aptitudes, and characteristics of gifted students through rich learning opportunities. In addition to the standard curriculum, Vistas students benefit from an enriched language environment to develop verbal and quantitative reasoning skills, logic, sequential memory, and vocabulary. Teachers provide opportunities for students to use nonlinguistic representation, questioning, and extensive practice in the language of the discipline for added depth and complexity.

GT Learning Plans are not a service for Vistas Talent Pool students, but the teacher(s) providing services to Vistas Talent Pool students should have a record of differentiated instruction and enrichment opportunities provided for students.

Vistas Talent Pool students must be formally identified in one or more areas of giftedness through FBISD’s GT identification process. While participating in the Vistas Talent Pool, students complete additional screeners in second and fourth grade to determine eligibility for gifted services. If not qualified for GT services by the end of fourth grade, teachers and/or parents may refer students for evaluation at the beginning of fifth grade during the fall GT referral window.

You may contact your campus Champion of Gifted Services (COGS) or GT counselor for specific information about the Vistas Talent Pool program on your child's campus. To locate your child's campus GT counselor, please use this link for the GT Counselor search. To locate your child's campus COGS, please use this link for the Campus COGS search.