Identification

Identification of students is conducted, not to label students as gifted, but rather to locate students who have specific needs which can be more effectively met through differentiated instruction in the EXPO program. 

The identification and selection of students for participation in the program is determined by a three-step process

• referral/nomination
• assessment
• selection

The final placement decision is made by the District G/T Selection Committee.

Referral/Nomination

Referrals or nominations may come from faculty, parents, or community members. Persons nominating students must complete a general Referral Form.  This will begin the process of data collection from various sources regarding the child's ability and potential. 

Elementary:   The campus EXPO Specialist will accept nominations for students in kindergarten in November. Those students nominated will be tested in January and February.  Referrals for students in grades one through five are an on-going process. Nominations will be accepted at any time.

Secondary:   The campus EXPO Specialist will accept nominations only during referral periods.  Please see the EXPO Testing Dates link for more information concerning the specific dates for secondary referrals.

• The first testing session will be reserved for students transferring into Denton from a gifted/talented program in another school district.
• The second testing session will be reserved for testing of students in grades one through five.
• Kindergarten students will be tested during the third testing session.
• The fourth and fifth testing sessions will be reserved for testing of students in grades one through five.
  

All kindergarten students are considered for assessment by the EXPO program and will be involved in assessment activities conducted by the regular classroom teacher and the EXPO specialist during the fall semester. At the end of the general assessment period, a pool of kindergarten students will be selected for further assessment based on teacher observation, student performance in the classroom, and/or parent referrals.

• The first testing session will be reserved for students transferring into Denton from a gifted/talented program in another school district.
• The second testing session will be reserved for testing of students in grades six through twelve.
• The fourth and fifth testing sessions will be reserved for testing of students in grades six through twelve.

Selection

Transfer Students

Elementary Transfers

Students transferring to Denton ISD will be evaluated based on previous gifted and talented testing and district program admission.  Denton ISD will evaluate the previous district's paperwork and admit students based on the following criteria.

Intelligence/Abilties Teset

Achievment Test

Creativity Test

If elementary students have two qualifying scores (95 percentile) and were admitted to a previous district's gifted and talented program, students will be admitted to the EXPO program per evaluation of the campus EXPO specialist and district Advanced Academics Director.

If elementary students do not have two qualifying scores (95 percentile) and are admitted to a district's gifted and talented program, students will be assessed based on the current qualifications of the Denton ISD EXPO program.  After testing, students will go through a camps transfer and district committee to determine placement.  The district transfer window is August 29-September 21, and the district committee meets on September 27.  For additional transfers, the district will assess students within the Fall and Spring testing windows.

Secondary Transfers

All secondary transfer gifted and talented students will be evaluated by the campus middle school EXPO specialists.