Gifted Services
Shaker Heights Schools is committed to challenging and supporting all students so that they may reach their full potential. This includes providing opportunities for educational enrichment and acceleration to match learning opportunities with students’ abilities.
Shaker Schools Offers:
International BAccalaureate
Early Entrance to Kindergarten
opportunities for Acceleration
Shaker Heights Schools offers formal gifted services to students identified as gifted in the areas of superior cognition, creative thinking, reading/writing and mathematics in Grades 2-10.
Students receive services in an inclusive cluster grouping model. A cluster group is a group of identified gifted students who are purposefully clustered together in the classroom of a teacher who has licensure or endorsement or specialized training in gifted education. The other students in that class are of mixed ability. Teachers also receive support from the Gifted Coordinator and Gifted Intervention Specialists through periodic co-teaching, co-planning and consultation. Students receiving gifted services receive a Written Education Plan (WEP) outlining the description of the services to be provided.
Gifted FAQs
- What assessments does the District use and what are the criteria for being identified as gifted?
- What does Whole-Grade Screening Mean?
- Why does Shaker Heights Schools use NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) and Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test?
- Why are these assessments given? Does a child have to meet the criteria on both to be identified as gifted?
- What if I do not want my student to participate in the whole-grade screening?
- Once identified, does my child need to be identified every year as gifted?
- We just moved to Shaker Heights. How will my child’s previous identification as gifted be handled?
- My child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan allows for accommodations when testing. May my child have these accommodations when being assessed for giftedness?
- If I refer my child for gifted identification, how long will I have to wait to for an initial assessment?
- My child met the criteria to be identified as gifted. In what school and what program will they be enrolled?