EPISD reports GT redesign progress: universal 2nd‑grade screening, new coordinators and 6‑12 elective pathways in development

El Paso — El Paso ISD staff told trustees on Oct. 21 that schoolwide changes to the district’s gifted‑and‑talented (GT) identification and programming are underway, with new screening, staffing and curriculum steps designed to reduce under‑identification in historically underserved attendance zones.

Chief Academic Officer Al Garcia introduced the update and said the district’s priorities have been access, rigorous identification and accountability. Jason Long, executive director for Advanced Academics, and Sarah Escandón (GT lead/facilitator) described a multi‑year redesign that began when GT moved into Advanced Academics. Major changes completed or in progress include:

- Universal second‑grade screening districtwide using NWEA MAP as a prescreener and the CogAT as the formal assessment (CogAT available in 90+ languages); district leaders said this screening found substantially more students in the first year of implementation (the number of identified second graders increased from about 100 to about 180 in one year).

- Deployment of campus GT coordinators (about 70 coordinators across campuses), a stipend for that role, a software management system to centralize test, certification and service data, and monthly coordinator meetings hosted by the GT lead.

- Professional development and certification tracking for teachers: teachers who serve GT students must obtain the 30‑hour GT certification and annual 6‑hour updates; the district secured an online vendor (Academity) and in‑house options for training and created targeted PD on differentiation and higher‑order thinking.

- Curriculum development in progress for elective pathways: district staff are drafting 6–12 STEM and ELAR elective sequences (year‑at‑a‑glance and TEKS‑aligned curriculum) to offer GT‑focused electives that are also aligned to grade‑level standards.

Long and Escandón showed heat maps of identification patterns, noting under‑representation in certain attendance zones — including military‑connected campuses — and explained that reliance on parent referral and a prior one‑on‑one testing model (the Riverside test) had limited identification. The new approach uses MAP results to prescreen and then CogAT for formal identification with an 83 cut score; districts staff said the CogAT’s nonverbal component helps identify emerging bilingual students who previously went unnoticed.

Board members asked about implementation and supports. Trustees were told campus coordinators are the primary contact for teachers and families and that Escandón meets with coordinators monthly. Colonel Soika (a parent and former campus administrator) urged the district to consider nationally used curricula (for example, Project Lead The Way) for continuity with military families that transfer in and out. Trustees also recommended additional universal screenings (staff said the district initially planned universal screening in second grade and was considering adding fifth grade as well).

Why it matters: EPISD leaders framed the redesign as an equity effort to identify gifted students across all demographics and attendance zones, not only where referrals historically clustered. The changes affect screening, staffing, teacher training and future curriculum offerings.

No formal board vote was required; trustees asked staff to continue program rollout and return with data and next steps.