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Missouri guidelines prompt Lindbergh review of gifted identification; district already pursuing universal screening and alternative pathways
Summary
Lindbergh Schools staff summarized recent Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance on gifted education, noted the district’s approach to universal screening and described how identification pathways will be refined to align with state recommendations.
District gifted education leaders briefed the board on changes to Missouri DESE guidance that took effect Nov. 30, 2024, and how Lindbergh is implementing those recommendations.
Dr. Tracy Benarek Humes (title: gifted coordinator or director; role referenced as gifted instruction lead in presentation) told the board DESE has emphasized universal screening, clarified that scoring thresholds for academic measures should be at the 95th percentile or higher for identification, and recommended inclusion of reasoning, creativity or problem-solving measures as part of an identification strategy. She said Lindbergh already conducts widespread screening: "We universally screen grades 1 through 8" and the district uses a 2nd-grade reasoning screener (the Naglieri nonverbal reasoning assessment) to capture students who might be missed by achievement testing.
Humes said DESE recommends roughly 20 percent of screened students move on to additional testing; Lindbergh reported lower year-by-year percentages during initial screening but said multiple entry points capture additional students over time. The district reported it serves approximately 10.93 percent of its overall student population in gifted programming; by grade level staff reported 16.8 percent of third graders and higher single-grade percentages in other elementary grades are receiving gifted services.
District staff said they reviewed and updated an alternative identification pathway for students from underrepresented or hard-to-identify groups; the district’s alternative pathway (using other criteria such as subtest thresholds) has been reviewed by legal counsel and submitted to DESE for approval, staff said. Humes noted that any scores used for identification must meet DESE’s percentile guidance and that districts may choose which subtests and measures to accept.
Board members asked about students with individual education programs (IEPs) and how an alternate pathway might interact with special education eligibility. Humes and other staff said the district monitors students across multiple years and looks for classroom-based supports when children do not meet a strict testing threshold; officials said some students identified via alternative pathways benefit from classroom interventions or adjusted instructional supports while other students later qualify for gifted services.
No board action was taken. Staff said they will continue using DESE guidance and the district’s universal screening protocols as the identification and curriculum-writing process continues.
