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Gifted program reports screening expansion, new nonverbal assessment pilot
Summary
MCPS gifted program screened thousands of K–8 students and piloted the Naglieri General Abilities Test to reduce language bias; administrators reported referral and identification counts and outlined delivery and professional learning steps.
Helen Photinos, MCPS administrator for gifted programs, gave the board the annual gifted department report, explaining screening procedures, referral windows, identification totals and pilot assessments.
Photinos said the division performs universal K–8 screening (MAP plus teacher Hope Scale screens and referrals) and detailed the multi‑step committee review process that follows. She told the board: "We screened over 6,000 students. 108 students were referred for additional testing. 89 of those students were found to be eligible for gifted services; 13 were placed on monitor status because more data were needed." She also referenced a district enrollment figure used in the presentation (9,270 students) and reported about 1,141 flagged gifted IDs in the dataset shown.
On assessments, Photinos described piloting the Naglieri General Abilities Test (a nonverbal test with verbal, quantitative and nonverbal sections that uses picture‑based directions) to expand equitable access for multilingual and diverse learners. "It's completely word free...so every student, no matter what language they speak, can access that assessment," she said.
Photinos outlined service delivery, professional learning for secondary ELA teachers, expansion of a second‑grade Discovery pilot (122 students), family onboarding and outreach events, and plans to analyze the pilot assessment data over the summer.
The board asked for additional breakdowns (identification status by referral category, 504 status cross‑tabulation and building‑level percentages). Photinos agreed to provide requested data for follow‑up.
Why it matters: Changes to identification methods and expanded screening can affect which students receive gifted services, resource allocation and equity outcomes across schools. The board requested specific follow‑up metrics to validate progress and address disparities across buildings.
