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Tri‑Creek presents high‑ability program results; staff flags possible tightening of identification cutoff
Summary
Tammy reported on Tri‑Creek’s state‑required high‑ability identification plan, saying about 1,000 students were tested this spring and that 17–27% of cohorts qualified in various grades; staff recommended reviewing the 95th‑percentile cutoff because they may be over‑identifying students.
Tammy presented the district’s high‑ability identification process and spring results, describing the three required components: an aptitude (ability) test, multiple achievement measures (NWEA and iLearn/checkpoints) and a teacher qualitative scale (Scales for Identifying Gifted Students).
Tammy said the district administered assessments to roughly 1,000 students across the tested cohorts (kindergarten, grade two, grade four and grade five). She reported the counts of students who qualified this year as: kindergarten 42; grade 2 45; grade 4 56; grade 5 69. Tammy also explained categories for qualification (English‑only, math‑only and general intellectual for both domains) and noted that some students were already qualified and so did not receive new qualifications this cycle.
Staff described the thresholds the district uses: performance at the 95th percentile on achievement measures (two of three administrations for NWEA or iLearn checkpoints) or a qualifying teacher qualitative scale score. Tammy signaled concern about possible over‑identification, noting the district’s identification percentages by cohort ranged from about 17% (kindergarten) to 27% (fifth grade), and asked the board to consider whether to raise the identification cutoff (for example, from the 95th to the 96th percentile) in the coming year.
The presentation emphasized that identification supports scheduling, differentiated instruction, targeted programming, teacher training and state accountability reporting. Staff said they will keep families informed and that notices were sent to families the prior Friday.
