All kindergarteners are guided by the gifted resource teacher through enrichment lessons several times throughout the school year. These lessons focus on talent development, building critical and creative thinking skills. A major goal of the lessons is to find and support potential and talent within our students.  Using district created portfolios, lessons, rating scales, and observations, students are identified as showing potential. This small group of identified kindergarteners will continue with the S.T.A.R. program in grades 1 and 2.

In grades one and two, STAR identified students are placed in a designated cluster at each grade. Such clusters will serve identified students per grade through daily instructional opportunities. This service option allows teachers to differentiate and accelerate instruction for these students (as intellectual peers) in their core class strength areas. Additionally, these students will engage in pullout enrichment lessons guided by the gifted resource teacher. These lessons focus on building potential through the development of critical and creative thinking skills. At the end of the 2^nd grade year, the gifted resource teacher gathers evidence to decide whether or not a student should be referred for the division's GT program.

MCPS recognizes that all students might not have been captured in the kindergarten year, as well as the fact that there may be new students to the district.  As a proactive responsive action, the gifted resource teacher also continues to provide general education enrichment lessons throughout the school year.  A major goal of the lessons is to find and support potential and talent within our students.  Using district created portfolios, lessons, rating scales, and observations, students are identified as showing potential. Additionally, as another proactive measure to find potential talent, all 2^nd graders and new to division English language learners take the NNAT3 screener exam. The NNAT3 is a nonverbal aptitude test that has been constructed to avoid bias against historically excluded student groups. It is currently viewed as one of the best and most fair tests to screen for GT programming. All students who score at the 90^th percentile or above will be referred for GT programming. 

In grades 3 and 4, all identified students are placed in a designated cluster at each grade. Such clusters will serve identified students per grade through daily instructional opportunities. This service option allows teachers to differentiate and accelerate instruction for these students (as intellectual peers) in their core class strength areas.

Identified elementary students may also participate in a pull‐out session directly with the gifted resource teacher and intellectual peers weekly or biweekly.  The gifted resource teacher works with students through interdisciplinary project-based learning, further developing critical, creative, and research skills. 

An alternative service option that students may participate in is GIEPs.  Gifted individualized education plans will be implemented for all elementary students that do not participate in the pullout sessions.