Gifted and Talented Services

Jennifer Holliday
Director of Fine Arts, Gifted and Talented, and Grants

500 N. Academy Street
Kingstree, SC 29556
843-355-5571 ext. 6112

The mission of gifted education in Williamsburg County School District is to ensure children are not only challenged, but also valued for their unique abilities. We strive to provide gifted students with a wide range of opportunities to support their academic, artistic, social, and emotional development.

Serving students in grades three through twelve, programs, classes, and services are designed to maximize their potential. All students placed in GT services must have met the state criteria to be identified.

All second grade students are screened through census testing (CogAT and IOWA) that will take place in Fall. Only those second grade students who have met the eligibility requirements will be notified by the district.

Academic or Artistic Referral - Administrators, parents, teachers, and students may refer students for screening for gifted services.

Academic Screening Dimensions for Identification

Students who meet the criteria in two of the three dimensions are eligible for placement.

•     Dimension A: Reasoning Abilities
      Reasoning abilities are those higher-level cognitive processes that reflect general aptitude for thought- strategies such as inferring, analyzing, and problem solving. Students must demonstrate 93rd or above national age percentile in one or more of the following areas: verbal/linguistic, quantitative/mathematical, nonverbal, and/or composite score.
•     Dimension B: High Achievement in Reading and/or Mathematics
      The term achievement refers to academic performance in the areas of reading and/or mathematics. Students must demonstrate high achievement in at least one of these areas as measured by nationally normed achievement tests or by South Carolina statewide assessment instruments. The term high achievement is defined as the 94th percentile or above.
•     Dimension C: Intellectual/Academic Performance
      Intellectual/academic performance is defined as the student’s demonstration of a high degree of interest in and commitment to intellectual pursuits. The acceptable measure for placement in grades one through six are the verbal and nonverbal assessments of the South Carolina Performance Task Assessments.
  

    For students entering grades six through twelve, Dimension C may also be met using grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a standard 4.0 scale in the academic content areas of English, Math, Science and Social Studies.

Artistic Screening for Identification

Students must participate in Interview/Questionnaire, Demonstration/Audition, and Portfolio Review. Student must meet the eligibility score in each division for identification.