Polk County Public Schools, Parents
There are three basic steps to be followed in identifying students for gifted services.
The Gifted Education Classes are designed around research, best practices, Sunshine State Standards and students’ academic and affective needs. Gifted Education classes focus upon each child’s strengths, interests, abilities and other special needs. An Education Plan (EP) is written upon initial placement into the program for each student. Polk County’s Gifted Education Programming provides a continuum of services dependent upon the student and school site needs. Gifted Education services options may include:
There are several positive and constructive ways to be involved with gifted education:
New students previously enrolled in another Florida county are eligible for placement as soon as their participation can be confirmed through a request of records. Documentation of eligibility may be made via a call to the prior school (notation of which is placed in the student’s files). Parents should contact the child’s previous school to request the student’s gifted records are forwarded to the new school. The school site and the parent work towards this effort.
If a student is new to Polk County, and has moved from another state, the student is placed temporarily into the gifted program at the new school following verification of placement in the out-of-state gifted program; a phone conversation will suffice followed by written documentation from the previous school. Evaluation of the criteria used in the initial out-of-state gifted services takes place. If the criteria for gifted services differ from Florida’s criteria the student will follow referral for Polk County Schools’ Gifted Program; policy and procedures, within six months to determine if the student is eligible for gifted services in Florida. If out-of-state criteria for gifted services are comparable to Florida’s gifted services then the child is placed into the school’s gifted program using the regular procedures.