Gifted Education
Program Overview
Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year and North Schuylkill’s Gifted Education webpage, where Spartan pride shines through in our Gifted Education Program. This year, we are ready to Turn It Up by challenging students, developing their individual strengths, and providing opportunities that inspire curiosity, creativity, and academic growth.
Aligned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Chapter 16 guidelines, our program is designed to meet the diverse academic and intellectual needs of our gifted students. Using a comprehensive approach to identification, we employ multiple criteria to ensure a thorough assessment of each student’s abilities. Through an enriched and differentiated curriculum, we foster critical thinking, cultivate problem-solving skills, and ignite creativity, empowering our Spartans to excel both academically and personally.
The Gifted Education Program offered by the North Schuylkill School District tailors educational opportunities to the distinct needs, abilities, and interests of identified students requiring gifted education services. Using various criteria, our professional staff identifies gifted students in elementary and secondary school settings. We enhance the curriculum through acceleration and enrichment to nurture these abilities. Our objective is to challenge gifted students with educational programs that align with their academic and intellectual talents.
Identification Process
The North Schuylkill School District utilizes a universal screening process using school benchmark data. Grade-level data meetings are held monthly to review student data and analyze students’ strengths. This data review helps determine which students may need enrichment within the curriculum and a gifted screening.
The benchmark assessments reviewed at North Schuylkill include DIBELS/Amplify for reading, Spring Math, IXL diagnostic benchmarks, curriculum-based assessments, average grades, PSSA scores, PVAAS projections, Pennsylvania Firefly benchmark assessments, and Keystone Exam results. Students may be referred for a gifted screening when benchmark data is consistently above benchmark or when they perform above the 90th percentile compared to same-aged peers.
Additionally, the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), a group-administered screener, is administered to all Grade 2 students during the spring semester. If a student scores above or near 125 on the OLSAT, the student may be recommended for a gifted screening.
When a gifted screening is recommended, parents are notified. A school psychologist and gifted support teacher gather input from teachers and review available student data. The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition Revised (KBIT-2R), is also administered to provide a quick estimate of general intelligence based on the measurement of verbal and nonverbal abilities. The screening also includes AIMSweb benchmarks for mathematics and reading, teacher input, and the identification of any potential masking traits.
When a student meets the screening criteria, the student will be referred for a full Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE) conducted by a district school psychologist. Parents may also request an evaluation at any time.
Service Delivery
Students in grades K–12 receive appropriate levels of differentiation in the general education classroom. Students receiving gifted support will work through the general program with opportunities for subject acceleration, individual or small group enrichment (or a combination of both), and curriculum compacting as needed. The enrichment portion is based on the student’s individual areas of strength.
There is a small portion of the elementary gifted program that is a pull-out/check-in framework. In the upper elementary and middle school levels, the options for enrichment and acceleration are both pull-out and subject-centered acceleration. In some cases, gifted students may be served through grade level promotion. In middle and high school, acceleration and enrichment is accomplished through a combination of course selection, meeting with the gifted instructor, dual enrollment in college courses, and/or a gifted annual goal that is career focused.
We invite parents to connect with our gifted teacher or administrators at any time to initiate a screening or evaluation for their child.
Gifted Documents
Gifted Education Resources
Pennsylvania Resources
- Gifted Education — Pennsylvania Department of Education (opens in new window)
- Chapter 16 Regulations (opens in new window)
- Gifted Education Frequently Asked Questions (opens in new window)
National & University Resources
- Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University (opens in new window)
- Davidson Institute (opens in new window)
- Duke University Talent Identification Program (opens in new window)
- Hoagies Gifted Education (opens in new window)
- National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) (opens in new window)
- Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) (opens in new window)
- Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) (opens in new window)
- Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) (opens in new window)
- Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development (opens in new window)
- Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) (opens in new window)