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1. Referral forms are made available to all teachers, parents, and students. (See counselor, ALPHA teacher, or this site for the Referral Form, Teacher Observation Form, etc.). 

MISD does not offer assessment services to the general public, only registered McKinney ISD students.

2. Teacher Observation Forms are distributed and returned to ALPHA teacher or Counselor.

3. All referred students are tested in their primary language or using nonverbal tests.

4. All available information is placed on the Student Profile Matrix. The Student Profile Matrix acts as a table of contents for the portfolio and allows the District Placement Committee to view data results as a whole.

5. District Placement Committees (elementary and secondary) meet to review referrals and make decisions on each. Members include administrators, counselor, GT Specialists, and/or ALPHA classroom teachers. All members meet the requirement for state GT (Gifted and Talented) certification.

6. The District Placement Committees adopt a holistic review process to student data, evaluating both quantitative testing data and qualitative data gathered from parents and teachers. Students with at least 2 scores in the 97th percentile are considered for automatic placement for gifted and talented services.

7. If the District Placement Committee deems further assessment is necessary, the District Gifted Coordinator will gather that information.

8. Parents are notified of committee decisions through the US Postal Service.

Appeals will be handled in a manner consistent with MISD’s Student and Parent Complaints policy-FNG (Local).

Furlough Information

In McKinney ISD, students may take a furlough from the Gifted and Talented program for up to one calendar year. A furlough gives your child a break from GT services while still keeping their GT identification. Students may use one furlough during elementary school and one during secondary school. If GT services are not resumed within the year, the student’s GT status will end. Please reach out to Trey Wright (hwright@mckinneyisd.net) for furlough and/or exit procedures.