The following information is taken directly from Chapter 16 22 Pa. Code § 16.21/General and 16.22. Gifted multidisciplinary evaluation: 

§ 16.21. General.

• (d)  Each school district shall establish procedures to determine whether a student is mentally gifted. This term includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher or when multiple criteria as set forth in this chapter and in Department Guidelines indicate gifted ability. Determination of gifted ability will not be based on IQ score alone. Deficits in memory or processing speed, as indicated by testing, cannot be the sole basis upon which a student is determined to be ineligible for gifted special education. A person with an IQ score lower than 130 may be admitted to gifted programs when other educational criteria in the profile of the person strongly indicate gifted ability. Determination of mentally gifted must include an assessment by a certified school psychologist.
• (e)  Multiple criteria indicating gifted ability include:
  •  (1)  A year or more above grade achievement level for the normal age group in one or more subjects as measured by Nationally normed and validated achievement tests able to accurately reflect gifted performance. Subject results shall yield academic instruction levels in all academic subject areas.
  •  (2)  An observed or measured rate of acquisition/retention of new academic content or skills that reflect gifted ability.
  • (3)  Demonstrated achievement, performance or expertise in one or more academic areas as evidenced by excellence of products, portfolio or research, as well as criterion-referenced team judgment.
  • (4)  Early and measured use of high level thinking skills, academic creativity, leadership skills, intense academic interest areas, communications skills, foreign language aptitude or technology expertise.
  • (5)  Documented, observed, validated or assessed evidence that intervening factors such as English as a second language, disabilities defined in 34 CFR 300.8 (relating to child with a disability), gender or race bias, or socio/cultural deprivation are masking gifted abilities.

§16.22. Gifted multidisciplinary evaluation.

•  (a)  Prior to conducting an initial gifted multidisciplinary evaluation, the school district shall comply with the notice and consent requirements under § §  16.61 and 16.62 (relating to notice; and consent).
• (b)  Referral for gifted multidisciplinary evaluation shall be made when the student is suspected by teachers or parents of being gifted and not receiving an appropriate education under Chapter 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment) and one or more of the following apply:
  • (1)  A request for evaluation has been made by the student’s parents under subsection (c).
  • (2)  The student is thought to be gifted because the school district’s screening of the student indicates high potential consistent with the definition of mentally gifted or a performance level which exceeds that of other students in the regular classroom.
  • (3)  A hearing officer or judicial decision orders a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation,
• (c)  Parents who suspect that their child is gifted may request a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation of their child at any time, with a limit of one request per school term. The request must be in writing. The school district shall make the permission to evaluate form readily available for that purpose. If a request is made orally to any professional employee or administrator of the school district, that individual shall provide a copy of the permission to evaluate form to the parents within 10 calendar days of the oral request.
• (d)  Multidisciplinary evaluations shall be conducted by GMDTs. The GMDT shall be formed on the basis of the student’s needs and shall be comprised of the student’s parents, a certified school psychologist, persons familiar with the student’s educational experience and performance, one or more of the student’s current teachers, persons trained in the appropriate evaluation techniques and, when possible, persons familiar with the student’s cultural background. A single member of the GMDT may meet two or more of the qualifications specified in this subsection.
• (e)  Gifted multidisciplinary evaluations must be sufficient in scope and depth to investigate information relevant to the student’s suspected giftedness, including academic functioning, learning strengths and educational needs.
• (f)  The multidisciplinary evaluation process must include information from the parents or others who interact with the student on a regular basis, and may include information from the student if appropriate.
• (g)  The following protection-in-evaluation measures shall be considered when performing an evaluation of students suspected of being gifted:
  • (1)  No one test or type of test may be used as the sole criterion for determining that a student is or is not gifted.
  • (2)  Intelligence tests yielding an IQ score may not be used as the only measure of aptitude for students of limited English proficiency, or for students of racial-, linguistic- or ethnic-minority background.
  • (3)  Tests and similar evaluation materials used in the determination of giftedness shall be:
    •  (i)   Selected and administered in a manner that is free from racial and cultural bias and bias based on disability.
    • (ii)   Selected and administered so that the test results accurately reflect the student’s aptitude, achievement level or whatever other factor the test purports to measure.
    • (iii)   Professionally validated for the specific purpose for which they are used.
    • (iv)   Administered by certified school psychologists under instructions provided by the producer of the tests and sound professional practice.
    • (v)   Selected and administered to assess specific areas of educational need and ability and not merely a single general IQ.
• (h)  The GMDT shall prepare a written report that brings together the information and findings from the evaluation or reevaluation concerning the student’s educational needs and strengths. The report must make recommendations as to whether the student is gifted and in need of specially designed instruction, indicate the basis for those recommendations, include recommendations for the student’s programming and indicate the names and positions of the members of the GMDT.
• (i)  The GMDT shall determine eligibility as defined in § §  16.1 and 16.21 (relating to definitions; and general).
• (j)  The initial evaluation shall be completed and a copy of the evaluation report presented to the parents no later than 60 calendar days after the agency receives written parental consent for evaluation or receives an order of a court or hearing officer to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation, except that the calendar days from the day after the last day of the spring school term up to and including the day before the first day of the subsequent fall school term may not be counted.

A student can be referred for an evaluation to determine their eligibility and their need for gifted support programming either by parents or by representatives from the school district. If parents request an evaluation, this must be presented to the school district in writing. Parent requests for a gifted evaluation can be directed to their child’s building-based principal and/or gifted supervising administrator. 

When a Permission to Evaluate is signed/approved by a parent, a 60 calendar day evaluation process begins on the date the district receives the signed documents. Formal evaluation timelines do not apply during the summer months. 

During a 60-day calendar day timeline, a certified school psychologist will be assigned by the school district to conduct direct assessments, collect data from multiple sources, and help to integrate findings to align with each district’s set of procedures for determining eligibility for gifted support services.  The Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team will need to follow the regulations detailed in Chapter 16, listed above. 

The formal gifted evaluation will include a cognitive (IQ) test to be completed by a certified school psychologist. If a student’s IQ score (or General Ability Index score) falls under a 130, each district should have established standards to determine eligibility when other multiple criteria strongly indicate a mentally gifted profile.  In addition to a formal cognitive assessment, a gifted evaluation should also include standardized achievement testing, parent/teacher input, documentation of a student’s rates of acquisition and retention of new learning, and performance data (such as evidence of classwork, grades, curriculum based measures). It would be optimal to include teacher input to demonstrate if the student has previously shown a need for additional forms of enrichment or acceleration in their classroom setting. 

During the course of a formal gifted evaluation timeline, the evaluation team needs to determine both the student’s eligibility and need for specially designed instruction. If there are documented interfering or “masking” factors for a student, this should be documented in the Gifted Written Report (GWR), the document that will contain all relevant evaluation data and eligibility recommendations.  

At the end of the evaluation process, the school district should complete the Gifted Written Report within 60 calendar days (not to include summer days) which may lead to the development of a Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP). Should a student not qualify for a GIEP, a designated staff member will issue on behalf of the school district a Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA) when the report is sent home. Evaluation feedback should be offered to parents regardless if a student qualifies or does not meet the full criteria for specially designed instruction.