Board restores gifted resource teachers, expands identification plan for 2025–26

A staff member presenting the district’s updated local plan for gifted education told the Henry County Public Schools Board of Education on May 20 that the 2025–26 plan restores gifted resource-teacher positions and expands the program’s identification categories.

The presenter said the biggest change in the new plan is the addition of three gifted resource-teacher positions; two elementary positions for the Bassett and Magna Vista zones had already been approved and the board approved the middle-school gifted resource-teacher recommendation during the same meeting. The plan will focus initially on services for grades 3–8, with a review after the first semester to adjust schedules and protocols. The district intends to meet July 8 to map first-semester implementation and share scheduling and protocol details at the administrative retreat.

The updated plan adds visual and performing arts to the district’s identification categories. The presenter said the district is considering a change to the initial second-grade screener and quoted the transcript: "We are considering a change in our initial identification screener. So every year, we screen all second graders, and that starts the identification process for our students. We've been using CogAT, and we are looking at perhaps changing to an AT4. I believe we're up to an AT4 in the Naglieri test." The presenter said more input from the newly restored gifted resource teachers and the revived gifted advisory committee will guide those decisions.

The plan also notes use of ParentSquare for family communications and a process for accepting identified students who transfer into the district. The presenter said parents may request exit from gifted services and that identified students who are not opted-out "do stay identified gifted for the remainder of their high school careers." The board approved the local gifted plan and related personnel recommendations unanimously.

Ending: Implementation steps include July planning meetings, principal-level scheduling in the first semester and ongoing evaluation and revision of the plan in subsequent summers.