Advanced Academics

Forsyth County Schools is committed to meeting the unique learning needs of gifted-identified students by providing specialized educational experiences that challenge and engage them. 

• FCS Continuation & Make-up Work Guidelines 

• FCS Acceleration Procedures and Guidelines 

• Georgia DOE Gifted Website (including GA BOE Gifted Education Rule) 

• Georgia Association for Gifted Children 

• National Association for Gifted Children 

• International Baccalaureate Program (SFHS) 

• STEM Academy (FCHS) 

Referral and Eligibility Process 

A student may be referred for consideration for gifted education services by Reported Referrals by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or guardians, peers, self, and other individuals with knowledge of the student’s abilities or Automatic Referrals through the district’s universal screening process.  Forsyth County Schools accepts referrals for all students in grades 1-12 for Fall and Spring gifted eligibility consideration. Kindergarten students may be referred only in the Spring of their Kindergarten year for placement in 1st grade.  Spring referrals for kindergarten students allow teachers the opportunity to get to know their students and give these younger students the time needed to adapt to school prior to being assessed. 

Reported Referrals:

Referrals made by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or guardians, peers, self, or other individuals do not guarantee gifted eligibility testing.  Referrals are sent to the Gifted Eligibility Team (GET) for review and potential approval for testing. Parent referral forms should be requested from their school’s gifted coordinator. 

Automatic Referrals: 

A student may be referred for further assessment to determine eligibility for gifted services if he/she scored at specified levels on a norm-referenced test as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.  Per GaDOE, the LBOE shall establish criteria for automatic consideration for further eligibility assessment: Forsyth County Schools has established the following criteria for the 2025-2026 school year:

iReady (K-8): All elementary and middle students will be administered the iReady Diagnostic in Reading and Math during three district-determined universal screening windows.  

• Students with a 90% or higher national percentile rank in Reading and/or Math will be automatically referred to the next available GET meeting for gifted testing.   
• Students with a 85 - 89% national percentile rank in Reading and/or Math may be automatically referred to the next available GET meeting based on each school’s equitable process.   
• Students with scores less than 85% national percentile rank in Reading and Math require a reported referral to the GET to be considered.  

Gifted Eligibility Team (GET): 

A Gifted Eligibility Team (GET), composed of at minimum an administrator, a gifted teacher, and a general education teacher, is established in each school. Forsyth County Schools has established a decision-making process that allows professional staff members to consider all information collected during the student search stage of the nomination process and determine whether it is appropriate to proceed with a formal referral and further evaluation.  

Gifted Eligibility Teams can accept referrals at any time during the school year. However, Forsyth County Schools has established two main testing windows for the 2025-26 school year (some students may require additional testing beyond these windows):

• Fall Testing: September 2 - 12 (grades 1-8)  

• Spring Testing: March 2 - March 12 (grades K-8)  

Referrals to the Gifted Eligibility Team result in one of the following decisions: 

• Additional evaluation is not needed. Continue with current educational programming. 

• Formal evaluation is recommended. Request parent consent for testing. 

• More information is needed. Assign an appropriate staff member to gather additional assessment, anecdotal, and/or performance data. 

Notification and Consent: 

Parents must be informed of the GET’s decision in writing. The school shall obtain written consent for testing from parents or guardians of students who are being considered for referral for gifted education services. The school shall obtain written consent from parents or guardians before providing gifted education services to students determined to be eligible for services.  

Eligibility: 

The Forsyth County Board of Education has adopted eligibility criteria (shown below) that are consistent with the state rule as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.  

1. To be eligible for gifted education services, a student must either score at the 99th percentile (for grades K-2) or the 96th percentile (for grades 3-12) on the composite or full-scale score of a norm-referenced test of mental ability and meet one of the achievement criteria (Option A), or  
2. qualify through a multiple-criteria assessment process by meeting the criteria in any three of the following four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation (Option B).  
3. To be eligible for gifted education services (Option B), a student must meet the qualifying score on at least one nationally norm-referenced test and must have qualified in two other categories by an approved assessment. Information shall be collected in each of the four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation. 
4. Test scores used to establish eligibility shall have been administered within the past two calendar years.  
5. Any data used in one area to establish a student’s eligibility shall not be used in any other data category. 
6. Data shall be used for eligibility in the four areas (Mental Ability, Achievement, Creativity, and Motivation) according to FCS Eligibility Criteria and in accordance with the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services. 

Reciprocity: 

Any student who meets the initial eligibility criteria in this rule for gifted education services in another Georgia district shall be considered eligible to receive gifted education services in Forsyth County. As described in the section on Reciprocity in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services, a student transferring from one school to another within the state shall meet the criteria for continuation of gifted services established by the Forsyth County Board of Education. There is no mandated reciprocity between states unless the student is a dependent of military personnel as provided in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2140 et. seq.  

Outside Test Data: 

Any assessments approved by the GaDOE may be considered for gifted eligibility if the following applies: less than 2 years old and administered by a certified school-based educator or a school-based psychologist.  Assessments administered by a private-practice psychologist can be considered as part of the body of evidence but cannot be a reported score in any of the 4 criteria areas for determining gifted eligibility. Likewise, assessments administered by a private-practice psychologist can be considered as part of the body of evidence for purposes of whole grade and/or content acceleration but cannot be a reported score used for final whole grade and/or content acceleration determination.  

Score Validity Period: 

Gifted eligibility scores are valid and applicable for two full years after administration.  Students with valid scores will not be re-tested prior to the end of the validity period.