Based on the Demographics Chart presented in Week 1, it is not surprising to find that since 2002 Plan B students in Florida, under Florida Administrative Code 6A-6.03019, have been defined as students who are English Language Learners (ELL) or are from low socioeconomic status (SES) families. Florida’s Plan B added provisions for The Department of Education to approve plans developed by individual school districts to increase the participation of students from underrepresented groups in gifted programs.
There are differences in the approach that districts have taken. We will look at Broward County Public Schools’ Plan B as one example of the efforts being made to increase representation of low SES and ELL students in programs. You are encouraged to compare the Plan B from your district to Broward’s.
Broward’s Plan B
Low SES is defined as any student who is eligible for free/reduced lunch. The ELL classifications that are eligible under Plan B are:
- LY—K-12 grade ELL students enrolled in classes specifically designed for ELL students
- LN—K-12 grade ELL students not enrolled in classes specifically designed for ELL students
- LP—4-12 grade ELL students whom the reading/writing test is pending
- LF—K-12 grade former ELL student who exited the program within the last two years (this is considered the two-year monitoring phase)
The following are the steps in the referral process of a Plan B student:
- A student may be referred for screening by a teacher, administrator, or parent.
- If the student scores a 113 or above on the screening instrument, the student is referred to psychological services for a full evaluation and IQ test. If the student scores less than 113 on the screening instrument, the student is no longer considered a candidate for further testing and the parents are notified by phone, letter, or conference. [For ELL students, a score on the Matrices section of the KBIT2, or a score on another nonverbal instrument (e.g., NNAT may be used.]
- The student is then given an intellectual functioning test. This provides a balance between objective and subjective measures of the student's potential. Test selection will depend on the age of the student, the language or cultural background of the student, and the professional judgment of the school psychologist. Nonverbal cognitive tests are viable alternatives to use when assessing ELL students. The minimum standard score for consideration of eligibility on the GEM (Gifted Eligibility Matrix) is 115.
- The GEM is filled out. The GEM is made up of four parts—intellectual functioning, academic achievement, gifted characteristics, and environmental indicators. Each one has a rating of 1-4 depending on the student's scores.
- Intellectual Functioning—this is where the student's IQ score is entered
- Academic Achievement—this is where the student's standardized test scores are entered
- Gifted Characteristics—this is where the student's scores on the Gifted Indicators Checklist
are entered. (This checklist is given to the general education teacher to fill out.) - Environmental Indicators—The student will receive one point for each of the following: speaks any language(s) other than English, student is from an underrepresented group, student meets criteria on the Underrepresented Student Traits Indicators Checklist, and the student meets criteria on the Resiliency Indicators Checklist.
- An eligibility staffing is held to determine eligibility. The student must meet all of the following criteria:
- score a minimum of a 116 on an individual intelligence test
- be a member of the underrepresented populations
- score a minimum score of 10 on the GEM
- have a need for the program.
This was just a summary of Broward County's Plan B. It is recommended that you download the Plan B document to see the plan in its entirety. The complete Plan includes all of the nomination forms, the Gifted Eligibility Matrix, the Environmental Indicators Checklists and a flowchart summarizing the identification process.