If your child has been receiving services in a gifted and talented program in another district or state, our department will personally review your child's information. Because no one system or process can encompass all the exceptions and unforeseen problems, transfer students will be treated with the same fairness and consideration as other students. The first consideration and primary guideline for dealing with transfer students is to ensure that procedures being used are in compliance with the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students and district policies. Transfer students are afforded all the necessary information that all students within the campus have available.

The following is identification and placement information for participation in the Austin ISD GT program:

1. Contact the school where your child is assigned or eligible to attend.

2. Ask for an appointment with the principal or the GT Advocate at the school. Bring your child's records (report cards, admission to gifted program or special programs, etc.).

3. GT screening information from the sending district needs to be sent to the Department of Advanced Academic Services for review to determine if any of the screening instruments can be used as parallel measures to those used in Austin ISD.

4. The GT Advocate on the campus will be advised by the Department of Advanced Academic Services as to whether sufficient data exists for direct placement, whether additional data needs to be collected prior to placement, or whether the student needs to be nominated for the next available screening. The latter situation may occur when a student has qualified for a gifted program in another state or in an area other than general or academic giftedness.

5. The campus GT Advocate will share recommendations with the Selection and Placement Committee.

6. The local campus Selection and Placement Committee will consider recommendations and decide if your child should be provisionally placed in the program immediately, if additional information needs to be collected, or if placement should be postponed until the student has gone through the Austin ISD identification process.

Should you have further questions, please call the Department of Advanced Academic Services at 512-414-9986.