Gifted Atlanta

In the 2024-25 school year, DeKalb County School District changed how it identifies students who should be tested for gifted eligibility, and as a result, more Black and Hispanic students qualified for gifted evaluation.

According to a story published in Rough Draft Atlanta, DeKalb had previously used once-a-year MAP testing as its sole tool to identify students who should be tested for academic giftedness. In 2024-25, the MAP qualifying score was lowered, and another academic factor was also brought into consideration. (From my review of DeKalb’s website, I think it was the ITBS.) This resulted in more students qualifying to take the CogAT assessment to determine their eligibilty for gifted services.

I want to point out that this new development in DCSS absolutely should not be seen as any indictment of their previous screening protocols. In fact, DeKalb County has been following what would be considered best practices in this area for many years. While some school systems require a teacher recommendation for a student to receive gifted evaluation, DeKalb has long based its screening on standardized test scores, removing teacher subjectivity as a factor that could cause inequity. Also, some school systems consider students for gifted evaluation only at particular grade levels, but DeKalb reviews MAP test scores every single school year to find students who should be evaluated for giftedness. DeKalb’s gifted education leadership has long taken pride in doing what it could to identify as many gifted students as possible.