Lakeville Area Schools provides a range of service options for gifted learners at the elementary level. These include direct instruction for identified gifted learners in grades three – five through either Discover or Ignite! Students may also qualify for grade or subject acceleration. The gifted education specialist at each building coordinates the identification process for Discover, Ignite! and acceleration. 

Identification for Elementary Gifted Programs

Lakeville Area Schools uses an integrated identification process to identify students for gifted services. The Discover program is intended for gifted learners scoring at the 97th percentile or higher in ability and the 95th percentile or higher in reading achievement. The Ignite! program is intended for highly gifted students scoring at the 99th percentile or higher in ability and achievement.

• View the to see how a student becomes eligible for Discover or Ignite!
• View the to see the identification process, timeline and key dates.

Selection Process

The selection process for Discover and Ignite! is done by the District Selection Committee. The selection committee consists of a team of at least two gifted specialists and the elementary gifted coordinator. The Gifted Education Specialist compiles the needed data on students in the talent pool for review by the District Selection Committee. The District Selection Committee reviews all students in the talent pool and determines which students meet criteria for identification for the Discover program and the Ignite! highly gifted program. The committee may also determine if there is a need for additional testing.

Lakeville Area Schools utilizes both national and local norms for the identification of 3rd and 4th grade Discover students. Please see more information below:

National norms are the scores and percentiles that you see when your child takes the FastBridge assessment and/or the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). National norms are helpful in understanding where a student is performing compared to students across the country.

Local norms can take many different forms. Instead of giving us information about how a child is performing compared to other students nationally, local norms give us an understanding of how a child is performing compared to other students in a school district or school building.

Enrichment and Differentiation

At each elementary school, the gifted education specialist serves as a resource for classroom teachers. This support can include co-planning, co-teaching, and other collaboration. Classroom teachers provide differentiated instruction that supports a variety of learning needs.

Acceleration Opportunities

Lakeville Area Schools recognizes the need for academically gifted students to receive accelerated instruction. Acceleration is generally defined as moving students through the traditional curriculum at rates faster than the typical student experiences. The goal of acceleration is to match the level and complexity of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the learner. The following acceleration options are available to qualifying elementary age students: early entrance, grade acceleration and math subject acceleration.  Students qualify for acceleration based on district guidelines. Please see our Acceleration Opportunities page for more information.

For more information, please contact the gifted education specialist at your child’s school or:

Dr. Angela Boyer
Elementary Teaching & Learning Coordinator
Angela.Boyer@isd194.org