HISD trustees are considering changes to policies on retesting gifted students.

HISD students identified as gifted in elementary school no longer would risk losing the coveted status in sixth grade, under a proposed policy change meant to improve academic equity in the majority-minority district.

The proposal, set for a school board vote Thursday, is the first step in Superintendent Terry Grier’s push to make the gifted programs more consistent across campuses and more racially representative of the Houston Independent School District.

Grier noted in his State of the Schools speech in February that the district’s black, Hispanic and lowincome children were far less likely to be identified as gifted than their white, Asian and wealthier classmates.

‘Egregious’ racial gaps

Under the proposed change, the district would stop retesting fifth-graders already identified as gifted — no longer ousting them from the gifted program if they do not re-qualify. The district, however, will continue to test the other fifthgraders to see if they meet the gifted criteria.

“Our position would be, once you’re identified as gifted and talented, you’re gifted and talented for as long as you’re in HISD,” Andrew Houlihan, the district’s chief academic officer, told the board Monday.

According to district data, black and Hispanic students are dropped from the gifted program in middle school at much higher rates than their white and Asian peers.

Overall, of the 3,527 gifted fifth-graders in the 201314 school year, about 1,200 — or one-third — were out for sixth grade. More than 40 percent of the black and Hispanic fifth-graders previously identified as gifted were dropped from the program last school year, compared with 12 percent of the white students and 7 percent of Asians.

HISD’s racial gaps drew criticism earlier this year from Donna Ford, a Vanderbilt University education professor who studied the district’s data and policies at the request of Grier’s administration.

In May, during a presentation to the school board, Ford said the district has some “egregious” inequities that could draw the attention of the federal civilrights office. She urged the district to end the retesting, saying students do not stop being gifted.

A coveted status

HISD tests all kindergarten students to determine their gifted status, rather than screening only referred children, as some districts do. That universal testing will continue, as will the screening HISD offers before kindergarten.

In HISD, gifted status is particularly significant because students who achieve it can apply to popular Vanguard magnet schools, which serve gifted students and receive extra funding from the district. Gifted students who stay in their neighborhood schools are supposed to receive a specialized education as well.

HISD officials also are working to revise the qualification criteria for the gifted program. Houlihan said he hopes to present a proposal in spring 2016 that could be used to screen students who would start kindergarten in fall 2017.

The district now uses a weighted matrix that includes standardized test scores, grades and recommendations from teachers or parents. Students get extra points if they are low-income, have limited English skills or qualify for special-education. Those who are both low-income and black or Hispanic also get added points.

Evaluating criteria

The proposed policy trustees will consider Thursday would require campuses to develop a “gifted education plan” for each gifted student. It must describe how the student’s education would be differentiated and the resources to carry out the plan.

The proposal adds that leadership, the arts and creativity are important instruction areas for gifted students. Houlihan noted the district’s current qualification matrix does not include those areas, suggesting they could be considered as part of the new entrance criteria.

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