The Mooresville Graded School District offers various levels of advanced instruction to meet the individual academic needs of our students. Teachers differentiate instruction beginning in our elementary classrooms and continue through high school. In our school system, students are formally identified at the end of third grade. Students are served in AIG Math and/or AIG Reading in grades 4 - 5 in our intermediate schools. Our middle schools offer Honors classes using a blended model for both AIG and non-AIG students. At Mooresville High School, students have the flexibility to enroll in courses such as Honors, AP, and Career & College Promise, as well as courses offered through NC Virtual Public Schools.
Vision: To become a flexible and inclusive student-centered program that develops the potential of gifted students representative of the total student population.
Mission: To effectively and comprehensively address the interests and develop the potential and skills of every AIG child, every day, so that each student reaches his or her fullest potential.
To learn more about the Mooresville Graded School District's Academically and Intellectually Gifted program, see our AIG Flyer or download and read our 2022 - 2025 AIG Plan below.
For current AIG news and activities within our K-5 schools, visit AIG Specialist Amy Smith's website.
Academically and intellectually gifted students are provided a free appropriate public education. This means that differentiated services are provided for the academically and intellectually gifted student (1) at no expense to the parent, (2) according to guidelines of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the district’s Academically and Intellectually Gifted Program, and (3) according to the student’s Differentiated Education Plan (DEP).
Referral: When any person believes that a child is academically or intellectually gifted and may need differentiated educational services, that person should inform school personnel in writing of the reason(s) for referring the child and complete the appropriate student checklist. The referral should include information about the student’s characteristics and strengths that require differentiated services. A student must be enrolled in public school, and the referral should be given to the student’s teacher or a school administer.
Screening and Evaluation: After a child has been referred and in order to determine his/her need for differentiated services in the academically and intellectually gifted program, a screening process must be followed:
If the parent/guardian does not agree with the system’s decision concerning eligibility, he/she has the right to obtain and submit results of an independent educational and/or intellectual evaluation. This evaluation must be given by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the education agency responsible for the student’s education. Measures of intellectual aptitude and achievement are two of the criteria used in determining eligibility, and additional measures do not necessarily guarantee placement in the academically gifted program, although those results are considered. The school system is not responsible for paying for independent evaluations to determine student eligibility. The parent/guardian has the right to ask to meet with the school-site team to review the committee decision.
For students identified as academically and intellectually gifted, a differentiated education plan or program (DEP) is written. Such a plan will include student strengths and the options considered by the school-site team as appropriate to the student’s educational needs.
Placement is the end result of referral, evaluation, consideration of all criteria involved in giftedness, and the development of the DEP. The school system must ensure that placement is based on multiple indicators of giftedness and that options chosen are based on the needs of the student.
If a parent/guardian disagrees with any decision(s) of the school-site committee regarding referral, identification, or services, the following procedure will be followed:
The classroom teacher is vital to instruction for young children and provides appropriate differentiated instruction to meet their diverse academic, intellectual, social, and emotional needs. MGSD utilizes multiple measures to identify potentially gifted students in Kindergarten through second grade. We offer flexible ability groups during core instruction and/or enrichment pull-out activities to facilitate differentiation. Additionally, we provide regular opportunities for project-based, inquiry-based, and/or problem-based learning differentiated to challenge all students.
For information on early entry into kindergarten, please see Is Early Kindergarten Admission Appropriate for YOUR Child?
A student who qualifies for the AIG Program continues to be eligible for services in that program for the entire time s/he remains in the Mooresville Graded School District. If a student leaves MGSD and returns at a later date, they should contact Amy Smith (K-5) or Maureen Fitzsimmons (6-12) upon their return in order to ensure a continuity of services.
Students transferring into MGSD who were previously placed in a gifted/talented program elsewhere may be screened and placed into MGSD AIG services if at the time of placement in the other school district the test scores used for placement show that the student would have been eligible for MGSD AIG Program services. Once the criteria are met that the student would have been eligible for MGSD AIG services under current procedures, the student may be placed and served in the MGSD program with no additional testing required. If the student's scores from the previous district do not qualify him/her for placement in the MGSD AIG program, the student may be screened to collect additional data.