FAQ

The STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry is a new and exciting program housed exclusively at Landry Elementary School designed to serve CFB’s Academic Creative Education (ACE) Gifted and Talented (GT) students.  STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.   It will offer the unique opportunity for ACE identified students to learn with their academic peers in homogeneously grouped classes with enriched curriculum (not grade accelerated) in the four content areas: Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. It is offered in grades 1 through 5.  This program allows students to take advantage of the enriched Imagine Fine Arts combined with extensions in technology and engineering.

Updates will be available at www.cfbgiftedacademy.com.

At this time, the school is under construction getting ready for the 2020-2021 school year. The STEAM Gifted Academy will open its doors beginning in August of 2020 as part of the grand opening of a newly renovated campus.  Stay tuned for parent information evening dates. Check the website for upcoming events www.cfbgiftedacademy.com.

ACE students are served on each campus in a cluster grouping model. Cluster grouping is where ACE students are in a general education class and the teacher differentiates through small group instruction with their academic peers.  ACE students in K, 1st, and 2nd are served across all content areas.  ACE

students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are served in the academic area(s) of their strength (ELA or Math). ACE students, who were previously identified GT in Kindergarten and 1st grade, are reviewed in 2nd grade to determine if their achievement is high in Language Arts, Math, or both. This review determines the content area(s) in which they will continue to be served. Those students who are newly ACE identified in 2nd grade and above are automatically placed in ACE as GT in Language Arts, Math, or both depending on their achievement and ability assessments.  All ACE students who are identified for either ELA, math or both are eligible for the STEAM Gifted Academy.

Homogeneous grouping means that ACE students will be taught in the content classroom with only other ACE identified students. This is an ACE academic grouping model unique to the STEAM Gifted Academy.  STEAM students will interact with all grade level peers in Fine Arts, Physical Education, and after school programming.

Both models are similar in that they are self-contained classrooms; however, the LEAP program, CFB’s Leading Exceptional Academic Producers GT program, is for highly gifted students demonstrating achievement and ability at two grade levels above in all subject areas. This program is housed at McCoy Elementary and at Perry Middle School. This is another unique CFB program for gifted students who qualify by meeting additional criteria beyond ACE.

The STEAM Gifted Academy will be for first through fifth grades. Kindergarten is not part of the design of the program.

Class size in first through fourth grades are typically 22 students. Fifth grade may expand to additional students according to state guidelines.

Just like ACE students at their home campuses, the STEAM Gifted Academy will follow the district grade level curriculum and state TEKS. Students will also take state tests on grade level.  The difference will be the pacing and additional extensions that the Academy teachers will do to differentiate student learning. Each academic content will offer enrichment to the academic program with the goal of increased student engagement to meet the advanced academic needs of our ACE students.  Planned extensions for math will include lessons from Contexts for Learning Math; science/technology/engineering will include problem-based learning by using LEGO learning units; social studies will learn through hands-on experiences with Geography Labs; and English Language Arts will conduct additional research with Texas Performance Standards Projects.  Academy students will also participate in the Imagine Fine Arts Academy at Landry.

Landry is one of the Imagine Fine Arts Academies in CFBISD.  Students learn and grow through art, music, theater, and dance in a rotation schedule. This additional exposure to the fine arts further enhances the STEAM Gifted Academy experience for GT students.  Auditions for ensembles are open for all of Landry students.

No. The STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry classes will be in English.  World Language is not part of the curriculum design.

Students inside and outside CFB boundaries are welcome to apply.  Eligibility requirements are detailed below.

Application & Testing Timeline

Current CFB GT students can apply after they have been tested and identified by March 1st, 2020 for the ACE GT program.  CFB ACE students are eligible to enter the lottery without any additional testing.  CFB attending students who are GT identified after March 1st, 2020 are not eligible to apply for the STEAM Gifted Academy for the 2020-2021 school year, but can apply for the following year.

Even though the Application Window for CFB students to request GT testing is September 9, 2019–March 6, 2020, please be advised that if parents wish their non-ACE identified child to be screened for GT services, they need to request an academic review from their campus counselor by Tuesday, January 7, 2020.  This is necessary in order to meet the GT identification deadline of March 1st for the academy lottery.  The GT identification process begins with academic achievement screening using MAP scores in both ELA and Math.  A consistent MAP score of 85% or above in either content area along with strong classroom performance is the guideline needed to indicate gifted eligibility for further testing and consideration.  A parent request for GT academic screening does not automatically result in GT testing.  For students who meet the achievement screening, further testing will be needed. A holistic review of tested students ensures that a preponderance of academic evidence of giftedness is needed to be GT identified.

Yes. These students are considered New-to-CFB students.  Students who live inside and outside CFB district boundaries can apply to the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry even if they do not currently attend a CFB campus.  However, the application window is shorter: Tuesday, January 7 – Tuesday, February 18, 2020. Following the application, you will be contacted to bring your child to CFB’s ESDC Administration Building in order to have your child screened, tested, and possibly identified as a CFBISD ACE GT student by March 6th. Students attending non-CFB schools need to apply and be screened and tested with CFB to determine if their child’s academic needs indicate that a GT identification is appropriate.  All non-CFB students are required to meet the same eligibility requirements and be identified as a CFB ACE GT student before they can be entered into the lottery. If your child is not identified for the CFB ACE GT program, your child will not be entered into the lottery. However, please consider applying to Imagine Fine Arts at Landry or another Stellar program within CFB, www.cfbstellar.com.

Non-CFB students are able to apply for the STEAM Gifted Academy beginning Tuesday, January 7th through February 18th at www.cfbstellar.com. After the application is completed, your child will be academically reviewed for eligibility for GT testing. You will be contacted regarding the earliest testing window (see below). An application does not automatically include your child in the STEAM Gifted Academy Lottery. Your child needs to be tested and identified GT through CFB in order to be eligible for the lottery.

Student must attend two consecutive Fridays for testing:

• January 10th and January 17th
• January 24th and January 31st
• February 7th and February 14th

Or                            

• February 21st and February 28th
  Parents must be prepared to have their child attend both consecutive Friday testing dates as no other dates or times are available, nor is there any opportunity for make-up sessions.

Testing Location:
Educational Services Division Complex–Building A
1820 Pearl St
Carrollton, TX 75006

Testing Registration Begins: 8:30 am

Testing:

• 9:00 am to 12 noon (Please allow 3 hours for each testing session. Parents may wait in our lobby area or be available within 10 minutes after testing is completed)
• Parents are required to bring a copy of their child’s birth certificate and provide a driver’s license on the day of testing
• We recommend that students be well-rested and have had breakfast prior to arriving
• Parents may bring a small snack/water bottle to share with their child during a brief testing break

The GT identification process begins with academic achievement screening using MAP historical scores or Iowa scores in both ELA and Math. If you have current (within one year) scores from your child’s current school, please bring a copy to your first Friday testing. If your child’s achievement scores are at 85% or above in either Math or ELA your child will be eligible for further ability testing. If you do not have current achievement scores from your child’s school that meet the criteria, your child will be taking an academic achievement assessment. In addition, every student will write two timed writing samples on the first Friday of testing.

After the first Friday of testing, your child’s scores will be evaluated by the Advanced Academic staff. If your child meets CFB district eligibility for further GT testing, you will be contacted to attend a second Friday testing for an ability test.   If your child does not meet CFB district GT eligibility after the first Friday assessments, no further testing will be needed.  Both achievement and ability testing will determine your child’s eligibility for the ACE GT program.

The first step in the selection process is to apply online to the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry.  Please see the link www.cfbstellar.com. ACE GT students in the Landry attendance zone and are identified GT by March 1st, are  eligible to apply for the Academy.  ACE GT students currently attending Landry or who reside in the Landry attendance zone do not enter the lottery, but are automatically accepted into the academy.

All CFB ACE GT students identified by March 1st and all non-CFB students who are eligible, (screened, tested, and identified GT by March 6th) who apply to the academy, will be considered applicants and selected via a lottery system for the STEAM Gifted Academy.  All names will be drawn out of the pool to fill seats for each grade level.  Once the class seats for each grade level are filled, the remaining names will continue to be drawn by lottery in order to be placed on a waitlist.  Should seats become available in a particular grade level, students on the waitlist will be notified in their lottery order. A student’s waitlist number will remain in effect for a school year.  Once students are selected by lottery to attend the STEAM Gifted Academy, parents will be required to sign and submit a commitment letter by April 17, 2020. If a parent does not sign and submit a commitment letter or chooses not to have their child attend the STEAM Gifted Academy by April 17, 2020, the waitlist will be activated. The first round of waitlist parents will be notified by April 20, 2020 and have until May 4, 2020 to sign and submit a commitment letter.  Remaining waitlist applicants will be notified as space becomes available.

Landry attendance zone ACE GT students are eligible, but also need to apply to the STEAM Gifted Academy to reserve their seat by the March 20, 2020 deadline.  Landry attendance zone ACE parents will also need to sign and submit the commitment letter, by April 17, 2020.  Current enrolled and Landry attendance zone ACE GT students will not be entered into the lottery, but will be automatically accepted into the Academy.  Students currently attending Landry who are identified as GT in kindergarten will be served through cluster grouping and will have priority for first grade seats in the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry in the subsequent year.

The Application for the STEAM Gifted Academy Window opens Tuesday, January 7, 2020. For CFB GT identified students, the window closes on March 20, 2020.  For non-CFB students, the window also opens on Tuesday, January 7th but closes February 18, 2020 to allow for screening, and identification for GT in CFB.

The lottery will be held on March 31, 2020 at Landry at 6:00pm.  Students chosen up to classroom capacity through the lottery will have their parents receive a commitment letter via Email. The commitment letter will need to be signed and returned by April 17, 2020.

Parents will be notified of their status via email within 3 days following the lottery: whether their child was accepted into the academy or is on the waitlist and what their grade level waitlist number is.

The commitment letter is the parent letter that confirms your child’s acceptance and parents pledge that their child will enroll at Landry Elementary and attend the STEAM Gifted Academy. This letter will be sent via email and will need to be signed and returned by April 17, 2020, according to the instructions in the email, in order to secure a seat for your child in the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry. If the commitment letter is not received by April 17, 2020, your child’s seat will be released to the next student on the grade level waitlist.

Parents who do not enroll by the deadline or whose child does not attend Landry Elementary on the first day of school may lose their academy seat. Your student must attend the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry on the first day of school.  If your child is absent on the first day of school, their spot will be opened to the next student on the grade level waitlist except in the case of absence due to the child’s verified illness or injury.

Each student is considered separately, but siblings will receive special consideration.

Yes, ACE GT eligible students may apply for the STEAM Gifted Academy each year.

When a student has been selected to attend the STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry, they will remain as part of the program there unless academic concerns deem the placement inappropriate. Returning students who participate in the STEAM Gifted Academy will be required to sign a yearly commitment letter, but will not need to enter the lottery each year.

Students can leave the STEAM Gifted Academy and return to their home campus as an ACE GT student at the end of the school year.  Should that occur, your child will forfeit their seat at the Academy.  If they want to attend the academy again, they will have to reapply through the lottery in a subsequent year.

STEAM Gifted Academy students will be homogeneously grouped at their choice of Middle School by enrollment in Interdisciplinary Seminar (IDS) as their English Language Arts (Reading and Writing) and Social Studies classes. These two classes are offered only to ACE identified students from across the district at all Middle Schools. Math and Science offerings for GT students include either Pre-AP courses or cluster grouping for academic differentiation.

Yes, after grade 5, parents are able to apply for an In-district transfer through the Student Services Department in order to attend a Middle School outside of their feeder pattern.

STEAM Gifted Academy students and Landry students will team up in Specials classes (Fine Arts and PE) and after school programs. They will also participate in all school wide assemblies, performances, or activities like field day. Landry Elementary is a CFB Fine Arts Imagine Academy. This programming expands student experiences in dance, theatre, choir, and art.  STEAM Gifted Academy students will be able to take advantage of these Stellar offerings in addition to their academic classes.

All STEAM Gifted Academy parents are highly encouraged to join the Landry Elementary PTA and will be welcomed at the campus for volunteer opportunities.

The dress code at Landry is Standardized Dress for all students: tops—red, white, or blue; bottoms—khaki or navy blue; shoes—closed-toe; and jeans on Friday with spirit shirt or uniform shirt. Information about Standardized Dress can be accessed on the campus website: www.cfbgiftedacademy.com.

All Academy teachers will be GT trained in CFBISD with 30 hours of professional development in GT education which follows TAC §89.2.  These 30 hours include 6 hours of professional development in: Nature and Needs of the Gifted Learner, Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students, Differentiating Curriculum for the Gifted Learner, Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students in CFB, and Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted Learner or Engaging Students with Depth/Complexity. These courses are approved and endorsed by the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented. In addition, all STEAM Gifted Academy teachers are required to have 6 update hours of GT professional development each year.

The application process, lottery, and enrollment timeline for the STEAM Gifted Academy will happen before the final assignment of all teachers for the 2020-21 school year.  Parents will be notified of STEAM Gifted Academy events that include a Meet the Teacher evening and campus welcome before the first day of school.

STEAM Gifted Academy at Landry students are able to participate in our district GT SAGE summer camp learning experiences available to all GT students throughout the district.

Once your student is attending Landry, this is their home campus and where they are able to enroll in CFB’s ATB (After the Bell) program.

If you live outside of Landry attendance zone, busing will not be offered.

MaryAnn Condie
AAS Specialist
condiem@cfbisd.edu
972-968-4376

Dr. Kathryn Schaeffer
Executive Director
schaefferk@cfbisd.edu
972-968-4368