Question 1

What is Ohio's Plan for K-12 Gifted Education (2026)?

Accepted Answer

On November 3, 2026, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) released Ohio's Plan for K-12 Gifted Education, the state's first-ever statewide strategic plan for gifted and high-ability learners. Developed with Ohio's Gifted Advisory Council, it is a non-regulatory framework that sits alongside Ohio Revised Code 3324 and Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15 (revised effective July 1, 2025). The plan is organized around four statewide strategies: (1) Improve Gifted Identification Practices; (2) Provide Highly Effective Student Supports and Services within an integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS); (3) Expand Professional Learning for Educators and Administrators; and (4) Increase Meaningful Engagement of Families and Caregivers. Renzulli Learning's platform maps to all four strategies, and the Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) is on ODEW's 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification.

Question 2

Is the Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) approved by Ohio for gifted identification?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Renzulli Learning Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) is on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments, marked for Gifted Student Identification. Under ORC 3324.02, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce constructs the approved list and school districts are required to select instruments from this list for inclusion in their district policies and plans for identifying students who are gifted. The list distinguishes between assessments approved for prescreening only and those approved for identification — the CTC is approved in the higher-tier identification category. The CTC is a validated, scored, computer-administered creative thinking assessment measuring fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration, with non-verbal/figural design that supports equitable identification across diverse populations. The CTC is one of a limited number of school-administered creative thinking assessments on Ohio's approved list, addressing what has historically been Ohio's most underutilized of the four identification categories. Districts adopting the CTC into their gifted identification plans should consult ORC 3324.03 and OAC 3301-51-15 for the full Creative Thinking Ability identification procedure, which combines a qualifying creative thinking assessment score with a qualifying intelligence test component.

Question 3

What are Ohio's four gifted identification categories under ORC 3324?

Accepted Answer

Ohio identifies gifted students in four categories under ORC 3324.03: (1) Superior Cognitive Ability — two or more standard deviations above the mean on an approved individual standardized intelligence test administered by a licensed school or clinical psychologist; (2) Specific Academic Ability — at or above the 95th percentile nationally on an approved standardized achievement test in math, reading/language arts, writing, science, or social studies (a student may be identified in multiple fields); (3) Creative Thinking Ability — exceptional creative thinking measured through approved creative thinking assessments (or checklists of creative behaviors) combined with a qualifying intelligence test component; and (4) Visual or Performing Arts — superior demonstrated ability in visual arts, music, dance, or drama as evaluated by approved instruments or audition-based performance, combined with a checklist of artistic behaviors. Once identified, a student remains identified permanently and the identification carries from one Ohio school district to another when a student transfers.

Question 4

What must an Ohio Written Education Plan (WEP) include?

Accepted Answer

Under OAC 3301-51-15, a Written Education Plan (WEP) must be developed in collaboration with an educator holding gifted licensure or endorsement. The WEP must include: measurable academic goals aligned to Ohio Learning Standards, a description of gifted services to be provided, how services meet the student's documented strengths and needs, the date the WEP will be annually reviewed, and policies on missed assignments during pull-out services. Parents receive a copy and districts must make a reasonable attempt to obtain parent signature annually. Students cannot be denied services for lack of a parent signature. The district must provide periodic progress reports to parents on WEP goal attainment. The WEP is the operational connection between identification (under ORC 3324.03) and services (under OAC 3301-51-15) — it documents what services the district will provide, how those services match the student's identified strengths, and how progress will be measured against Ohio Learning Standards.

Question 5

What is Ohio's "once identified, always identified" rule?

Accepted Answer

Once a student is formally identified as gifted in Ohio, they remain identified permanently. Gifted identification carries from one Ohio school district to another when a student transfers — all public districts must honor a student's gifted identification from another Ohio district. The rule applies regardless of subsequent testing or classroom performance: identification is not contingent on continued performance evidence. However, identification does not guarantee services. Ohio districts are required to identify gifted students but are not required to serve all identified students. Any identified student not receiving services must receive a formal 'no services letter' from the district. This identification-services gap is one of the most significant compliance and equity issues in Ohio gifted education — in 2025-2026, 234,665 students were identified as gifted and 73% were reported as receiving gifted services (up from 44% in 2015-2016), with underrepresentation of specific student groups remaining the state's central equity concern.

Question 6

What whole-grade screening does Ohio require?

Accepted Answer

Under OAC 3301-51-15 (revised effective July 1, 2025), Ohio districts must conduct whole-grade-band screening at least once in grades K-2 and at least once in grades 3-6 using state-approved screening instruments. The revised 2025 standards strengthened equity provisions, requiring that screening processes give increased consideration to minorities, economically disadvantaged students, English Learners, and students with disabilities. The purpose is to ensure all students have an opportunity to be identified regardless of teacher referral. Whole-grade screening is structurally important because it prevents systematic under-identification of students whose families don't know to request screening or whose teachers may not nominate them. Districts must use assessments approved for full identification (not prescreening-only) when meeting the whole-grade screening requirement — a distinction that affects which Ohio-approved assessments districts may select for screening cycles.

Question 7

How does Renzulli Learning's CTC support Ohio's Creative Thinking Ability category?

Accepted Answer

The Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) is on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification. The CTC measures the four classical creative domains — fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration — through a computer-administered, scored protocol that takes under an hour. The CTC is non-verbal/figural in design and culture-independent, making it particularly valuable for Ohio's equity-focused 2025 standards revisions that strengthen consideration for minorities, economically disadvantaged students, English Learners, and students with disabilities. Operationally, the CTC produces a scored identification report districts can include in a student's gifted identification file. Under Ohio's Creative Thinking Ability identification framework (ORC 3324.03 and the Department's gifted identification guidance), the qualifying creative thinking score is combined with a qualifying intelligence test component to complete the identification — the CTC provides the creative thinking component of that combined process.

Question 8

How many students are identified as gifted in Ohio?

Accepted Answer

In the 2025-2026 school year, 234,665 K-12 students were identified as gifted in Ohio's traditional public schools — approximately 17% of the public school population — according to Ohio's Plan for K-12 Gifted Education (ODEW, November 2026). The share of identified students receiving gifted services has risen to 73%, up from 44% in 2015-2016. Ohio's remaining equity challenge is underrepresentation: students with disabilities (2.8% identified), English learners (1.4%), Black students (5.7%), and Hispanic students (8.1%) are identified well below the statewide rate, and urban districts identify 8.9% of students versus 25.2% in suburban districts. Service gaps are also concentrated among students with disabilities (56% of identified served) and English learners (42.3% served). Every school district in Ohio educates students who are identified as gifted, given that identification carries across districts and is permanent under Ohio's 'once identified, always identified' rule.

Question 9

How does Renzulli Learning support Ohio WEP documentation and differentiated services?

Accepted Answer

Renzulli Learning supports Ohio WEPs at multiple points. The Renzulli Profiler generates the student strengths profile required by WEP — documenting how services are matched to documented strengths under OAC 3301-51-15. The Personal Success Plan (PSP) tracks measurable goal progress aligned to Ohio Learning Standards and generates the periodic parent reports OAC 3301-51-15 requires. The Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC), on Ohio's 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification, provides a validated creative thinking assessment for Ohio's Creative Thinking Ability identification category. The 40,000+ activity enrichment database delivers differentiated instruction that differs from the standard curriculum in depth, breadth, complexity, pace, and/or above-grade-level content — meeting OAC 3301-51-15's precise definition of gifted services. The Executive Function Assessment supports identification of twice-exceptional students whose disability may suppress conventional performance, particularly relevant under the 2025 standards' strengthened equity provisions.

Ohio Statewide Strategy	How Renzulli Learning Helps
Strategy 1 Improve Identification Fair, research-aligned identification and universal screening that reduces underrepresentation	The Renzulli Profiler is a K-12 strengths- and interest-based universal screener. The Ohio-approved CTC adds a non-verbal, language-independent creativity measure, and the Critical Thinking, Executive Function, and Leadership assessments supply the multiple-criteria evidence the plan calls for.
Strategy 2 Effective Supports & Services A continuum of services and talent development within an integrated MTSS	Sits in Tier 1 as universal talent development, Tier 2 as Profiler-matched enrichment, and Tier 3 as Type III PBL. The Enrichment Database adds 40,000+ standards-aligned activities, and the Total Talent Portfolio supports the Written Education Plan.
Strategy 3 Professional Learning Sustained, job-embedded gifted professional learning	Job-embedded learning on strength-based identification, the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, and Type III PBL, delivered through existing time and resources and co-deliverable with Educational Service Centers for regional cost-sharing.
Strategy 4 Family Engagement Families as partners in WEP development and two-way communication	The Student Project Showcase gives families concrete artifacts of student work, and the Total Talent Portfolio gives a strengths-based view that supports family partnership in WEP development.

Ohio Gifted Education, Handled: Equitable Identification, Compliance, and Programming

Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC)

Three Priorities, One Platform

Equitable Identification

Compliance & Documentation

Programming & Services

Serving Identified Students Changes Outcomes

The Cebeci Test of Creativity Is Ohio-Approved for Gifted Identification

Renzulli Learning, LLC — Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC)

How Renzulli Learning Supports Each of Ohio’s Four Strategies

Ohio Gifted Education: Common Questions

Ohio Gifted Education Resources

Custom District Alignments

Adopt the Ohio-Approved CTC and Operationalize WEPs at Scale

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