Title-1
Title-2
Title-2
Title-3
Title-4
Ohio Update 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. Renzulli Learning, LLC is included on the official ODE&W list, marked in the “Gifted Student: Identification” column \u2014 the higher-tier approval category authorizing use for gifted identification (not prescreening only). Districts can now adopt the CTC as part of their ORC 3324.03 identification plans for the Creative Thinking Ability category. View the official ODE&W approved assessments page · Download the 2026-2027 list (XLSX).
Gifted & Talented Education · Ohio
Ohio Gifted Education: ORC 3324, OAC 3301-51-15 (Effective July 1, 2025), Whole-Grade Screening, Written Education Plans, the Identification-Services Gap, and the Cebeci Test of Creativity Now on Ohio’s 2026-2027 Approved Assessment List for Gifted Student Identification
Ohio’s framework rests on Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3324 (identification requirements) and Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15 (operating standards), revised effective July 1, 2025 with strengthened equity protections. Districts identify gifted students K-12 across four categories (Superior Cognitive, Specific Academic, Creative Thinking, Visual/Performing Arts), conduct whole-grade screening at least once in K-2 and once in grades 3-6, develop Written Education Plans (WEPs) for served students, and maintain approved acceleration policies. Renzulli Learning’s Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) is now on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification.
CTC Approved
on Ohio’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification (ODE&W)
4 Categories
ORC 3324: Superior Cognitive, Specific Academic, Creative Thinking, Visual/Performing Arts
226,364
Ohio K-12 students identified as gifted (2022-23) \u2014 ~15% of public school students
July 2025
revised OAC 3301-51-15 operating standards effective \u2014 strengthened equity provisions
CTC on the Ohio approved list
The Cebeci Test of Creativity Is Now on Ohio’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification
Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce \u2014 List of Approved Assessments · 2026-2027 List (XLSX)
Under ORC 3324.02, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce constructs a list of assessments approved for gifted identification, and Ohio 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 Department’s list distinguishes between two categories: assessments approved for prescreening only (which cannot be used for identification or to meet whole-grade screening requirements), and assessments approved for gifted identification (the higher-tier authority).
Renzulli Learning, LLC \u2014 Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC)
Listed on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments with the “Gifted Student: Identification” column marked \u2014 the higher-tier approval category authorizing use for gifted identification, not prescreening only. The CTC measures the four classical creative domains (fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration) through a computer-administered, scored protocol that takes under an hour. Non-verbal/figural design supports equitable identification across diverse populations consistent with the 2025 OAC 3301-51-15 equity provisions.
What this means operationally for Ohio districts. Districts may now adopt the CTC into their gifted identification plans for Ohio’s Creative Thinking Ability category \u2014 historically the most underutilized of Ohio’s four identification categories because few districts had a school-administered, validated, scored creative thinking instrument that produced a ready-to-file identification report. Under ORC 3324.03 and ODE&W identification guidance, the qualifying creative thinking score is combined with a qualifying intelligence test component to complete Creative Thinking Ability identification. The CTC provides the creative thinking component of that combined process \u2014 with output structured for inclusion in a student’s gifted identification file. Approval status reflects inclusion on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments; Renzulli Learning is using ODE&W’s public approved-assessments documentation in alignment communications to Ohio districts.
Ohio law
What Ohio’s ORC 3324 and OAC 3301-51-15 Require
Ohio’s gifted education framework is governed by Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3324 (identification requirements) and Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15 (operating standards), which was significantly revised effective July 1, 2025 with strengthened protections for minorities, economically disadvantaged students, English Learners, and students with disabilities.
Every Ohio school district must identify gifted students in grades K-12 using instruments from the state’s approved list. Districts must conduct whole-grade-band screening at least once in grades K-2 and once in grades 3-6. Once identified, a student remains identified permanently \u2014 Ohio’s “once identified, always identified” rule applies across districts. A Written Education Plan (WEP) is required for any identified student who receives services, and must be developed in collaboration with an educator holding gifted licensure or endorsement. Districts must also maintain an approved acceleration policy with Written Acceleration Plans (WAPs) for students who accelerate.
Critical distinction for Ohio coordinators. Ohio districts are required to identify gifted students but are not required to provide gifted services to all identified students. Districts determine which services they offer. Any identified student not receiving services must be issued a formal “no services letter.” This identification-services gap is one of the most important compliance issues in Ohio gifted education \u2014 in 2022-23, 226,364 students were identified as gifted but only 147,143 (65%) were reported as receiving gifted services.
Four identification categories
Ohio’s Four Gifted Identification Categories Under ORC 3324.03
Under ORC 3324.03, Ohio identifies gifted students in four categories using state-approved assessments:
Category 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 SD above mean
Category 2
Specific Academic Ability
High performance on an approved standardized achievement test in math, reading/language arts, writing, science, or social studies. A student may be identified in multiple fields.
≥95th percentile nationally
Category 3
Creative Thinking Ability
Exceptional creative thinking measured by approved creative thinking assessments combined with a qualifying intelligence test component. The Renzulli Learning CTC is now on Ohio’s 2026-2027 approved assessments list for gifted identification.
CTC \u2014 ODE&W approved 2026-2027
Category 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.
Approved instruments + checklist
Real challenges
What Ohio Gifted Coordinators Struggle With
These are the challenges we consistently hear from Ohio educators:
WEP management at scale
With 147,000+ students receiving services, each requiring an annually updated WEP developed with a gifted-endorsed educator, documentation is a significant burden for coordinators managing large caseloads across multiple buildings.
The identification-services gap
35% of Ohio’s identified gifted students are not receiving services. Managing “no services letters,” communicating with families, and justifying resource allocation is a complex ongoing compliance task with real equity implications.
Creative Thinking identification
Creative Thinking Ability is one of Ohio’s four identification categories, but historically most districts lacked a validated, school-administered creative thinking assessment that produced a ready-to-file identification report. The CTC’s addition to Ohio’s 2026-2027 approved list directly addresses this gap.
Equity in screening
The revised 2025 standards require whole-grade screening with strengthened equity protections for minorities, economically disadvantaged students, English Learners, and students with disabilities. Coordinators need tools that surface gifted potential in students from underrepresented groups.
Platform tools mapped to Ohio's framework
What Renzulli Learning Provides: Mapped to Ohio Requirements
Each tool maps to a specific Ohio requirement and produces a concrete, exportable output:
Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) — ODE&W-Approved for Ohio Gifted Student Identification (2026-2027): A validated, scored creative thinking assessment producing a ready-to-file identification report in under an hour. On Ohio’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification. Directly addresses Ohio’s Creative Thinking Ability category \u2014 providing the school-administered, scored creative thinking component that combines with a qualifying intelligence test score to complete identification under ORC 3324.03. Non-verbal/figural design supports equitable identification under the 2025 OAC equity provisions.
Renzulli Profiler — WEP Strengths Documentation: A 20-30 minute interest and learning style inventory available in 20+ languages through the Global Profiler. Generates a scored student profile documenting strengths and interests \u2014 directly satisfying the WEP requirement that services be matched to the student’s documented strengths and educational needs under OAC 3301-51-15. Multilingual access supports the 2025 standards’ strengthened English Learner equity provisions.
Personal Success Plan (PSP) — WEP Goal Tracking and Periodic Parent Reports: A student-driven goal and progress tracker that maps directly onto WEP goal structures. Generates exportable progress reports for the periodic parent reporting requirement under OAC 3301-51-15, and tracks annual WEP review documentation \u2014 reducing the per-student documentation burden on AIG-endorsed educators.
Executive Function Assessment (EFA) — Twice-Exceptional Identification Support: Measures self-regulation, planning, working memory, and metacognition \u2014 especially valuable for surfacing creative thinking and visual/performing arts ability in students whose strengths are not captured by cognitive or achievement tests, and for supporting whole-grade screening equity goals under the 2025 OAC standards.
Enrichment Database — OAC 3301-51-15 Differentiated Services: Over 40,000 curated activities matched to student Profiler results. Provides the differentiated instruction required by OAC 3301-51-15 \u2014 services that differ from the standard curriculum in depth, breadth, complexity, pace, and/or above-grade-level content \u2014 deployable by any gifted-endorsed educator in minutes. Particularly valuable for closing Ohio’s identification-services gap by giving districts a practical pathway to begin serving identified students.
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Tools — SEM-Based WEP Service Documentation: Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM)-based investigations that produce student work products as evidence of advanced programming \u2014 supporting WEP documentation of differentiated services and progress toward measurable academic goals aligned to Ohio Learning Standards.
Leadership Assessment — Whole-Grade Screening Evidence Beyond Cognitive Measures: Identifies leadership and psychosocial strengths \u2014 broadening the evidence base for whole-grade screening and enrichment planning, particularly for students from underrepresented groups who may not surface through cognitive or achievement measures alone.
Side-by-side alignment
How Renzulli Learning Aligns with Ohio’s Statutory and Regulatory Framework
ORC Chapter 3324 OAC 3301-51-15 (eff. July 1, 2025) 2026-2027 Approved Assessments WEP framework| Ohio Requirement | Renzulli Learning Contribution |
|---|---|
| ORC 3324 Identification K-12 State-approved assessments across four categories; once identified, always identified | The CTC is on Ohio’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments for Gifted Student Identification \u2014 providing a school-administered creative thinking assessment for the Creative Thinking Ability category. Renzulli complements (does not replace) district-administered cognitive and achievement assessments for Superior Cognitive Ability and Specific Academic Ability identification. |
| OAC 3301-51-15 Whole-Grade Screening At least once in K-2 and once in grades 3-6 using approved instruments; equity protections for underrepresented groups | The Renzulli Profiler and Executive Function Assessment support follow-up identification planning for newly screened students, surfacing strengths that cognitive screenings may miss in students from underrepresented groups under the 2025 strengthened equity provisions. |
| OAC 3301-51-15 Written Education Plan (WEP) Required for every served student; measurable goals aligned to Ohio Learning Standards, service description, match to student strengths | The Renzulli Profiler generates the student strengths documentation required by WEP. The PSP tracks measurable goal progress and generates periodic progress reports for parents. Enrichment activity logs document services provided across the WEP cycle. |
| OAC 3301-51-15 Differentiated Gifted Services Instruction differentiated in depth, breadth, complexity, pace, and/or above-grade-level content; occurs during the typical instructional day | The enrichment database and SEM-based PBL tools provide 40,000+ interest-matched activities and investigations differentiated above grade level \u2014 meeting OAC 3301-51-15’s precise definition of gifted services and providing a practical pathway to close the identification-services gap. |
| ORC 3324 Acceleration Policy & WAP Districts must maintain an approved acceleration policy; Written Acceleration Plans required when students accelerate | Renzulli’s PBL tools and PSP support documentation of student readiness for acceleration decisions and track progress after placement, complementing district acceleration teams and WAP implementation. |
| OAC 3301-51-15 No Services Letter Districts must notify families of identified students not receiving services | Renzulli Learning’s enrichment database provides a practical pathway to begin serving identified students \u2014 even when full gifted pull-out programs are unavailable \u2014 reducing the number of students who require “no services letters.” |
From Ohio educators
What Implementation Looks Like in Ohio Districts
“Ohio requires us to identify in Creative Thinking Ability, but for years we never had a practical tool for it \u2014 nothing we could administer at school and put in an identification file with confidence about its standing on the state approved list. The CTC’s addition to Ohio’s 2026-2027 approved list for Gifted Student Identification changes that. A scored, standardized report in under an hour that our coordinator can use with any grade level, with the ODE&W approval status that gives us confidence including it in our identification plans.”Gifted Coordinator · Northeast Ohio school district
Closing the identification-services gap Ohio’s 35% gap between identification and services is a real compliance and equity concern. Renzulli’s enrichment database gives coordinators a practical way to begin serving identified students \u2014 even in districts without a full pull-out program \u2014 reducing the families who receive no services letters and supporting the differentiated instruction OAC 3301-51-15 requires.
Supporting the 2025 updated standards The revised OAC 3301-51-15 (effective July 1, 2025) strengthens equity requirements for screening and identification. Renzulli’s interest-based and creativity-focused tools \u2014 including the Ohio-approved CTC \u2014 help coordinators surface gifted potential in underrepresented students who may not be referred through traditional cognitive or achievement routes.
Frequently asked questions
Ohio Gifted Education: Common Questions
Questions Ohio gifted coordinators, classroom teachers, and parents ask most often:
Is the Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) approved by Ohio for gifted identification?
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 \u2014 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. It 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.
What are Ohio’s four gifted identification categories under ORC 3324?
Ohio identifies gifted students in four categories under ORC 3324.03: (1) Superior Cognitive Ability \u2014 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 \u2014 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 \u2014 exceptional creative thinking measured through approved creative thinking assessments combined with a qualifying intelligence test component; and (4) Visual or Performing Arts \u2014 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.
What must an Ohio Written Education Plan (WEP) include?
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) \u2014 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.
What is Ohio’s “once identified, always identified” rule?
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 \u2014 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 \u2014 in 2022-23, 226,364 students were identified as gifted but only 147,143 (65%) were reported as receiving gifted services.
What whole-grade screening does Ohio require?
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 \u2014 a distinction that affects which Ohio-approved assessments districts may select for screening cycles.
How does Renzulli Learning’s CTC support Ohio’s Creative Thinking Ability category?
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 \u2014 fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration \u2014 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 \u2014 the CTC provides the creative thinking component of that combined process.
How many students are identified as gifted in Ohio?
In the 2022-2023 school year, 226,364 K-12 students were identified as gifted in Ohio’s public schools \u2014 approximately 15% of all public school students. Of those, 147,143 students (65% of identified students, or 9.8% of all public school students) were reported as receiving gifted services. Ohio’s identification-services gap \u2014 35% of identified students not receiving services \u2014 is one of the most significant compliance and equity challenges in Ohio gifted education. 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. The substantial identified population creates corresponding documentation, WEP development, and annual review requirements that districts must operationalize at scale.
How does Renzulli Learning support Ohio WEP documentation and differentiated services?
Renzulli Learning supports Ohio WEPs at multiple points. The Renzulli Profiler generates the student strengths profile required by WEP \u2014 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 \u2014 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.
Official sources
Ohio Gifted Education Resources
All compliance decisions should reference these primary Ohio Department of Education and Workforce sources. Renzulli Learning is designed to complement \u2014 not replace \u2014 your state’s requirements and local district policies.
- Ohio Department of Education and Workforce \u2014 List of Approved Assessments (CTC included on 2026-2027 list for Gifted Student Identification)
- 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments (Excel spreadsheet)
- ODE&W \u2014 Approved Gifted Identification Assessments (toolkit and guidance)
- Ohio DEW \u2014 Gifted Education program overview and resources
- OAC 3301-51-15 \u2014 Operating Standards for Identifying and Serving Students Who Are Gifted (effective July 1, 2025)
- ORC Chapter 3324 \u2014 Gifted Students (definitions, identification, assessments, plans)
- ODE&W \u2014 Gifted Screening and Identification (state criteria and categories)
- ODE&W \u2014 Written Education Plans (WEPs) for Gifted Students
Custom District Alignments
Need help adopting the Ohio-approved CTC into your district’s gifted identification plan, mapping it to your Creative Thinking Ability identification process, or producing WEP documentation at scale?
Explore Renzulli Learning’s gifted education alignment for neighboring states:
Adopt the Ohio-Approved CTC for Creative Thinking Identification \u2014 and Operationalize WEPs at Scale
Start a 30-day free trial with full platform access \u2014 no credit card required. Or schedule a free QuickStart with a consultant who knows ORC Chapter 3324, the revised OAC 3301-51-15 (effective July 1, 2025), Ohio’s four identification categories, the WEP/WAP framework, the identification-services gap, and how the CTC fits into Ohio’s 2026-2027 approved assessments list for Creative Thinking Ability identification.
Call +1 (203) 680-8301 · Email [email protected]