Ontario is the only Canadian province with a fully formalised, legislated gifted identification process. The IPRC (Identification, Placement and Review Committee) process, governed under Regulation 181/98, gives parents rights that do not exist elsewhere in Canada — including the right to request an assessment, the right to be present at committee meetings, and the right to appeal placements. This guide explains every stage of the process, the tests involved, and what families should do to navigate it effectively.
The IPRC Process: Step by Step
The IPRC is a school board committee that formally identifies whether a student has an exceptionality — including Gifted — and determines the most appropriate placement. It is the only body in Ontario that can issue a formal Gifted designation.
Parent trigger: Under Ontario Regulation 181/98, a parent may formally request an IPRC referral in writing at any time. The principal must respond within 15 school days. You do not need to wait for the school to initiate the process.
The WISC-V: What It Measures
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — Fifth Edition (WISC-V) is an individually administered intelligence test for children aged 6 to 16 years 11 months. It takes approximately 65–90 minutes to administer and is the most widely used cognitive assessment in Ontario school boards. The WISC-V produces a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and five primary index scores:
Measures acquired knowledge, verbal reasoning, and comprehension of verbal information. Key subtests: Similarities, Vocabulary.
Measures ability to evaluate visual details and understand spatial relationships. Key subtests: Block Design, Visual Puzzles.
Measures ability to detect underlying conceptual relationships among visual objects and use reasoning. Key subtests: Matrix Reasoning, Figure Weights.
Measures ability to register, maintain, and manipulate visual and auditory information in active memory. Key subtests: Digit Span, Picture Span.
Measures speed and accuracy of visual scanning and sequencing. Key subtests: Coding, Symbol Search.
Composite of all five indexes. This is the single score most commonly cited in IPRC decisions. An FSIQ of 130 or above (98th percentile) is the standard threshold.
Some gifted children show significant variation across index scores — for example, an exceptionally high VCI (145) alongside a lower PSI (115). In these cases, the FSIQ may underestimate true intellectual ability. Request that the psychologist discuss the index profile in detail, not just the composite score.
Group Screening: The CCAT
Before arranging an individual WISC-V assessment, many Ontario school boards use the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) as a group screening instrument. Administered to an entire class or grade, the CCAT identifies students whose scores suggest further individual assessment is warranted. It is not sufficient on its own for a Gifted IPRC identification — it is a filter, not a diagnostic instrument.
The CCAT produces three cluster scores — Verbal, Quantitative, and Non-Verbal — and an overall Standard Age Score (SAS). A score at or above the 95th percentile on the CCAT typically triggers a referral for individual assessment. Parents whose children score high on the CCAT should be aware that a group test score alone does not determine gifted identification. (For how the SAS scale maps to percentiles, see our SAS scores explained guide.)
If your child has not been screened by the school but you suspect high ability, you can request a private psychoeducational assessment directly. Most Ontario boards accept private WISC-V reports from registered psychologists (R.Psych. or C.Psych.) for IPRC consideration, though the board may conduct its own assessment before convening the committee.
Gifted Placements in Ontario
Once a Gifted identification is made, the IPRC must recommend a placement. Ontario offers two primary models:
Parents have the right to refuse a proposed placement without losing the Gifted identification. You can consent to the identification while requesting a different placement — for example, accepting the Gifted designation but declining a congregated class in favour of enrichment at your home school. This must be negotiated with the board at the IPRC meeting.