​​​​​​​​Gifted and Talented program: Policy

From Board of Education Policy 105-5: The Department shall provide leadership and direction for all schools, K-12, to provide an appropriate and challenging education for gifted and talented students in the areas of intellect, creativity and/or artistry, leadership, and specific academia. The Department shall be responsible for developing any necessary rules, guidelines, or procedures, and a strategic statewide plan for implementation that reflect the goals set forth below while following all state laws, rules, and regulations governing the education of gifted and talented students. The goals of supporting gifted and talented students shall be to: 

1. Set challenging curriculum standards appropriate to the intellectual and social development of gifted/talented students; 
   
2. Have every school provide learning opportunities to all students with outstanding talent and learning abilities; 
   
3. Provide instructional and related services necessary to challenge and educate gifted and talented students at levels commensurate with their abilities; 
   
4. Provide staff development and teacher training; 
   
5. Increase and maintain parent participation; and 
   
6. Establish a statewide student identification, parent notification, and program evaluation system. 
   

Rationale: The Board acknowledges that gifted and talented students excel in many areas such as intellect, creativity, artistry, leadership, and specific academia. The Board recognizes that the Department is responsible for providing students who are gifted and talented with educational and co-curricular opportunities commensurate with their learning and creative capacity. 

Supplemental programs

CENTER FOR TALENTED YOUTH (CTY)
At the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Gifted & Talented kids discover just how much they can shine with advanced academic summer programs, online courses, awards and more. The CTY Talent Search for grades 2-8 is the bridge to CTY’s highly regarded programs and courses designed for advanced young learners. Students in these grades who have scored at or above the 95th percentile on any nationally normed test, scored at advanced levels in the State Assessment, and/or have been identified as Gifted & Talented, are encouraged to apply. Financial aid is available for qualifying students.

DAVIDSON YOUNG SCHOLARS
The Davidson Young Scholars program provides free services designed to nurture the intellectual, social, emotional, and academic development of profoundly intelligent young people between the ages of 5 and 18 (students must be between the ages of 5 and 16 when applying). There is a rolling application deadline of the first of each month. View these Frequently Asked Questions for details.

YOUNG MENSANS
Members of American Mensa range in age from 2 to 102. They include engineers, homemakers, teachers, actors, athletes, students and CEOs, and they share only one trait — high intelligence. To qualify for Mensa, they scored in the top 2 percent of the general population on an accepted standardized intelligence test. Mensa has full-time staff who support Young Mensans and their families.