Classification of Gifted Individuals

1. Nurtured gifted

a. Individuals with high IQs

-fast learning ability
- interest in reading biographies
- scientific inclination
- reading prior to entering school
- enjoyment in reading
- good abstract reasoning
- good command of language
- poor handwriting
- only child
- eldest child
- born of older parents
- good adjustment
- good physical health
- high scores in achievement test
- imagination
- high energy level
b. High Creative Individuals
Characteristics
 ```Generate a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions

 Rely more on own evaluation than on those of others

 Build a reputation for having wild or silly ideas

 Display humor, playfulness

 2. The underachieving Gifted
*Clark (1988) as those who have shown exceptional performance on a measure
of intelligence and who nevertheless do not perform as well as expected for learners of the
same age on school-related task. They are frequently seen as:
* Excessively aggressive or withdrawn
* Having negative self-concept
Davis (1989) described them as having low self-esteem. Academic avoidance
behaviour, poor study habits, unmastered skills, social and discipline problems

3. The Disadvantage Gifted

These are pupils who come from deprived and underserved sectors of our society.
learning to other areas
-ability to solve problems by ingenious methodsCharacteristics
- independence of actions
- imagination in thinking
- learning quickly through experience
- originality and creativity
- responding well to media
- ability to generalize

4. The Handicapped gifted

These are individuals who exhibit unusual gifts, talents in spite of physical,
mental, emotional, or experiential handicaps.
Characteristics:
Limited communication skills

Low self-esteem brought by negative attitude of others, labels and lowered

expectations from teachers and other significant adults

Inadequate social skills

High level abstract thinking

Other Related Classifications
 First studied by researchers George Betts and Maureen Neihart in their 1988 article
“Profiles of the Gifted and Talented.” They identified six different types of individuals
according to their behaviors, feelings, and needs.

 6 different “types” of gifted individuals:

 Successful
 Challenging
 Underground
 Dropouts
 Double-labeled
 Autonomous

Type I – The Successful

 These children are attentive to their parents and teachers, score high on
achievement and intelligence tests
 They are identified in the programs of the gifted as the appropriate program
placement.
 They exhibit less behavior problems because they seek approval from people
around them.
 Often get bored with school
 Fail to learn the needed skills
 Liked by peers
 Included in social groups
 May seem to appear to have positive self-concepts because teachers affirmed their
achievements

Type II – The Challenging

 the divergently gifted.

 possess a high degree of creativity and may appear to be obstinate, tactless, or
sarcastic.
 often question authority and may challenge the teacher in front of the class.
 do not conform to the system, and they have not learned to use it to their
advantage

 receive little recognition and few rewards or honors.

 interactions at school and at home often involve conflict.
 struggling with their self-esteem.
  may or may not feel included in the social group
 have a sense of humor and creativity that is very appealing to peers
 their spontaneity may be disruptive in the classroom.
 often possess negative self-concepts.
 may be “at risk” as eventual dropouts for drug addiction or delinquent behavior

Type III – The Underground

 begin to deny their talent in order to feel more included with a non-gifted peer
group.
 highly motivated and intensely interested in academic or creative pursuits may
undergo an apparently sudden radical transformation, losing all interest in
previous passions.
 frequently feel insecure and anxious.

Type IV – The Dropouts

Angry students with adults and with themselves because the system has not met
their needs for many years
feel rejected
may express this anger by acting depressed and withdrawn or by acting out and
responding defensively.
interests that lie outside the realm of the regular school curriculum
fail to receive support and affirmation for their talent and interest in these unusual
areas
School seems irrelevant and perhaps hostile to them.
in essence “dropped out” emotionally and mentally if not physically.
bitter and resentful as a result of feeling rejected and neglected.
Low self-esteem
require a close working relationship with an adult they can trust
Family counseling is strongly recommended, and be given individual counseling
and Diagnostic testing is also necessary to identify possible areas for remediation.

Type V – The Double-Labeled

 physically or emotionally handicapped in some way, or who have learning
disabilities.
 The vast majority of gifted programs do not identify these children, nor do they
 often do not exhibit behaviors that schools look for in the gifted
  may have sloppy handwriting or disruptive behaviors that make it difficult for
them to complete work,
 often seem confused about their inability to perform school tasks.
 show symptoms of stress; they may feel discouraged, frustrated, rejected,
helpless, or isolated.
 may deny that they are having difficulty by claiming that activities or assignments
are “boring” or “stupid.”
 may use their humor to demean others in order to bolster their own lagging self-
esteem
 avoid failures and are unhappy about not living up to their own expectations
 may be very skilled at intellectualization as a means of coping with their feelings
of inadequacy
 often impatient and critical and react stubbornly to criticism.

TYPE VI – The Autonomous Learner

 learned to work effectively in the school system

 have strong, positive self-concepts because their needs are being met; they are
successful, and they receive positive attention and support for their
accomplishments as well as for who they are.
 well respected by adults and peers and frequently serve in some leadership
capacity within their school or community.
 independent and self-directed.
 feel secure designing their own educational and personal goals
 have strong sense of personal power.

Perspectives on Giftedness
By Definition
 Davis et al. (2011) states that there is no single definition of “gifted” that is
unanimously accepted among scholars.
 Studies, conducted by experts on giftedness provided the perception that
giftedness is always associated with the qualities of famous people having
outstanding accomplishment, developing extraordinary ideas, and creating
prominent works, discoveries, or performance.
 Tannenbaum (2003) Giftedness among children includes potential of becoming
much-admired performers or excellent creators of ideas in different spheres of life
that enhance the ethical, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, or aesthetic life
of individuals.
 Gagne (1985) Giftedness refers to areas of human abilities and talents, to spheres
of human achievements.
  Sternberg and Zhang (1995) Giftedness also encompasses excellence, rarity,
productivity, demonstrability, and value attached to the skills or products of the
individuals.
 Francis Galton first used the phrase gifted in 1869 as defined as inherited traits.
 “The term gifted and talented means students, children, or youth who give
evidence of high achievement capability in such areas as intellectual, creative,
artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need
services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully
develop those capabilities.” National Association for Gifted Children's
(NAGC)
 To Lewis Terman, giftedness is inherited, and IQ score is above 140.
 To Renzulli, through the interaction among the basic human traits, gifted
behavior occurs.
 three basic of human traits:
1) above-average general and/or specific abilities,
2) high levels of task commitment (motivation),
3) high levels of creativity.
 Sternberg and Grigorenko (2011) stated that “Creativity is important for
giftedness because it is competent whereby one generates the ideas that will
influence others”
 Giftedness is also associated with people who are artists, actors and actresses, or
outstanding scientists.
 The modern concept of giftedness has evolved to include special and outstanding
talents. However, not all talented individuals are gifted.
 A talent can be considered a gift if it is exceptional or outstanding. This means
that there is a measure or standard to use for evaluating individual talents.

As indicators of giftedness, some considered high intelligence, outstanding talent,

excellence achievement and high creative ability.
 But not all gifted children display all these qualities or display them in equal proportion.
It should be remembered that no matter what their intellectual potentials they are first of
all children.

Other Related Concepts

 Creativity and Talent
Creativity is generally defined as the process of bringing a new, different, and
unexpected response to a situation.

Guilford (1977) defines creativity as the ability to produce many alternative ideas
in problem-solving situation.
 Khatena’s (1976) notion of creativity is “the power of imagination to break away
from perceptual set so as to restructure ideas, thoughts, and feelings into novel
and meaningful associate bonds.

Torrance (1969) stresses creative thinking ability as a criterion for giftedness and
identifies some of the appropriate characteristics:
1. fluency of ideas– the number of responses produced by stimulus
2. flexibility– shifts in thinking from one category to another.
3. originality--- unusual or clever response
4. elaboration– adding details to basic ideas or thoughts

 Some educators use the term giftedness to denote outstanding intellectual ability and the
term talent to denote superlative skills in a specific area, particularly the arts. However,
the terms are frequently used interchangeably.

 Webster defines talent as a native ability for a specific pursuit and connotes either that it
is or can be cultivated by the one possessing it.

 Fast Learners
The term fast learners is usually used to refer pupils who belong to the highest or cream
section of a grade level in the regular schools. They have been earlier identified with
above average or high intellectual ability and learn faster than the average children.

Nature and Causes of Giftedness among Filipino Learners

A Summary on important related concepts of Giftedness

 Giftedness among Filipino children is manifested in two or more trait combination

 Giftedness does not limit itself to high intelligence.

 Gifted is currently viewed as multidimensional set of characteristics that may include

high intellectual capability, specific academic aptitude, creativity and productive
thinking, leadership skills, psychomotor ability, outstanding abilities in the visual and
performing arts and superior perception in interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.

 The Filipino point of view conceives giftedness as a God-given talent which must be
developed and harnesses for the good of the individual and of society.
  Gifted individual can be categorized according to their specific characteristics.

 Regardless of their potentials, special abilities and talents, gifted children are basically
children with same basic needs and characteristics as the children of the same age level.

 Aside from the genes of giftedness one inherits, the human and material environment of a
person greatly affects or contributes to the ”gifts” and talents he possess.

 Gifted and talented pupils are characterized by their above average/ superior ability in
one or more of the following areas:
-intellectual performance
-creativity
-academic achievement
-leadership
-art, music, sports
-language/communication arts
-performing arts
 The Filipino gifted possess common general characteristics in intelligence, talent and
creativity as his foreign counterparts.

Nature and Characteristics of the Filipino Gifted

Baldo (1987) presented a profile of the Filipino gifted. These are as follows:
1. Expected to contribute to nation building
2. Most important contribution is in the realm of inventions, science and leadership
3. Endowed with God-given talent
4. Generally called talented, “genius” or “intelligent, “brainy” and ”bright”.
5. Best manifested in how one thinks, acts, and speaks.
6. Learns easily and fast
7. Active, alert, a keen observer, curious, inquisitive
8. Read a lot
9. Has good memory and study habits
10. Can express well
11. Demonstrate superior performance and uses reason in solving problems
 12. A systematic worker
13. Broadminded, friendly and cheerful
14. Ambitious and does not accept defeat easily
15. Has a number of negatives attributes
16. Shy, talkative, stubborn and temperamental

The DECS-NCR (1988) conducted a similar study on the characteristics og the Filipino
Gifted, these are as follows:

 Generally above average to very superior intellectual ability

 Possess above average skills in creativity and leadership

 Manifest above average emotional-social physical health pyschomor and

motivation-interest traits

Causes of Giftedness
The following causes were written by Haring (1990)
 Hereditary
--purely biological factor
--does play a role although no perfect correlation exists between intelligence of
parents and intelligence of children (Jensen,1969)
Pre-natal and perinatal care
 Often reflects the home environment of the family
 Poor care more frequently reported at low socioeconomic levels

 Early childhood environment

 Hunt (1961), environmental stimulation is particularly important during the first

2 years of life if optimum development is to occur

 A fact underscored by the negative effects of deprivation of environmental stimli

during early childhood

 The interaction of heredity and environment seems to be a key in the development

and nurturing of giftedness.
 Understanding Giftedness and Talent
Definition
 Davis et al. (2011) states that there is no single definition of “gifted” that is unanimously
accepted among scholars.
 Studies, conducted by experts on giftedness provided the perception that giftedness is
always associated with the qualities of famous people having outstanding
accomplishment, developing extraordinary ideas, and creating prominent works,
discoveries, or performance.
 Giftedness is also associated with people who are artists, actors and actresses, or
outstanding scientists.
 The modern concept of giftedness has evolved to include special and outstanding talents.
However, not all talented individuals are gifted.
 A talent can be considered a gift if it is exceptional or outstanding. This means that there
is a measure or standard to use for evaluating individual talents.
 Tannenbaum (2003) Giftedness among children includes potential of becoming much-
admired performers or excellent creators of ideas in different spheres of life that enhance
the ethical, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, or aesthetic life of individuals.
 Gagne (1985) Giftedness refers to areas of human abilities and talents, to spheres of
human achievements.
 Sternberg and Zhang (1995) Giftedness also encompasses excellence, rarity, productivity,
demonstrability, and value attached to the skills or products of the individuals.

1. Giftedness does not limit itself to high intelligence.

2. Filipino conceives giftedness as a God given talent which must be developed.

3. Gifted individuals can be categorized according to their specific characteristics.

4. Regardless of their potentials, special abilities and talents, gifted children are basically
children with the same basic needs and characteristics of the same age level.

5. All gifted children display all qualities of giftedness or display them in equal
proportions.

 As indicators of giftedness, some considered high intelligence, outstanding talent,

excellence achievement and high creative ability.
 But not all gifted children display all these qualities or display them in equal proportion.
It should be remembered that no matter what their intellectual potentials they are first of
all children.
Classification of Gifted Individuals
1. Nurtured gifted

a. Individuals with high IQs

-fast learning ability
- interest in reading biographies
- scientific inclination
- reading prior to entering school
- enjoyment in reading
- good abstract reasoning
- good command of language
- poor handwriting
- only child
- eldest child
- born of older parents
- good adjustment
- good physical health
- high scores in achievement test
- imagination
- high energy level
b. High Creative Individuals
Characteristics
 Generate a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions
 Rely more on own evaluation than on those of others
 Build a reputation for having wild or silly ideas.
 Display humor, playfulness
2. The underachieving Gifted
*Clark (1988) as those who have shown exceptional performance on a measure of
intelligence and who nevertheless do not perform as well as expected for learners of the same
age on school-related task. They are frequently seen as:
* Excessively aggressive or withdrawn
* Having negative self-concept
 Davis (1989) described them as having low self-esteem. Academic avoidance behaviour,
poor study habits, unmastered skills, social and discipline problems
3. The Disadvantage Gifted
These are pupils who come from deprived and underserved sectors of our society.
learning to other areas
-ability to solve problems by ingenious methodsCharacteristics
- independence of actions
- imagination in thinking
- learning quickly through experience
- originality and creativity
- responding well to media
- ability to generalize
4. The Handicapped gifted
These are individuals who exhibit unusual gifts, talents in spite of physical, mental,
emotional, or experiential handicaps.
Characteristics:
 Limited communication skills
 Low self-esteem brought by negative attitude of others, labels and lowered expectations
from teachers and other significant adults
 Inadequate social skills
 High level abstract thinking

A. Programs and Services for the Gifted

Gifted children have a wide range of educational, social, emotional, and physical needs.
Consequently, they should receive systematically differentiated instructions throughout their
school experience to suit their unique learning style. Within the regular school system, various
administrative arrangements may be supplemented to provide for the needs of gifted learners.
 Common programs for the gifted in the Phils.
 Acceleration
 Ability Grouping
 Enrichment and their variation
ACCELERATION
Refers to any administrative practice designed to move gifted learners through school
more rapidly than usual. This provides the child with learning experiences that are usually given
to older children, that is, speeding up the usual presentation of content without modifying that
content or method of presentation.

The following are the essential features of enrichment

 Emphasis on creative activities
 Emphasis on developing skills of investigating and discovering learning
 Provisions for independent work
 High standards of work and accomplishment
 Opportunities for leadership and social adjustment
 Individual attention from the teacher
 First-hand experience
 Flexibility of classroom scheduling and procedure
 Extensive reading
 Concern with community responsibility
 Availability of up-to date instructional materials and equipment
Causes of Giftedness
*The behavior and performance of gifted young children can often be seen as different
from those of their young peers.
**Three factors seem to contribute with the gifted and talented youngsters:
Hereditary
pre natal and perinatal care
Early childhood environment
*** Various authorities have expressed the view that heredity= purely biological factor= does
play a role although no perfect correlation exists between the intelligence of parent and the
intelligence of their children
**** The interaction of heredity and environment seems to be the key in the development and
nurturing of giftedness.
 Topic 5

Identification and Assessment of Giftedness

1. Identification

 Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or

exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these
areas of giftedness.

 General or specific intellectual ability. Specific academic aptitude. Creative or

productive thinking.

How do you identify giftedness

 Early Signs of Giftedness Include:

1. Unusual alertness in infancy.

2. Less need for sleep in infancy.

3. Long attention span.

4. High activity level.

5. Smiling or recognizing caretakers early.

6. Intense reactions to noise, pain, frustration.

7. Advanced progression through the developmental milestones.

8. Extraordinary memory

What is Gifted and talented identification

 Gifted ability is often not measured on a specific assessment, but rather

demonstrated through. some type of performance.
   Identifying a student with exceptional abilities in a content area or a. talent
area such as art, music, dance, psychomotor, creativity or
leadership requires an evaluation. of performance

Why is it important identify gifted students?

 Identification of gifted students is essential to see who would most benefit

from special services.

 many cases, the identification process provides opportunities to locate those

students who hide their talents and those bright students who are achieving
at a level well below their capabilities.

In what ways is the identification of giftedness an important process?

 When children's gifts and talents are identified, it helps you support children's
learning and development needs.

 Informal identification is when you record children's advanced development.

 Formal identification includes IQ testing

What are the types of giftedness

 Giftedness falls into one or more of the following areas: intellectual,

academic, creative, artistic and leadership

2. Assessment of Giftedness

 Independent IQ tests, such as the WISC-IV, Stanford-Binet, and Weschler

Intelligence Scale for Children are more accurate for gifted children. An IQ
test of 85-114 is average.
  A test between 115 and 129 is referred to as mild giftedness, 130-144
moderate giftedness, and 145 to 159 high

What assessments are used to diagnose gifted students?

 There are two main types of tests approved by the National Association for
Gifted Children (NAGC) for the identification of gifted students: achievement
tests and intelligence tests

Intelligence Tests

 Stanford Binet (L-M)

 Woodcock Johnson.

 Wescher Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th Edition.

How do you assess students with gifted skills?

 Among the most commonly used tests for assessing the gifted are the
Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), the
Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition (SB:IV) and, yes, the Stanford-Binet: Form L-M
(SB:LM)

What is the assessment method of gifted and talented students?

 They include achievement tests, which measure what students have already
learned and ability tests, or IQ tests which measure student capabilities.

 Autistic, deaf, and other nonverbal students can be identified as gifted and
talented through nonverbal tests

Topic 6 - Screening and Identification of Giftedness

WHAT IS GIFTED SCREENING?
 Gifted testing involves the administration of a standardized test in a specific format, often
defined by the publisher of the test, to ensure the test is given to every person in a consistent
manner.
 A student is considered screened for gifted identification when he or she is evaluated
using an instrument approved for gifted identification.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Identification of gifted students is essential to see who would most benefit from special
services. In many cases, the identification process provides opportunities to locate those
students who hide their talents and those bright students who are achieving at a level well
below their capabilities.
IDENTIFICATION

According to National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), while some commonalities exist
across giftedness, one size does not fit all.  Gifted learners exhibit different characteristics, traits,
and ways to express their giftedness.  Various issues must be considered for identification:

Giftedness is dynamic, not static. Identification needs to occur over time, with multiple
opportunities to exhibit gifts.  One test at a specific point in time should not dictate
whether someone is identified as gifted. 
 Giftedness is represented through all racial, ethnic, income levels, and exceptionality
groups.   Underrepresentation is widely spread.  It’s estimated that African American,
Hispanic American, and Native American students are underrepresented by at least 50%
in programs for the gifted.
 Giftedness may be exhibited within a specific interest or category—and even a
specific interest within that category.   Professionals must seek ways to gather
examples across various domains and contexts.  See "Multiple Identification Procedures"
below.
 Early identification in school improves the likelihood that gifts will be developed
into talents.
IDENTIFICATION PROCESS

Typically, identification policies and procedures are determined at the district level. Because no
two gifted children are alike it is important to collect information on both the child's
performance and potential through a combination of objective (quantifiably measured) and
subjective (personally observed) identification instruments in order to identify gifted and
talented students.
 Districts typically follow a systematic, multi-phased process for identifiying gifted students to
find students who need services beyond the general education program: 

1) Nomination or identification phase;

2) Screening or selection phase;

3) Placement phase. 

In the nomination and screening phase, various identification tools should be used to
eliminate bias.

Sample Identification Instruments 2

Objective Subjective

NOMINATIONS:
TESTS & ASSESSMENTS. 
Individual intelligence and achievement Self, Peer, Teacher, Administrator, Parent. Nominations help cast
tests are often used to assess giftedness. a wide net for identifying as many students as possible who
might qualify for gifted services. Often, gifted characteristic
However, relying on IQ or performance checklists, inventory, and nomination forms are completed by
results alone may overlook certain gifted students, parents, teachers, and administrators to provide an
populations. informal perspective.

STUDENT CUMULATIVE TEACHER OBSERVATIONS & RATINGS: LEARNING &

RECORDS. MOTIVATION SCALES.

Grades, state and standardized tests are Teachers may make observations and use rating scales or
sometimes used as data points during the checklists for students who exhibit a certain trait or characteristic
gifted identification process. during instruction.   Sample rating scales include Scales for
Rating Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (Renzulli
& Smith, 1977), Purdue Academic Rating Scales (PARS),
Whitmore or Rimm Underachievement Scales, and Cultural
Characteristics Scales.
 PORTFOLIOS & PERFORMANCES.

Portfolios or work that is collected over time should include

student reflections of their products and/or performances. 
Portfolios may be developed for both academic (language arts,
math) and creative (speech, arts, music) pursuits.

STUDENT EDUCATIONAL PROFILES.

While many forms may be used to identify gifted children, an

academic or artistic case study approach can offer a more
comprehensive process.   Case studies may include data,
observations, and growth demonstrated in various settings.

Lesson 7 – eduactional progams and services for gifted

 Gifted education, also referred to as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), is a

term that encompasses the methodologies, procedures, practices and theories
employed in the education of gifted or talented children.
 The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), a U.S. based organization,
defines giftedness in children in terms of reasoning and learning ability. Specifically,
the association classifies children as gifted if they demonstrate exceptional levels of
aptitude or competence in one or more structured areas of academic activity such as
mathematics, music, language, etc; or in a set of sensorimotor skills such as dance,
athletics, art, etc.
 Deciding on a career in gifted education allows you to reach and teach a
demographic of students who enjoy creative and academic challenges. Gifted
education teachers are not limited to the traditional classroom, and they are able to
work within a number of learning environments.
 A number of schools across the country offer coursework, certification and degree
programs in gifted education. The National Association for Gifted Children
(NAGC) compiled a nationwide database of all colleges and universities that offer
coursework, certification and degree programs in K–12 gifted education.
 To become a certified gifted education teacher, most programs require students
with prior teaching certification. However, some programs, such as USC Rossier,
allow students to obtain their Master of Arts in Teaching with a Gifted Education
Certificate . This program does not require prior teaching credentials or experience.
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program Options

 Enrichment: Gifted students remain in general education classes with their peers but
are assigned additional/higher-level material.
 Acceleration: Students are advanced to a higher-level class that covers material
more suited to their abilities and preparedness. May include skipping grades or
completing curriculum in a shorter amount of time.
 Pull-Out: Gifted students are assigned to a class with a special curricular focus
outside the regular classroom for two to six hours per week.
 Full Time/Self Contained: Gifted students are taught full time in a separate class or
independent school, such as Long Island School for the Gifted.
 Summer Enrichment: Summer programs for gifted students often focus on one
particular area of study and are offered through colleges/universities, non-profit
organizations and local summer camps.
 Homeschooling: Though a controversial method, families of gifted students may opt
to homeschool their children if they believe the school district and/or school system
does not meet the needs of their children.

Types of Services

Differentiated Instruction

 Modifying curriculum and instruction according to content, process, or product to

meet unique student needs in the classroom.

Cluster Grouping

 A grouping assignment utilized for gifted students in a heterogeneous classroom. 

Typically five or six gifted students with similar needs, abilities, or interests are
“clustered” in the same classroom.  This allows the teacher to more effectively
differentiate assignments for a group of advanced learners rather than one or two
students.

After School Enrichment Clubs

 Interest related clubs that meet after school hours.  Participation is voluntary and
transportation is not provided.  Examples include but are not limited to Engineering
Club, Chess Club, Ecology Club, etc.

Independent Study

 A self-directed learning strategy where the teacher acts as a guide or facilitator and
the student plays a more active role in designing or managing his/her own learning.
 Grade and Subject Acceleration

 Acceleration is a strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages

younger than the norm.  Grade acceleration occurs when a student advances to the
next grade level at an age younger than normal.  Subject acceleration is focused on a
particular area of strength such as mathematics or reading

Early Admission

 Early Admission is the movement of a student out of the normal progression of pre-
kindergarten into kindergarten. 

Summer Centers and Camps

 MSDE has designed summer programs in partnership with public and nonpublic
agencies to provide Maryland’s diverse gifted and talented students with advanced,
rigorous, experiential learning opportunities that nurture these students’ talents
and abilities within unique learning environments.  These centers address a variety
of different areas of interest.
The Gifted Education Services adheres to the following guidelines:

 Advanced learning needs are evident in students’ abilities and achievements that are
clearly at the upper end of the distribution of abilities and achievements of students
of the same age.
 Advanced learning needs are dynamic and constantly developing, requiring not only
traditional assessments but a collection of information over time in active learning
experiences to inform understanding of students’ abilities and potentialities.
 Advanced learning needs are nurtured through appropriate educational
experiences.
 Advanced learning needs are exhibited across all gender, racial, ethnic, income-
level, and exceptionality groups, and are reflective of the demographics of the
school.
 All students have equity of access to the referral process.
 Advanced learning needs are enabled through development of students’ psycho-
social skills as well as their cognitive skills.
 Early identification improves the likelihood that advanced abilities will be
developed into future potentialities.