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State Goal

According to Section 29.123 of the Texas Education Code, the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students forms the basis of program accountability for state-mandated services for gifted/talented students. The overall state goal for services is stated as follows:

Students who participate in services designed for gifted students will demonstrate skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication as evidenced by the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity and are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, or environment. High school graduates who have participated in services for gifted students will have produced products and performances of professional quality as part of their program services.

District Goals

The purpose of the Gifted/Talented Program is to implement, maintain, and support a variety of instructional strategies that address the four core academic areas (mathematics, language arts/reading, science, and social studies). In addition, the arts, leadership opportunities, and creative areas of giftedness are integrated within the academic program, providing a part of the framework for moving toward the achievement of exemplary status under the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students.

Click question to view Dallas ISD's answer. 

My child was designated gifted in another state/district in Texas. Would my child be automatically placed into your gifted program?

I want my child tested for the gifted program. What should I do?

Does my child have to re-qualify when moving from elementary to middle school?

When may I nominate a student?

Who should I contact to refer my child for testing?

What documentation is required for the referral and screening process?

How are elementary gifted students served?

What are the state guidelines for gifted and talented education?

1. Consider the gifted child's developmental level when discussing events, not only their cognitive ability to understand events. They may have more sensitive emotional needs.  

2. Model emotions, behaviors, and decisions for gifted children: share your behavioral processes aloud, even as you struggle with your own imperfections. The gifted child appreciates authenticity and the process.  

3. Gifted children often put great amounts of pressure upon themselves; be aware of signs of mental health distress such as changes in sleep or appetite, or acting out behaviors, as early indicators.  

Researchers and practitioners in gifted education contend that, if education were to follow the medical maxim of "first, do no harm," then no further justification would be required for providing resources for gifted education as they believe gifted children to be at-risk. The notion that gifted children are "at-risk" was publicly declared in the Marland Report in 1972: 

Gifted and Talented children are, in fact, deprived and can suffer psychological damage and permanent impairment of their abilities to function well which is equal to or greater than the similar deprivation suffered by any other population with special needs served by the Office of Education. 

(pp. xi-xii)[1]

Three decades later, a similar statement was made by researchers in the field: 

National efforts to increase the availability of a variety of appropriate instructional and out-of-school provisions must be a high priority since research indicates that many of the emotional or social difficulties gifted students experience disappear when their educational climates are adapted to their level and pace of learning." [emphasis added][2]

Sources

1. Marland, S. P., Jr. (1972). Education of the gifted and talented: Report to the Congress of the United States by the U.S. Commissioner of Education and background papers submitted to the U.S. Office of Education, 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. (Government Documents Y4.L 11/2: G36)

2. The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know?, Edited by Maureen Neihart, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M. Robinson, and Sidney M. Moon; National Association of Gifted Children (Prufrock Press, Inc.), 2002, p. 286.

Affective curriculum

A curriculum that is designed to teach gifted students about emotions, self-esteem, and social skills. This can be valuable for all students, especially those who have been grouped with much older students, or who have been rejected by their same-age, but academically typical, peers.

Differentiation

Modification of a gifted student’s curriculum to accommodate their specific needs. This may include changing the content or ability level of the material.

Heterogeneous grouping

A strategy that groups students of varied ability, preparedness, or accomplishment in a single classroom environment. Usually this terminology is applied to groupings of students in a particular grade, especially in elementary school. For example, students in fifth grade would be heterogeneously grouped in math if they were randomly assigned to classes instead of being grouped by demonstrated subject mastery. Heterogeneous grouping is sometimes claimed to provide a more effective instructional environment for less prepared students.

Homogeneous grouping

A strategy that groups students by specific ability, preparedness, or interest within a subject area. Usually this terminology is applied to groupings of students in a particular grade, especially in elementary school. For example, students in fifth grade would be homogeneously grouped in math if they were assigned to classes based on demonstrated subject mastery rather than being randomly assigned. Homogeneous grouping can provide more effective instruction for the most prepared students.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

A written document that addresses a student's specific individual needs. It may specify accommodations, materials, or classroom instruction. IEPs are often created for students with disabilities, who are required by law to have an IEP when appropriate. Most states are not required to have IEPs for students who are only identified as gifted. Some students may be intellectually gifted in addition to having learning and/or attentional disabilities, and may have an IEP that includes, for instance, enrichment activities as a means of alleviating boredom or frustration, or as a reward for on-task behavior. In order to warrant such an IEP, a student needs to be diagnosed with a separate emotional or learning disability that is not simply the result of being unchallenged in a typical classroom. These are also known as Individual Program Plans, or IPPs.

Source

 NAGC - Information & Resources - Glossary of Gifted Terms Archived2006-11-05 at the Wayback Machine