Gifted and Talented Program

The gifted and talented program sessions meet once a week during school hours as a pull-out program to provide differentiated instruction to students who have been identified as “gifted” or exhibit exceptionalities in a variety of subjects. Students will focus on a topic in more depth and detail and they study material that may be above their age level. The program provides instructional adaptations at an accelerated pace to support students who are advanced beyond their peers.

Gifted children are students who perform at higher levels and their abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishments are exceptional by virtue. The “Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act” defines a gifted and talented student as a “student who possesses or demonstrates a high level of ability in one or more content areas when compared to their chronological peers in the school district and who require modifications of their educational program if they are to achieve in accordance with their capabilities. Provisions in learning can benefit gifted students, helping them reach their full potential.
 

All students are considered in the identification process. We maintain a year-round consideration process. Evidence of mastery of grade-level skills and benchmarks of instruction are a starting point in the process of identification. The process for identification is determined through the student’s performance and potential through a combination of quantifiably measured (recent MapGrowth scores) and subjective (personally observed) documentations. Students are preliminarily eligible for the program if they achieve greater than the 95th percentile in 2 or more subject areas of the MapGrowth Fall tests.

The following are the qualifications a student must meet to be eligible:

• Must be in the 95th percentile in at least 2 subjects of recent MapGrowth tests
• Displays outstanding abilities and possesses characteristics such as leadership, motivation, memory, reasoning, and creativity that can be observed by their teacher
• Referred by their teacher for demonstrating high cognitive ability and general intellectual ability
• Must be able to make up any work that is missed while attending the program

If the student meets all the above qualifications, the parents will be notified. If a student who may be gifted is not selected to attend this session in the fall, they may be nominated in the next session considering they continue to meet the eligibility qualifications. Once a student is identified as gifted, they remain on Corpus Christi's "gifted talent pool" roster where they may be picked to attend sessions again in the next drawing when spots become available. If you believe your child may qualify but have not received a letter, please fill out this form.

The program is by invitation only. Once the identification process is completed before a session begins, teachers will draw to select 2 of their students from the roster of eligible students to attend the gifted and talented program sessions. At this time, if your child meets the requirements of consideration and is selected by their teacher, the parents will be notified that their child has been selected for the program. If a parent chooses to decline the program for whatever reason, the seat will be filled by another student (by means of another draw) from the roster of eligible students. 

If you have any additional questions about the gifted and talented program, please email Mrs. Evans at [email protected]