Embedded Files
The following policies, regulations, and standards guide the work of the Advanced Learner Programs Office in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS)
Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS)
Each local school system creates Board of Education Policy and Regulation documents to inform standard operating procedures. The policy documents fuide the development and implementation of educational programs and/or the management of the school system. The Regulation documents outline the guidance/procedures regarding the implementation of Board policies, COMAR, and laws relating to the operation of schools. Linked below are the two Policy and Regulation documents on the topic of Gifted and Talened Education for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Board of Education Policy
Board of Education Policy
Purpose: To establish guidelines that ensure gifted and talented students are appropriately identified and receive services to develop their maximum potential in accordance with the Annotated Code of Maryland and Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR).
Click here to read the complete AACPS Board of Education Policy.
Purpose: To establish procedures to ensure that students identified as gifted and talented receive services to develop their maximum potential in accordance with State and federal laws and regulations.
Click here to read the complete AACPS Board of Education Regulation.
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
The Maryland State Department of Education collaborates with state government to develop laws related to education. Maryland laws are called Code of Maryland Annotated Regulations, or COMAR. Linked below are the COMAR regulations related to Gifted and Talented Identification and Service.
Code of Maryland's Annotated Regulations (COMAR)
Code of Maryland's Annotated Regulations (COMAR)
Purpose: Gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and in all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups. The intent of this chapter is to provide local school systems with direction for identifying students and developing and implementing the gifted and talented education programs and services needed to develop these students’ full potential. These regulations establish the minimum standards for student identification, programs and services, professional learning, and reporting requirements.
MSDE Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Education Program Guidelines
MSDE Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Education Program Guidelines
All students in Maryland's schools must be provided educational opportunities appropriate to their individual abilities which will enable them to reach their maximum potential. Gifted and talented students are one group which has unique abilities and needs. Gifted and talented students are found in youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor (Maryland Annotated Code, §8-202). This publication is designed to help educators develop appropriate programs and services to meet these students' needs and to challenge their unique abilities.
Maryland's ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Plan and Gifted Students
Maryland's ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Plan and Gifted Students
In addition to changes in COMAR that affect gifted education, all schools in Maryland must now include “gifted and talented” students as a student group. As stated in the “Maryland Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan,”
In order to provide equity, implementation of high-quality instruction aligned to the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards must be delivered with fidelity to all student groups beginning with pre-kindergarten. This includes equitable access to instruction and instructional materials for students with specific learning needs, particularly children with disabilities, English learners, students who are gifted and talented…
COMAR 13A.04.07.06 (August 22, 2019) specifies that local school systems (LSSs) shall report the following in their Local ESSA Consolidated Strategic Plan:
• The process for identifying gifted and talented students
• The number of gifted and talented students identified in each school
• The percentage of gifted and talented students identified in the local school system
• The schools that have been exempted from identification of a significant number of gifted and talented students and the rationale
• The continuum of programs and services
• Data-informed goals, targets, strategies, and timelines
This change makes it imperative that ALPs instruction and professional learning purposefully address the needs of all students, including “students who are gifted and talented.”
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education
National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education
NAGC has developed national standards in programming and services and teacher preparation to guide high quality education for the nation’s estimated 3 to 5 million gifted and talented students.
Ensuring that highly able learners are recognized and subsequently served through systematic programming is of the highest priority. All teachers must be able to recognize a high-ability student who needs more depth and complexity in instruction or may need a referral for further assessment and services. Teachers in specialized programs for gifted learners or those who coordinate gifted and talented programs and services should be familiar with the theory, research, curriculum strategies, and educational practices necessary to develop and sustain high quality classroom based opportunities for advanced student learning.
National standards for specialized programs and services, for gifted education teacher preparation, knowledge and skills for all teachers, and advanced standards in teacher preparation will help guide and improve teaching and deepen student learning.
The full text of the National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education are available here.
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