What is Gifted and Talented?
A "gifted and talented student" means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area; possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or excels in a specific academic field. (Texas Education Code 29. 121)
Gifted and talented students require educational experiences beyond those normally provided by the regular school program. Students shall be identified through the use of multiple criteria as specified by the Denton Independent School District. The district recognizes that students identified as gifted and talented can come from all races, socioeconomic groups, geographical locales, and environments.
EXPO is the name of Denton ISD's gifted and talented program. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are served in a pull out program with an EXPO Specialist. Sixth grade students are served in an EXPO class. Starting in seventh grade, students can enroll in advanced classes.
Please contact your campus EXPO Specialist, or Lori Mabry, if you have any questions about EXPO. Contact information is listed on the EXPO Specialists' page.
Characteristics of the Gifted and Talented
From Raising Champions, 2nd Ed. Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented
This list of general characteristics will help you understand and evaluate your child's gifts and talents. Probably no child has high levels of performance in all of the categories. The more gifted and talented a child is, the more of these traits he or she will demonstrate.
Very verbal, asks many questions, uses advanced vocabulary, wants to know why, how, and what about many things (or everything). They surprise you, your friends, or family with the questions asked or the vocabulary used.
Imaginative, playful, have an imaginary playmate, daydreams, becomes absorbed in thoughts.
Good memory, learns rapidly, accurately remembers things for a long time.
Has interests in a wide range of topics, wants to know everything about a chosen interest.
Acutely aware of right and wrong, sensitive to others feelings, strong sense of fairness.
Critical of others, but has difficulty accepting criticism,demands unrealistic perfection from self, especially in certain areas.
Display boundless energy, requires less sleep, is always in motion.
