Challenge is designed to complement regular classroom instruction and serves gifted students in a resource or pull-out class model. Students in Grade 3 receive 125 minutes of instruction per week while students in Grades 4-5 receive 200 minutes of instruction per week. This model of gifted instruction is supported by the SC Department of Education.
Challenge curriculum centers around integrated units of study that offer enrichment in the core content areas of English, mathematics, social studies, and science. A curriculum overview is linked at the end of this page.
Gifted and talented educational programs in South Carolina are established by SC Regulation R43-220 and regulated by the SC Department of Education (SDE). For more information regarding the qualification process, please see the SC Gifted and Talented Programs Qualification Criteria .
All students enrolled in a South Carolina public school participate in gifted and talented screening in Grade 2. Students have additional opportunities to qualify in Grades 3-12. For more information regarding the qualification timeline, please see the GCS Gifted and Talented Programs Qualification Timeline and Opportunities.
Non-GCS Students - Aptitude Assessment Opportunity
All SC public and public charter schools evaluate their students for Gifted and Talented identification per state department guidelines.
Non-GCS students who 1) reside in Greenville County Schools’ attendance zone and 2) are served in an educational setting that does not offer aptitude testing may register to take the CogAT aptitude assessment with Greenville County Schools. The CogAT is offered at Sterling School each October on the scheduled GCS teacher workday. Registration for this special assessment is required and opens in September of each year. REGISTRATION LINK will re-open in September 2025