Gifted Professional Development Website

Gifted Education Overview

Gifted students have unique educational needs for challenge and pacing. Sometimes these needs can be unmet in the regular classroom, since gifted students only comprise 5-7% of the school population. 

Giftedness means potential! Gifted students test in the 97th percentile or higher on cognitive ability tests compared to same age peers and learn more rapidly.  Many gifted students have already learned more than 50% of their grade level content before the school year begins. 

Identification of gifted students, especially in the primary grades, can help students be successful well-adjusted learners. Gifted students often have intense interests or passions and social-emotional needs that are unique to this population of students. Without appropriate challenge gifted students can lose their love for learning and underachieve. Teacher knowledge and training can help teachers of gifted students understand their academic and social-emotional needs and help them achieve their potential. This site contains resources for teachers of gifted students to learn about giftedness, gifted testing, and what materials to use with gifted students.

**Schools are given some autonomy to offer gifted services to students who score lower than the 97th percentile. Be sure to check to see what your districts guidelines are for the various programs that are offered.