Gifted Education

Gifted children are persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services.

Gifted students include students with disabilities (i.e., twice-exceptional), and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness:

General or Specific Intellectual Ability
Intellectual ability is exceptional capability or potential recognized through cognitive processes (e.g., memory, reasoning, rate of learning, spatial reasoning, ability to find and solve problems, ability to manipulate abstract ideas, and make connections).

Specific Academic Aptitude
Specific academic aptitude is exceptional capability or potential in an academic content area(s) (e.g., a strong knowledge base or the ability to ask insightful, pertinent questions within the discipline). All academic areas should be considered.

Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Musical, Dance, or Psychomotor Abilities (Talent Aptitudes)
Visual arts, performing arts, musical, dance, or psychomotor abilities are exceptional capabilities or potential in talent areas (e.g., art, drama, music, dance, body awareness, coordination, and physical skills).

Creative or Productive Thinking
Creative or productive thinking is exceptional capability or potential in mental processes (e.g., critical thinking, creative problem solving, humor, independent/original thinking, and/or products).

Leadership Abilities
Leadership is the exceptional capability or potential to influence and empower people (e.g., social perceptiveness, visionary ability, communication skills, problem-solving, inter-and intra-personal skills, and a sense of responsibility).

Gifted Education is addressed in the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (ECEA) in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The Colorado State Board of Education promulgates the rules for the implementation of statutes. The rules provide the administrative framework for schools and districts for the provision of services to gifted students.

The rules require each Administrative Unit, and Harrison School District Two is its own administrative unit, to submit a four-year Gifted Education Program Plan. This program describes how the district meets, or is working towards meeting, the state statute in the following areas:

• Engagement and Communication
• Definition
• Identification
• ALP Content, Procedures, & Responsibilities
• Programming
• Evaluation & Accountability
• Personnel
• Budget
• Reporting
• Record Keeping
• Monitoring
• Dispute Resolution
• Early Access