Gifted Education

What is the definition of Gifted in Alabama?

According to the Alabama Administrative Code (AAC), "Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform or who have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment.  These children and youth require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program.  Children and youth possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata and in all areas of human endeavor."  Creativity, in this definition, refers to problem-solving abilities.

Gifted students may demonstrate the following characteristics:

• takes initiative
• show leadership
• is curious
• takes creative risks using ideas and learning in new stipulations
• shows persistence
• become passionately interested in a topic or idea
• chooses difficult tasks
• has a keen sense of humor
• expresses thoughts with ease, after at great length
• has many different and unusual ideas
• is resourceful at solving problems

How do we identify Gifted students in Alabama?

Students must be enrolled in a public school and at least six years of age in order to be referred to, evaluated and served.  A student  may be referred for gifted services by the teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, or guardians, peers, self or any other individual with knowledge of the student's abilities.  Additionally, all second grade students will be observed for potential gifted referrals using a gifted checklist.

For each referral, information is gathered in the following three areas:

• Aptitude - individual or group test of intelligence or creativity
• Characteristics - behavior rating scale designed to assess gifted behaviors completed by a teacher
• Performance - three indicators of performance at the gifted level (i.e. achievement test scores, grades, products, work samples, portfolios, leadership, motivation)

The scores from the assessments/item used are entered on a matrix where points are assigned according to established criteria.  The total number of points earned determines if the student qualifies for gifted services.