Gifted education in Georgia

Gifted Education in public schools is mandated by Georgia law and was last revised under Kathy Cox the Georgia school superintendent.

“Giftedness” Under Georgia Law
(a) Gifted Student - a student who demonstrates a high degree of intellectual and/or creative ability(ies), exhibits an exceptionally high degree of motivation, and/or excels in specific academic fields, and who needs special instruction and/or special ancillary services to achieve at levels commensurate with his or her abilities.

Eligibility is based upon (1) mental Ability, (2) achievement, (3) creativity and (4) motivation.

(1)	Mental Ability: To be eligible for programs in grades K-2, a student must score in the 99th percentile on a standardized test of mental ability and in the 96% percentile for grades 3-12. (2)	Georgia law also requires that students score at or above the 90th percentile on the battery, math or reading section of a standardized achievement test. (3)	A student must also score at or above the 90th percentile on the total battery score of a standardized test of creative thinking, or (b) receive a score at or above the 90th percentile on standardized creativity characteristics rating scale, or (c) receive from a panel of three or more qualified evaluators a score at or above 90 on a scale of 1-100 on a structured observation/evaluation of creative products and/or performances. (4)	Motivation is determined with a standardized motivational characteristics rating scale, receive from a panel of three or more qualified evaluators a score at or above 90 on a scale of 1-100 on a structured observation/evaluation of student generated products and/or performances, or (c) have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Educator Requirements
For a teacher to teach a gifted level class, they must be certified to do so for a school to be able to fulfill its gifted education requirements. 

Delivery Models
Resource Class (K-12) -- All students must have been identified as gifted by Georgia State Board of Education criteria. Resource classes in Georgia are almost always found in elementary schools but very rarely afterwards.

Advanced Content Class (6-12) – This is the most common delivery model in Georgia. Students are homogeneously grouped on the basis of achievement and interest in a specific academic content area. The district may elect to include students who are not identified as gifted but who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation in a particular content area.

This could include:

1. Advanced Placement (AP) Courses -- The teacher must have the appropriate content area certification. In addition, the teacher must (a) have been trained by the College Board in that specific AP course and have had at least 10 clock hours of staff development in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or (b) have the gifted endorsement. 2. International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses -- The teacher must have the appropriate content area certification. In addition, the teacher must (a) have been trained by the International Baccalaureate Program in that specific IB subject area and have had at least 10 clock hours of staff development in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or (b) have the gifted endorsement. 3. Honors Courses -- The teacher of a locally developed honors course curriculum must have the appropriate content area certification and the gifted endorsement in order to count the gifted students in the class at the gifted FTE weight.

Cluster Grouping (K-12) -- Identified gifted students are placed as a group into an otherwise heterogeneous classroom, rather than being dispersed among all of the rooms/courses at that grade level.

Collaborative Teaching (K-12) -- Direct instruction may be provided by a regular classroom teacher, but there must be substantial, regularly scheduled collaborative planning between thecontent area teacher and the gifted specialist (the teacher with the gifted endorsement who is serving as the instructional facilitator).

Mentorship/Internship (9-12) -- A gifted student works with a mentor to explore a profession of interest.

Joint Enrollment/Postsecondary Options-- High school students may be enrolled in college, university, or technical school courses.

Under No Child Left Behind
In 2001 and for two years thereafter, gifted education in much of Georgia was essentially eradicated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Many schools eliminated resource and honors classes, the idea being that including gifted students in normal classroom settings were help decrease the achievement gap and school’s were able to fulfill gifted education requirements through cluster grouping and by providing advanced placement courses at the high school level.