Talented and Gifted

21st Century Curriculum Design in ACPS Content and Program Areas: Talented and Gifted

Alexandria City Public Schools is committed to ensuring that all students maximize their potential and acquire higher-order reasoning skills as well as life-long habits of mind. The ACPS Talented and Gifted program serves students identified with exceptional academic and cognitive-intellectual competencies. From elementary to high school, students receive instruction designed to encourage their creativity, critical reasoning, self-regulation, and self-monitoring. The gifted program offers a range of services, including one-on-one, pull-out, and whole-class instruction.

Key Curriculum Design and Learning Principles for Talented and Gifted Programs:

  • Effective gifted educational programs should reflect an integrated design: (1) emphasis upon concepts, issues, big ideas, themes, and related conceptual organizers; (2) ongoing opportunities for students to explore advanced dimensions of curriculum content; and (3) emphasis upon students' engagement in authentic, real-world process and product generation.
  • Key focus areas in gifted education should include specific academic aptitude (e.g., mathematics, language arts, social studies, science) as well as the visual and performing arts (instrumental and vocal).
  • Gifted education responds to the need of the student and differentiates instruction to accommodate both learning profiles and identified needs.
  • Gifted education is differentiated based upon acceleration, complexity, depth, challenge, and creativity. Learning processes and products generated by students should consistently reflect these controlling principles.
  • The ACPS Talented and Gifted Program was designed on the guiding principles of the Program Design and Curriculum and Instruction sections of the National Association for Gifted Students (Pre-K-12 Gifted Program Standards). They include a continuum of services, flexible grouping of students, and differentiated curriculum.
  • There are no quotas for the number of gifted students served in ACPS. Every student identified as TAG receives the appropriate range of services available.
  • In grades K-3, all gifted students are served in their regular classrooms via a Differentiated Education Plan.
  • In grades 4-5, there are designated TAG classes in Language Arts and mathematics. For other subjects, identified students receive differentiated instruction within their regular class.
  • At the middle school level, students identified for mathematics receive services through a continuum of accelerated math courses. All others are served via the Honors program via differentiated instruction.
  • At the high school level, students can access Honors and a wide range of Advanced Placement classes.

Exemplary Talented and Gifted Programs Reflecting These Principles:

  • Mentorship Program (High School): Gifted students in high school science can enroll in the Independent Science Research class. As part of this experience, they are joined with mentors at local universities who assist them with their research.
  • Math Counts: Currently in development, this middle school mathematics competition allows gifted students to compete with peers from throughout the country, culminating in a national competition.
  • Independent Study: From middle school to high school, gifted students who require independent contracts and online learning opportunities work with educators to design culminating projects and complete online accelerated coursework.