The Importance of Identifying Talent
In Jeffco Schools, we realize the importance of identifying gifted students so that we can then begin cultivating their talent and better meet their needs. Therefore, we accept and encourage referrals from a wide variety of sources for all grade levels of students in all of our district schools. In Jeffco, we follow the Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) GT Identification guidelines in making our identification decisions.
Read more about Identification practices in Jeffco Schools.
Why ID?
The purpose for identification is to provide programming different from the standard curriculum to better meet the unique needs of gifted students. Those students whose academic and affective needs are being met by the standard curriculum are not likely candidates for GT identification.
Types of Giftedness / Strength Areas
Giftedness may take a variety of forms, but can be generally broken into 2 broad categories as per CDE’s GT Definition and ID guidelines:
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Intellectual/Academic Ability: this is what people typically think of as giftedness in an academic setting, with strength areas such as
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Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, General Intellectual Ability
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'Talent' Aptitude: these are strength areas where students may demonstrate exceptionality in fields such as