NJAGC/DOE Action Planjuly 13, 2017
NJAGC/DOE Action PlanJuly 13, 2017
THE PRESENCE OF STATE POLICY FOR GIFTED EDUCATION IS A SIGNIFICANT EQUALIZER OF OPPORTUNITIES
With no specific mandate of guidelines for gifted programs at the federal level, states assume responsibility for meeting the needs of gifted students, thus elevating the need for strong state policy that is informed by research and best practice.
(State Policy in Gifted Education, Lord and Swanson, 2016)
Questions:
●Who is officially responsible in OUR state for gifted and talented provisions?
●Gifted fits within many divisions of the Department of Education (2e = special ed, ELL underidentified gifted, testing (who opts out), teacher certification, special programs, social / emotional and bullying...GIFTED needs a spokesperson at every table when these items are being addressed.
○At the Accountability meeting-mentioned that the NJSBA is interested in ‘school climate’ and ‘social/emotional development’ these align with gifted student concerns
○Indicators such as bullying, absenteeism, suspensions/arrests, etc. could potentially stem from lack of understanding of needs for services for gifted students (esp in low SES communities)
●Can we be part of the Summer QSAC writing process (Diana)?
●See below for NJAGC’s requested timeline
Important Information:
●Components of an effective, comprehensive state policy (Van Tassel-Baska, 2005) (Texas has an excellent model)
○Identification
○Program, curriculum, and service
○Personnel preparation
○Program management through assessment and evaluation
○
●Connecticut has passed a law that requires the state department of education to designate an employee to specialize in gifted education and to develop guidelines and provide help to districts for gifted services and assure compliance with administrative code.
●Oklahoma publishes an Annual Report on Gifted and Talented Education which
○Outlines the role of the State DOE
○Reports on the data collected
○Outlines the programming options for gifted and talented students
○
●NAGC Gifted Standards
○Standards provide a basis for policies, rules, and procedures that are essential for providing systematic programs and services to any special population of students.
○While standards may be addressed and implemented in a variety of ways, they provide important direction and focus to design and develop multiple service options for gifted learners at the local level.
○
TIMELINE
JULY:
●Designate a contact person in the DOE to work directly with NJAGC Committee on these action items. Schedule upcoming meetings at least once per month.
Notes:
●Ensure that the DOE website has been updated to reflect changes suggested by NJAGC (see previous email from Roberta Braverman, also included in this folder)
Notes:
●Once website is updated, DOE will send an email to all Superintendents which will include a link to the Gifted and Talented section of the DOE website
Notes:
JULY/AUGUST:
●Update QSAC and/or School Report (June 2018) to include Gifted and Talented data collection
○For the purpose of ensuring that districts are compliant with state law regarding gifted education
○To raise awareness that districts need to identify gifted students and provide appropriate gifted services
○To enable New Jersey to apply for and receive Javits grant money to use for gifted research and programming
○Questions to include (at least the following, but see below for Oklahoma’s report):
■How many staff members are responsible for teaching gifted students (per grade)?
■How many students are identified as gifted in your district (per grade)?
Notes:
SEPTEMBER:
●Alert district superintendents that new questions regarding gifted services will be on the School Report in June
○This will prompt them to ensure they are complying with state law
Notes:
●NJAGC and NJDOE will offer training to help districts comply with state requirement for gifted and talented programs at County Level meetings ( & or through workshops at NJPSA/FEA, NJSBA, NJAGC)
Notes:
ONGOING:
●NJDOE to send monthly links to gifted and talented articles (provided by NJAGC) to keep districts abreast of developments in the field
Notes:
Enclosed Items
●Website recommendations (from email correspondence with Roberta Braverman, 6/5/2017)
●Texas State Plan Best Practices
●Oklahoma Annual Report on Gifted and Talented Education
●NAGC Gifted Programming Standards
NJAGC Advocacy Team
Roberta Braverman
Maryellen Moffitt
Carol Rogaski
Lynne Henwood
Website recommendations (from email correspondence with Roberta Braverman, 6/5/2017)
From the educator portal:
we were wondering if a link about gifted and talented might be offered on the left menu pointing to the web pages that will be revised by you as we discussed.
From this page:
Requirements:
broken link here:
New Jersey Student Learning Standards
Gifted and Talented Requirements
March is Gifted and Talented Students Month
replace with
the part that reads: needs clarity (perhaps here or in FAQs)
District boards of education shall make provisions for an ongoing K-12 identification process for gifted and talented students that includes multiple measures, including but not limited to, achievement test scores, grades, student performance or products, intelligence testing, parent, student and/or teacher recommendation, and other appropriate measures.
The goal is many pathways into getting services, not the requirement for a student to meet all of the criteria THIS IS MOST MISUNDERSTOOD, that one score can eliminate a student from eligibility
• Local school districts will continue to be monitored as part of the regular school district evaluation process. Board-approved policies and procedures must be made available.
Is this still accurate? I am waiting to see the link to the proposed QSAC, to see how gifted education will be monitored. Please let me know where i might find it, especially the programs for gifted. Is there anything about requirements for reviewing and updating local policy and procedure? I am sure many districts have not updated since this came out in 2005.
In past meetings we discussed a survey to local districts about gifted education and data gathering through the annual end of year reporting by superintendents for numbers of identified gifted students and numbers of specialized staff. where are we with this?
Is Dale still the contact person?
FAQs
4. What services are required?
All public school districts must have a board-approved gifted and talented identification process and provide services for identified students enrolled in the grades of that school district. The regulations require that identification and services be made available to students in grades K-12.
Perhaps a reference to the section from the old frameworks goes here about grouping, acceleration and enrichment options needs to be here. It is a continuum of services that should be in place to be used based on student needs.
7. We don’t administer standardized tests until grade three. How can we identify students in grades K-2?
District boards of education are required to identify students in grades K-12. The state does not require the use of standardized tests, including the NJASK-3, as part of the identification process. Local districts can identify students using other assessments, including student products, screening checklists, and other identification methods.
Change NJ-ASK to PARCC add “end of book tests” A goal is to provide instruction at the correct challenge level.
9. What types of instructional accommodations must be made for students identified as gifted and talented?
The regulations require that district boards of education provide appropriate K-12 services for gifted and talented students. This includes appropriate curricular and instructional modifications for gifted and talented students indicating content, process, products, and learning environment. District boards of education must also take into consideration the PreK-Grade 12 National Gifted Program Standards of the National Association for Gifted Children in developing programs for gifted and talented students. A copy of those standards was sent to every chief school administrator and is available at In addition, each curriculum framework developed by the NJDOE provides general, as well as content-specific information on gifted education (e.g., terminology, examples of appropriate practices). The frameworks can be accessed at: or at
Your internal links here are broken, and again the grouping, acceleration and enrichment should be mentioned here and that there should be multiple options in place. perhaps putting these two numbers 9, 11 higher or closer to beginning of the list would be relevant.
11. Can honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses be used to satisfy the requirements at the high school level?
While that is a local decision, it is important to note that these courses may not address all areas of giftedness identified prior to high school. High schools must have an identification process and, as such, may establish certain prerequisites for entrance into honors or AP courses. The state does not define what constitutes an “honors” course.
NJAGC would like the the access to advanced courses prior to high school defined and made clear as well as including some wording “Professional training of educators in both in academic areas and social emotional needs, for those who work with gifted and talented students.”
12. Must gifted services be offered during the school day?
Appropriate adaptations are required in order to assist all students to achieve the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. N.J.A.C. 6A:8-3.1 states that district boards of education shall ensure that curriculum and instruction are designed and delivered in such a way that all students are able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills specified by the Core Curriculum Content Standards and shall ensure that appropriate instructional adaptations are designed and delivered for students with disabilities, for students with limited English proficiency, and for students who are gifted and talented. Meeting the needs of gifted students is not an extra-curricular activity or club but a requirement for all New Jersey public schools.
Move up in document based on priority.
14. Are local school districts obligated to accept the evaluation of a student’s giftedness from another state, school district, or independent service?
No. The district board of education establishes the identification criteria, and students are compared to their chronological peers within the district. Therefore, the district is not obligated to accept an out-of-district evaluation. However, new students, particularly those that have been identified as gifted in another setting, should be evaluated by the district in a timely manner.
Can we included that they MAY use tests that are part of a student’s cumulative file?
Is there a way to put in the requirement that if another folder exists beyond the cumulative folder, for testing for gifted services, that it be indicated on a sticker (as disciplinary, special education, ELL, etc. have now) Maybe combine it with
19. How should gifted services be documented on a student’s transcript or report card?
Student performance should be documented as in any other course using grades, narratives, or other means. Unlike some states, New Jersey does not require the use of an individualized education plan (IEP) for gifted students.
16. How should districts identify limited English proficient students?
Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) may be at a significant disadvantage when using more traditional identification methods. Students from disadvantaged households, ethnic minority students and LEP students are clearly underrepresented in gifted programs. For more information on addressing the needs of diverse student populations, please see
not taking to direct link…
Perhaps this link is better?
21. I am moving to New Jersey from another state. How can I find out which New Jersey schools have the best gifted and talented programs? How can I find out what programs are offered in certain schools?
All New Jersey public school districts are required to identify gifted and talented students and provide services. The types of services may differ from district to district. New Jersey does not rank or otherwise evaluate specific gifted programs. For information on programs and services available in a particular district, contact the district or check out its Web site. Contact information on schools and districts is available at You can also find out more about gifted education in New Jersey by going to and
Last link is no longer accessible, group disbanded.
25. I am looking for summer programs for my child. What’s available?
District boards of education may provide summer enrichment programs for all students. One of the best-known national programs, the Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG), began in 1984 with a single session in New Jersey, and has expanded over the past twenty-one summers to include eleven residential sessions in seven states and four-day programs. In 2008, SIG served close to two thousand academically gifted students in kindergarten through 11th grade. The mission of the Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) is to provide the highest quality educational and social opportunities for academically gifted and talented students through programs designed to meet their abilities and needs. For more information go to:
We discussed including JHU/CTY as well as museums, local libraries and county colleges. Group all parent inquiries at end?
22. Does the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) address the gifted child? change to ESSA move it to funding
The federal government does not prescribe programs and services for gifted students (unlike special education). NCLB focuses on improving student achievement with particular emphasis on students in high-need schools. Gifted students are not a subgroup population examined under NCLB testing parameters.
Move this up in order? change to ESSAand add the parts in Title I and II (for allowable use of funds and professional development of all educators about the needs of gifted students