Definition: Academically gifted students are those who demonstrate or have the potential to demonstrate outstanding intellectual aptitude and specific academic ability beyond their peers.
Philosophy: The Pitt County School System believes that all students are unique in their abilities to learn and is committed to their continuous academic progress. Because academically gifted students require a higher level of intellectual stimulation than that provided by the regular school program, an educational system must be provided which affords these students the opportunity to develop to their potential.
Program Expectations: A program for academically gifted
students is designed to:
1. Enhance the confidence and accelerate the ability to reason and problem
solve;
2. Establish habits of independent and interdependent life-long learning;
3. Recognize self worth and appreciate the worth of others; and
4. Develop productive behavior.
School Board Goals:
Goal One: Enhance the confidence and accelerate the ability to reason and problem solve
OBJECTIVES: Academically gifted students will:
1. Develop creative and divergent thinking
2. Develop higher-level thinking and questioning skills
3. Develop decision-making strategies; and
4. Be encouraged to exercise risk taking, curiosity, imagination, and a
tolerance for ambiguity.
Goal Two: Establish habits of independent and interdependent life-long learning
OBJECTIVES: Academically gifted students will:
1. Become self-directed learners;
2. Assume responsibility for self-improvement;
3. Seek original solutions to self-selected problems; and
4. Value sharing with, and learning from others.
Goal Three: Recognize self worth and appreciate the worth of others.
OBJECTIVES: Academically gifted students will:
1. Develop skills in listening and seeking understanding of others which
leads to sensitivity towards peers, adults and society in general;
2. Develop an appreciation of their own unique abilities; and
3. Achieve self-actualization of talents.
Goal Four: Develop productive behavior
OBJECTIVES: Academically gifted students will:
1. Develop effective interpersonal communications skills;
2. Develop skills for leadership, including positive influence, continuous
improvement in the quality of work, and seeking to understand and encourage
others; and
3. Become contributors to, as well as consumers of, knowledge.
Eligibility Criteria for Services
“In light of the research on gifted programming, a system using multiple criteria is best employed. Multiple criteria refers to a means of obtaining ‘comprehensive’ information about a student’s abilities by gathering and interpreting results from a number of data sources. This type of review provides not only a mechanism for de4termining the need for high ability program services, but also a way to plan other educational programs and services. Additionally, multiple criteria provide a format for evaluation of student growth and development.” (Frazier, 1995)