GUILFORD GIFTED ADVOCACY STATEMENT

Our Guilford Gifted PAGE Chapter, which supports our community’s brightest minds and advocates for gifted education, believes gifted children deserve their fair share of Guilford County, North Carolina (NC) educational funding and resources. With over 14,000 identified gifted children in the Guilford County public school system and academically gifted services available in every school in our district, these children represent almost 10% of the total student population. With today’s dynamic legislative environment in mind, it’s even more important for us to keep abreast of issues affecting gifted education in NC and locally, and to advance our students’ best interests.

GIFTED EDUCATION IN NC

Per Sneha Shah-Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning and Gifted Education, NC is one of the few states that legislatively mandates “…public schools identify and serve academically or intellectually gifted (AIG) K – 12 students.” While there are many definitions of the academically and intellectually gifted, even among experts, in NC the definition is as follows:

State Definition of AIG Students, Article 9B (N.C.G.S. § 115C-150.5)
Academically or intellectually gifted (AIG) students perform or show the potential to perform at substantially high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experiences or environment. Academically or intellectually gifted students exhibit high performance capability in intellectual areas, specific academic fields, or in both the intellectual areas and specific academic fields. Academically or intellectually gifted students require differentiated educational services beyond those ordinarily provided by the regular educational program. Outstanding abilities are present in students from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

GIFTED EDUCATION IN GUILFORD COUNTY

In NC, each Local Education Agency (LEA), such as a county school system, is given the latitude to determine how to identify and serve its own AIG population while adhering to state legislation and the NC AIG Program Standards, which provide a statewide framework and guide for LEAs as they develop, coordinate and implement their AIG programs.

In Guilford County, as with other LEA’s across the state, our Academically Gifted Department (AG) has updated its plan for 2016-2019 plan as required by the NC State Department of Public Instruction. As part of the plan’s creation, parents, teachers and administrators of gifted students, among others, participated in the review and revision process. We welcome you to read the 2016-2019 plan.

Contact Dibrelle Tourret, Director of AG Services for Guilford County Schools, if you would like to be on the advisory team for the 2019-2022 plan.

EDUCATION CHANGES IN THE LAWS

In 2013, the protected and dedicated 4% of funding for academically gifted education has been reclassified as “Flexible Spending” by the 2013 NC Legislature via Senate Bill 402. This means LEAs, including Guilford County Schools, are allowed to transfer funding out of AIG/AG programs and use this funding for other educational purposes. As of 2018, GCS uses the money for the dedicated Elementary AG teachers.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Guilford County Schools Academically Gifted Department Team

Guilford County Board of Education

Guilford County Schools

North Carolina Association of Educators

NC Senate and House Representatives

NC DPI Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education

ADVOCATING FOR YOUR CHILD

Recommendations for advocating for your gifted child

Parent-Teacher conferences and advocating for your gifted child