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Gifted Education Policies
  

Virginia

State Status: Blue
State Definition of "gifted & talented": “‘Gifted students’ means those students in public elementary and secondary schools beginning with kindergarten through graduation whose abilities and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special programs to meet their educational needs. These students will be identified by professionally qualified persons through the use of multiple criteria as having potential or demonstrated abilities and who have evidence of high performance or capabilities, which may include leadership, in one or more of the following areas:
1. Intellectual aptitude or aptitudes. Students with advanced aptitude or conceptualization whose development is accelerated beyond their age peers as demonstrated by advanced skills, concepts and creative expression in multiple general intellectual ability or in specific intellectual abilities.
2. Specific academic aptitude. Students with specific aptitudes in selected academic areas: mathematics; the sciences; or the humanities as demonstrated by advanced skills, concepts, and the creative expression in those areas.
3. Technical and practical arts aptitude. Students with specific aptitudes in selected technical or practical arts as demonstrated by advanced skills and creative expression in those areas to the extent they need and can benefit from specifically planned educational services differentiated from those provided by the general program experience.
4. Visual or performing arts aptitude. Students with specific aptitudes in selected or visual performing arts as demonstrated by advanced skills and creative expression who excel consistently in the development of a product or performance in any of the visual and performing arts to the extent that they need and can benefit from specifically planned educational services differentiated from those generally provided by the general program experience.”
(8 Virginia Admin. Code § 20-40-20)
Governor: Tim Kaine
State Superintendent: Jo Lynne DeMary
State Dept. of Ed. - Gifted and Talented:
State Association: Virginia Association for the Gifted
Statistics Back to Top
Unknown Students enrolled in grades K-12 (2005-2006)
1,204,808 Students enrolled in grades K-12 (2004-2005)
Unknown Students identified as Gifted and Talented (2005-2006)
159,377 Students identified as Gifted and Talented (2004-2005)
Unknown Dollars allocated for education (2005-2006)
$12,089,354,000 (Estimate) Dollars allocated for education (2004-2005)
Unknown Dollars allocated for Gifted and Talented programming (2005-2006)
$35,012,279 Dollars allocated for Gifted and Talented programming (2004-2005)
23,483 Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses (2005-2006)
20.7% Percentage of all students scoring a 3 or above on Advanced Placement exams (2005-2006)
53 Number of schools offering International Baccalaureate programs (2005-2006)

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Legislation & Funding Back to Top
Yes      Does gifted education legislation exist?
Virginia Administrative Code (PDF)
Yes      Does the legislation mandate that gifted students be served?
Yes      Was there funding for gifted programs for the 2004 - 2005 school year?
Yes      Is identification of gifted students required by state law?
Yes      Does legislation provide for an education program matched to the student's abilities?
Yes      Is there legislation that mandates specialized training in gifted education for teachers of gifted students?
Yes      Are there colleges/universities in the state that offer courses and/or degrees in gifted education?
Click here for a list of Gifted Education Degree Programs.

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Obstacles Back to Top
   We encourage you to post your experiences on the Gifted State Policy Discussion Forum
Schools Back to Top
Nysmith School (Herndon, VA)

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Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students Back to Top
Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies (BCWS)
College of William and Mary Pre-Collegiate Summer Program in Early American History
Cybercamps
Edlin School (Reston, VA)
Global Youth Village
Peabody School (Charlottesville, VA)
Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) - Mary Baldwin College (VA)
Research Science Institute (RSI), (VA)
Saturday and Summer Enrichment Program - College of William and Mary (VA)
Summer Enrichment Program (University of Virginia)
The Youth Chorale
United States Patent and Trademark Office Kids Pages
Virginia Association for the Gifted (VAG), (VA)
Virginia Department of Education (VA)
Virginia Department of Education (VA)
Virginia Governor’s Schools

Do you know of other opportunities in this state that should be featured here? Please recommend them as a resource.
Join the Virginia Gifted Education Policy  Discussion Forum

Information presented on this page was compiled from a variety of resources, including the State of the States Gifted and Talented Education Report 2001 - 2002, published by the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted and the National Association for Gifted Children, Education State Rankings 2003 - 2004 edited by Kathleen O'Leary Morgan and Scott Morgan, and hundreds of websites. Information was also collected through surveys, targeted requests for information to state departments of education, state gifted associations, and other knowledgeable organizations. The Davidson Institute for Talent Development has not verified the accuracy of this information and does not warrant its accuracy or fitness of use for any purpose. Users should verify information prior to taking any action. Furthermore, the appearance of selected programs and/or resources does not imply an endorsement or affiliation. Programs and resources are highlighted for informational purposes only.