Gifted and Talented

  • “Gifted and talented student" means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who: exhibit high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area; possess an unusual capacity for leadership; or excel in a specific academic field.” (Texas Education Code Ann. § 29.121)

    See Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 89 for information regarding specific guidelines for gifted education in Texas.

Service Design

  • Hardin ISD services gifted students in the core subject areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.  Program services for Kindergarten students begin March 1st as mandated by the state.  Curricular compacting, completion of the Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP), lesson differentiation, enrichment projects/presentations, and academic competitions are some of the many curricular options afforded to gifted students in the regular classroom setting in grades 1-12.  Gifted program services are provided in open-enrollment Honors, AP, and Dual Credit classes at the secondary level as these rigorous courses stimulate higher level thinking as well as provide opportunities for academic advancement.

Identification Process

  • All campuses in Hardin ISD provide screening, identification, and services for Gifted and Talented students. In order for a student to be identified as Gifted and Talented (GT) in Hardin ISD, data from several quantitative and qualitative criteria are collected to identify students who exhibit potential and/or perform at levels significantly beyond the norm in areas of superior cognitive ability and/or specific academic achievement.

    Quantitative criteria include the following: Verbal, Quantitative, and Non-verbal reasoning and specific academic achievement assessments. Qualitative criteria include the following: a parent survey, a teacher survey and/or observations, and a portfolio of student work, if applicable. Students may be identified as GT in the four core content areas.

    The information is reviewed by the campus GT Building Selection Committee and students are recommended based on the preponderance of evidence. These committees are comprised of campus administrator(s), a counselor, and teacher(s) who have received training in nature and needs of gifted students.

Transfer Students

  • Within District Transfer:  Identified gifted students who transfer from one school site to another school site within the district will be placed immediately into the receiving school’s program.

    Out-of-District Transfer:  To ensure that services are provided to the student in his/her new school district, within ten (10) days the campus must send to the receiving school district the complete data on the referral and identification of the transferring gifted student.

    New to Hardin ISD Transfer:   Students who transfer into Hardin ISD from another public school district and who meet or exceed Hardin ISD criteria for gifted services will receive gifted services upon receipt of student test data and permanent records.  The parents of those students identified as gifted in another public school district whose identification pattern does not meet the Hardin ISD GT identification criteria will be notified that a re-evaluation is needed.  Parent can choose to allow for evaluation or choose to evaluate student during normal testing cycle.  If transfer evaluation is chosen, student will be evaluated within thirty (30) instructional days of entering the district.

General Characteristics

  • From Giftedness and the Gifted: What it is all About, NAGC (These are typical factors stressed by educational authorities as being indicative of giftedness. Obviously, no child is outstanding in all characteristics.)

    • Shows superior reasoning powers and marked ability to handle ideas; can generalize readily from specific facts and can see subtle relationships; has outstanding problem-solving ability.
    • Shows persistent intellectual curiosity; asks searching questions; shows exceptional interest in the nature of man and the universe.
    • Has a wide range of interests, often of an intellectual kind; develops one or more interests to considerable depth.
    • Is markedly superior in quality and quantity of written and/or spoken vocabulary; is interested in the subtleties of words and their uses.
    • Reads avidly and absorbs books well beyond his or her years.
    • Learns quickly and easily and retains what is learned; recalls important details, concepts and principles; comprehends readily.
    • Shows insight into arithmetical problems that require careful reasoning and grasps mathematical concepts readily.
    • Shows creative ability or imaginative expression in such things as music, art, dance, drama; shows sensitivity and finesse in rhythm, movement, and bodily control.
    • Sustains concentration for lengthy periods and shows outstanding responsibility and independence in classroom work.
    • Sets realistically high standards for self; is self-critical in evaluating and correcting his or her efforts.
    • Shows initiative and originality in intellectual work; shows flexibility in thinking and considers problems from a number of viewpoints.
    • Observes keenly and is responsive to new ideas.
    • Shows social poise and an ability to communicate with adults in a mature way.
    • Gets excitement and pleasure from intellectual challenge; shows an alert and subtle sense of humor.