Skip Maine state header navigation

Agencies | Online Services | Help

Skip First Level Navigation | Skip All Navigation

Special Services Home > Gifted and Talented

Gifted and Talented

Welcome to the Department of Education gifted and talented website. The purpose of this website is to provide you with information and support for developing and maintaining programs for gifted and talented students.

Maine law required school administrative units to establish educational programs for gifted and talented children by 2012-2013 in the schools of the unit. The Department of Education highly recommends school administrative units establish and/or maintain the gifted and talented education program standards for approval and funding of such programs as authorized by Title 20-A, section 8101, et seq. and section 15672, sub-section 9-A.

In Chapter 104: Educational Programs for Gifted and Talented Children, gifted and talented children are defined as children in grades K-12 who excel, or have the potential to excel, beyond their age peers, in the regular school program, to the extent that they need and can benefit from programs for the gifted and talented. Gifted and talented children shall receive specialized instruction through these programs if they have exceptional ability, aptitude, skill, or creativity in one or more of the following categories:

  1. General Intellectual Ability as shown by demonstrated significant achievement or potential for significant accomplishment above their age peers in all academic areas.
  2. Specific Academic Aptitude as shown by demonstrated significant achievement or potential for significant accomplishment above their age peers in one or more academic area(s)
  3. Artistic Ability as shown by demonstrated significant achievement or potential for significant achievement above their age peers in the literary, performing, and/or visual arts.

Children with exceptional General Intellectual Ability and/or exceptional Specific Academic Aptitude usually comprise five percent of the population. Students with exceptional Artistic Ability usually comprise five percent of the population. Children in the top two percent of the school population may be considered highly gifted.

A gifted and talented educational program shall mean a comprehensive K-12 program that provides specialized instruction beyond that available within the regular school program.