The Carroll Independent School District’s gifted and talented services are available to students in grades K-12. The array of services is designed to meet the diverse needs of the gifted population. Gifted program options enable gifted students to work together as a group, work with other students, and work independently. Flexible pacing and grouping patterns as well as independent investigations are some of the strategies used to allow students to learn at a pace and level appropriate for the students’ abilities and skills.

CISD uses Dr. Donald Treffinger’s Levels of Service Model and Dr. George Betts’ Autonomous Learner Model of the Gifted and Talented as the framework for the district’s GT Program. CISD believes special provisions should be provided to accommodate the needs of gifted and talented students in all educational situations and settings that may be appropriate. Gifted and talented education may be categorized as accelerated and/or enriched.

To learn more about Carroll ISD’s GT Program and how children are identified, please go to their  GT web page .

What is Giftedness?

Carroll ISD defines a Gifted Student as a student who performs at or has the potential of performing at a significantly high level of accomplishment in comparison to others of the same age, experience, and/or environment in one or more of the following areas:

• Intellectual. Superior intellectual ability as commonly measured by standardized measures of intelligence and aptitude
  
• Creative. Unusual ability to use original or nontraditional methods of thinking and producing
  
• Artistic. Outstanding ability in the visual and/or performing arts
  
• Leadership. High ability in motivating the performance of others either in educational or non-educational settings
  
• Specific academic ability. High academic ability in one or more specific academic fields
  

• Carroll Independent School District GT Department
  
• Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) 
  

TAGT is an organization of educators and parents dedicated to meeting the unique needs of gifted and talented students. TAGT is the nation’s largest state advocacy group of its kind, providing nearly 3,000 members and friends of gifted youth a forum for exchanging ideas and information about the education of gifted and talented students.

• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
  

NAGC is an organization of parents, teachers, educators, other professionals, and community leaders who unite to address the unique needs of children and youth with demonstrated gifts and talents as well as those children who may be able to develop their talent potential with appropriate educational experiences.

• Texas Education Agency (TEA)
  
• http://sengifted.org/ http://sengifted.org/
  

SENG’s mission is to empower families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their goals: intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

• Mensa For Kids
  
• Uniquely Gifted
  

Twice-exceptional children (that is, intellectually gifted children with special needs such as AD/HD, learning disabilities, Asperger Syndrome, etc.) have a hard time of it in our education system – because their giftedness can mask their special needs and their special needs hide their giftedness, they are often labeled as “lazy”, “unmotivated”, “not trying”.

• Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP)
  

Since 1980, the Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) has been a world leader in identifying academically talented students and providing innovative programs to support the development of their optimal potential.  Check out this video on Social and Emotional Characteristics of Gifted Students  CLICK HERE

• Davidson Institute for Talent Development
  
• Advanced Learning Program developed by Stanford University
  

Guided by ongoing research at Stanford University, GiftedandTalented.com provides innovative educational tools, unmatched expertise and a supportive community to help students become advanced learners.

• John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
  

John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth is an award-winning online community and website for exceptional students from around the world who love science, technology, engineering and math. On Cogito, students can participate in online interviews with scientists and mathematicians of all ages; view news articles, essays, book reviews, videos and blogs pertaining to myriad science and math topics; and access a searchable database of academic programs and math and science competitions.

• Odyssey of the Mind
  

The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students to learn creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. For more than twenty five years, this unique program has helped teachers generate excitement in their students. By tapping into creativity, and through encouraging imaginative paths to problem-solving, students learn skills that will provide them with the ability to solve problems -- great and small -- for a lifetime.

Local Summer Programs

• Camp Invention
  
• Tarrant County College for Kids
  

SAGT has donated many reference materials to the Southlake Public Library.  

Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Resource for Parents & Teachers, Carol  Strip & Gretchen Hirsch (2000)
The difference between a gifted and a very smart child, student, or adult is found in the depth and intensity of the following traits. When considering whether a child is gifted, the authors of the above-referenced book recommend that parents and teachers consider the intensity or degree to which they see the traits below.