G/T Support Opportunities
The Gifted and Talented program at Education Service Center, Region 20 (ESC-20) promotes and supports the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented students through professional development and technical assistance. This is accomplished by advocating, designing and providing an array of learning experiences for teachers and administrators of gifted and talented students in order to enable them to provide a nurturing environment in which these students with special abilities, unique needs, and diverse backgrounds are recognized, valued and supported by:
- Promoting development and use of sound identification practices to identify potentially gifted and talented students representative of school community populations and authentic assessments that will accurately measure diverse abilities, intelligences and performance of students placed in gifted education programs
- Supporting the design of programs that align with identification procedures and provide a learning continuum commensurate with individual abilities while emphasizing content in the four core academic areas
- Supporting the creation and alignment of curriculum that reflects modification of depth, complexity, and pacing of the general education program and the delivery modeled after approaches that allow for the fostering of higher level thinking and development of advanced-level products and performances
- Promoting and supporting the planning, development and delivery of professional staff development experiences that will improve understanding and instruction of gifted and talented students
- Utilizing technology to increase understanding of gifted education and promote networking
