“Understanding and Challenging the Gifted”

A message from PAGE and PSEA

Dear Teachers: Welcome to the world of gifted education! A gifted child’s academic and intellectual future can be shaped considerably by your awareness of the special needs of gifted students and the provision of appropriate services to best meet their needs. Research suggests that a teacher is one of the main determiners of a child’s educational success.

As a teacher of Pennsylvania’s highly capable students, it is important that you become a major player in a gifted child’s education. You can help shape the future of these students by being aware of their unique learning needs and providing appropriate services to bring out their best.

Meeting the needs of each student in your classroom is a challenging responsibility and one required by Chapter 16 regulations. Every child deserves an appropriate education. The gifted child is no exception. Students learn at different speeds and differ in their ability to understand complex concepts. Advanced learners need a challenging curriculum that matches classroom strategies with the special needs of the gifted student’s performance and potential.

Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) and Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) have partnered to develop this booklet as a helpful tool for you to teach and encourage the growth of every student’s advanced cognitive abilities. We invite you to take the first step in learning how to meet the needs of the gifted learner through the information and resources provided in this publication.

Sincerely yours,

Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education Pennsylvania State Education Association

Download a copy of the Handbook

*A Parent Guide has also been developed by PSEA/PAGE – A Parent’s Handbook to Gifted Education in Pennsylvania