Overview

The mission of the Park City School district, in partnership with the home and community, is to provide varied educational opportunities in a safe environment that encourages and supports each student to become an active learner and critical thinker who strives to achieve his or her highest potential as an ethical and responsible citizen in a global environment.

Gifted and talented students present a unique and frequently unmet challenge. All too often in society these students are misunderstood, mishandled, neglected, and overlooked in our classrooms.

The fact that there is a special population of exceptionally high performing students who need specialized programming has long been recognized across the country. The following is a nationally recognized definition based on the federal Gifted and Talented Education Act:

"Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools. Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor."

- National Excellence: A Case for developing 
American's Talent, 1993

Clearly, there are many areas in which gifted and talented students can excel. While all of these are potentially important to the individual, limited resources constrict our ability to fully address each of them. The priority use of resources in Park City's Gifted and Talented Program will be assigned to the academic domain. Efforts are consistently made to help provide opportunities for children to express their gifts and talents in other domains. Currently, Park City has established a more restrictive definition to conform to its limited financial resources.

Academically gifted and talented students are those with outstanding academic ability or those who show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of academic accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment, and who need program modifications to receive an appropriate education. The distinction between gifted and talented is individual for each student and is based upon the severity of need. Needs of moderately talented students may well be met through enrichment opportunities within the regular school program. By contrast, the needs of some profoundly gifted students might only be met in a specialized district-wide program. These extremes define a continuum of need between moderately talented and profoundly gifted. Each academically gifted or talented student needs to be placed appropriately on this continuum.

Gina Mason, PCSD Gifted and Talented Coordinator

• 435-645-5600 ext 1435
• gmason@pcschools.us

DeEtte Earl, PCSD Elementary Gifted and Talented Specialist

• 435-645-5600 ext 3094
• dearl@pcschools.us