Our Gifted & Talented Education Program is designed to meet the diverse and unique needs of the gifted population. It is our mission to identify and serve students who, by virtue of exceptional abilities, are capable of high performance in general intellectual ability, specific subject matter aptitude, and creative productive thinking.

Contrary to widespread belief, gifted and talented students do not ordinarily excel to their potential without assistance.  They also need the experience of working with and relating to both their chronological age group and their intellectual peer group.  They are children, and they have all the normal needs of children.  Their giftedness does not guarantee motivation, adjustment, achievement, or success of any variety.  Thus, it is felt that gifted and talented students do need continued challenges and stimulation, association with others of similar ability, and a differentiated educational program.

At Anna ISD, it is the goal of the district to meet the needs of the gifted and talented students through program goals targeted to ensure that those students who participate in G/T services demonstrate skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication. The program goals include:

• developing students’ abilities to effectively use a variety of higher cognitive thinking processes suited to given situations.
• developing students’ abilities to conduct advanced levels of research in areas of interest and to communicate the results in appropriate modes of expression.
• developing students’ abilities to recognize and solve real, meaningful problems by planning and completing investigative studies that result in creative and appropriate solutions.
• developing students’ abilities to understand and to cope with their special talents and to successfully interact with other students both in and out of the program.
• developing students’ understanding of their unique potentials as leaders and contributors to society.
• implementing Gifted/Talented curriculum to meet the needs of all students gifted in specific areas.
• providing ongoing staff development for all teachers to ensure that Gifted/Talented students receive appropriate instruction in all subject areas.
• identifying gifted and talented students in an ongoing process throughout the school year and to assess those students that show exceptional abilities so they may be served by the Gifted/Talented K-12 program.