Aurora Public Schools

Our Mission 

We affirm that gifted learners have unique cognitive, emotional, and social needs and deserve targeted and individualized services. We amplify the voice of gifted learners by advocating for their needs, educating educators, and involving families and the community to inspire all students to challenge the edge of their potential and embrace excellence.

Aurora Public Schools serves gifted and high potential students through the support of a district Director of Advanced Academics and Gifted Services and Teachers on Special Assignment supporting each school in APS. Aurora recognizes gifted identifications of students from military families who have transferred to APS schools. For more information about what is happening with gifted education at your schools, please contact your GT Building Facilitator.

What does it mean to be gifted?

 What is a gifted student?

 "Gifted and talented students" are those students between the ages of four and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one more more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services.

Gifted students include students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic and ethnic, cultural populations. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas:

•  General or Specific Intellectual Ability
•  General or Specific Academic Aptitude
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Math
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • World language
• Specific Talent Aptitudes
  • Creative or Productive Thinking
  • Leadership
  • Dance
  • Music
  • Performing Arts (Theater, Speech, Debate)
  • Psychomotor
  • Visual Arts

 Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) 12.01.(16)

What is a twice-exceptional/multi-exceptional student (2e/3e)?

ECEA defines twice exceptional as:

•  A student who is:
  •  Identified as a gifted student pursuant to Section 12.01(9) of these Rules; and
  • Identified as a child with a disability pursuant to Section 4.02 of these Rules; or
  • A qualified individual pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C.A. §794.

For more information on Twice-exceptionality, please visit the Colorado Department of Education's Website.

What is a "TALENT POOL"?

 What does high potential mean?

 During the identification process, if a student's body of evidence does not lead to formal gifted identification, data can demonstrate the need for the student to be included in a 'high potential' Talent Development Pool. High potential and gifted students have advanced learning capacity compared to same-age students and, as a result, require talent development opportunities and differentiated teaching and learning practices to ensure their specific learning needs are met. High potential students are found among students of all backgrounds. Gaps in achievement, known as excellence gaps, may exist between different groups of high potential and gifted students unless specific support is provided. Recent research indicates that high potential and gifted students will not develop their potential without additional support and differentiated learning experiences. Students selected for talent pool participation receive appropriate programming options and/or interventions to address strength areas. The purpose of a talent pool is to foster potential over time.