Gifted Education at the High School Level
High school gifted students have a variety of offerings to consider. Each high school offers advanced placement courses, gifted program courses, and the services of a gifted resource teacher based at that school. Course offerings emphasize differentiated instruction, specialized programs, and the use of strategies designed especially to raise levels of thinking and learning. Students may apply for admission to the Health Sciences Academy at Bayside High School, the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School, the Technology Academy Program at Landstown High School, or the Global Studies Academy at Tallwood High School. Additional information may be obtained from Kelly A. Hedrick, Director, Office of Gifted Education and Academy Programs at kellya.hedrick@vbschools.com.
The High School Resource Program
See individual school listings.
Within the general school population there are many students whose educational needs are beyond the scope of the regular high school academic program and for whom curricular modifications must be made.
The gifted resource model promotes optimum understanding of the needs of gifted students through the activities of a gifted resource teacher. The program provides a variety of offerings to meet the educational needs of intellectually, academically, and artistically gifted students.
Program offerings are designed to complement and enrich the high school curriculum. Students have the opportunity to take advanced placement (AP) classes in English, science, mathematics, computer science, social studies, and foreign languages. A gifted resource teacher is employed at each high school in Virginia Beach City Public Schools to serve as an advocate for all gifted and talented students. Communicating the needs of gifted learners as well as the choices available to these students is an integral function of the gifted resource teacher.
Several Gifted Program Credit Courses are offered for credit to selected intellectually and artistically gifted students. The classes meet in the afternoons, evenings, and/or on Saturdays, depending on the individual course. Gifted Program Credit Courses are not held in all the high schools. Specific class information is sent to those who register. All courses include independent study expectations. The announced schedule of class meetings for some courses may include field experiences to be arranged at the first class meeting. Transportation to these classes is the responsibility of the student.
Students must complete an approved Gifted Program Credit Courses Add/Drop Form, available in each school, which then must be submitted to the Office of Gifted Education and Academy Programs through the gifted resource teacher.
For the most recent listing of Gifted Program Credit Courses, please see the Gifted Education section of the current Student Guide for High School Students. 
Global Studies Academy Program
Health Sciences Academy Program
Legal Studies Academy Program
Technology Academy Program
The Governor's School for the Arts
http://www.Gsarts.net
Students in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, in grades 9-12, are eligible to attend the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. Students must complete an application and audition for the intensive programs in dance, music, performing arts, theatre, and visual arts. The applications are available from the school all year and the adjudication process takes place in January of each year.
Students take their academic classes at their regular high schools in the morning and attend the Governor's School for the Arts for three hours every day during the regular school year. For each year they attend, students may earn three credits.
For more information, please visit the above web site or call 757-451-4711.
The Governor's Summer Residential Programs
Summer Residential Governor's Schools provide gifted high school juniors and seniors with intensive educational experiences in visual and performing arts, humanities, mathematics, science, and technology, or through mentorships in medicine, marine science, or engineering.
Any Virginia gifted tenth- or eleventh-grade student may apply for the Summer Residential Governor's Schools. Applications are made available in October. Applications may be obtained online at the web site above. Additional copies are sent to high school guidance departments of public and private schools, as well as each school division's gifted education coordinator. Each school division has a specific number of nominations it may send to the Virginia Department of Education.
Nominations may be made by teachers, guidance counselors, peers, or by the students themselves. A school or division selection committee chooses the nominees from each school or division and forwards the nominees to a state committee. Consideration is given to students' academic records, test scores, extra-curricular activities, honors, and awards, creativity, original essays, and teacher recommendations. This process begins in November of each year.
Students applying for the Visual and Performing Arts Summer Residential Governor's School must audition in October in order to be considered for possible nomination from the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Students nominated by VBCPS go on in January to participate in a statewide adjudication where they audition or present portfolios for review before a pair of professionals in the specific arts field. Because of the limited number of residential placements available, not all students who are nominated by their schools can be accepted for participation.
Students are notified of their acceptance status for all summer programs in April of each year.
The Secondary Arts Enrichment Program
Students identified in visual and performing arts and in grades 6 - 12 may participate in opportunities offered through the Secondary Arts Enrichment Program. Workshops, lectures, and other options are advertised in direct mailings to students identified in the particular arts area. Questions may be addressed to Cathy Jones, Gifted Programs Coordinator, at cjones@vbschools.com.
The Application and Referral Process
Students may be considered for gifted identification through referral by parents/guardians, students, teachers, themselves, and other persons who may have knowledge or expertise to make such a referral including community members, or by any other appropriate school personnel e.g., student support teams. Should students be eligible for gifted services, parents/guardians will automatically be sent information about the gifted programs. Referral forms are available in all schools from the gifted resource teacher, the guidance department, or the gifted program contact person and may be submitted at any time during the academic year. Forms are also available through the school division Web site.
Students do not need to have gifted identification in order to make application to academy programs. Please contact the program of interest for more specific information or visit their Web site.
Students in grades 9-12 may make application to the secondary arts enrichment program. Opportunities are dependent upon student interest and accessibility, instructor availability, and budgetary support. Auditions are held in the fall. Applications are available at all schools.
Student eligibility for citywide gifted services is determined through the use of multiple criteria, and students must demonstrate potential for exceptional performance and academic needs that cannot be met through general education curricula. The Virginia Department of Education has established the following categories of giftedness:
Once a student has been tested, an eligibility committee reviews all information submitted to determine the best placement for the student. Criteria for selection will include data from a combination of the following elements:
Applications for citywide gifted services are reviewed periodically throughout the year. Parents/guardians are notified of the committee's decisions by letter.
If the parents/guardians wish to appeal the eligibility committee's decision, they may submit a request to the Director of the Office of Gifted Education and Academy Programs who chairs the second level appeals committee. This committee is composed of the Director of the Office of Gifted Education and Academy Programs, the supervisor of psychological services, an elementary curriculum coordinator, a middle school curriculum coordinator, a high school curriculum coordinator from the Office of Instructional Services and Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
The appeal of a placement decision regarding a student may be made in writing by a parent, a teacher, or other appropriate school personnel. Parents/guardians and students are invited to present new information including a portfolio that they feel would be helpful to the committee in making their decision.
At the committee's initial meeting on the appeal, the committee will review all data that has been collected. At that time, the committee will decide if additional assessment data is needed, and if so, would make a request to psychological services for individual test(s) to be administered; or, the committee may determine that based on the data that has been submitted, no additional data is needed.
The committee's decisions may include one of the following:
Each school division is required to submit to the Virginia Department of Education for approval a plan for the education of gifted students. Copies of Virginia Beach's plan are available upon request. Copies and alternative formats of the document are available at the school administration building.
The Gifted Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is appointed by the division superintendent to offer advice regarding gifted services. The CAC is comprised of parents, gifted education teachers, administrators, gifted students, and the business community. The makeup of the committee reflects the various school levels and populations, geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the community.
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