Talented and Gifted TAG webpage

- ACPS

The Talented and Gifted (TAG) referral deadline for the 2021-22 school year at ACPS is Nov. 12, 2021. All K-12 students at ACPS who show evidence of superior performance and exceptional academic potential can be eligible for the TAG program. ACPS believes that students among all ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups should be provided with an education that enables them to achieve excellence, developing their abilities to the fullest. 

Parents/guardians or teachers may submit TAG referrals through PowerSchool forms translated into four different languages: English, Spanish, Amharic and Arabic. Anyone who would like to refer and does not have access to PowerSchool may contact the TAG designee at the child’s school to receive a paper copy of the referral form.

Referrals to the TAG Program may result from ability tests given to all students in grades one and three, along with assessment data in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Referrals may also be submitted by parents, teachers, or community members during the first 90 days of the school year. 

Students who are referred must show evidence of superior performance in at least three of the qualifying criteria, one of which must be a standardized test including:

  • Ability Test
  • Achievement Test
  • Classroom Grades
  • Characteristics & Classroom Behaviors
  • Advanced Transfer Tasks

Overview of TAG services:

Grades K-3: General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA)

Enriched and integrated classroom activities designed to enhance creativity and problem-solving without being specifically tied to one subject area.

Grades 4*-5: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA)

  • Math and Language Arts: Direct instruction from a teacher specializing in teaching talented and gifted children with an enriched or accelerated curriculum and significantly above grade-level expectations.
  • Science and Social Studies: Differentiated Educational Plans (DEPs) outline individual enrichment and extension activities to be completed in the general education classroom.

*For rising fourth-grade GIA students, a new referral is required to transition to SAA services; otherwise, GIA services continue.

Grades 6-12: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA)

  • Online Courses
  • Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
  • Independent Study
  • Dual-Enrollment in college courses
  • Access to Summer Residential Governor’s School

For more information about the TAG screening process, please visit the TAG webpage.