Gifted Education

The Mississippi Gifted Education Act of 1989, as amended in 1993, mandates that each public school district within the state provide gifted education programs for intellectually gifted students in grades two through six. Students must meet specific state and district guidelines as outlined in state regulations and OSSD BOT Policy IDE - Gifted Education Program. Although students are usually referred by teachers for screening, parents can also initiate referrals by contacting the Connections teacher at the child’s school. Referrals for the gifted program, for grades 2-6, are accepted year-round. All requests for testing should be directed via email to the student’s homeroom teacher and/or the gifted teacher of that campus.

 

The State of Mississippi mandates the assessment and placement process to be completed in a timely manner. Testing periods will be designated by OSSD Student Services and Phase I testing will be administered in the spring of each year for all referrals. Students who are new to OSSD can be tested after their first nine weeks of attendance. Students will only be tested twice by the district. A blanket screener will be administered yearly.