Gifted Education
The Douglas County School District strives to seek out and nurture student potential. We are committed to partnering with families and our community to recognize and support high potential/advanced/gifted and talented learners who require differentiated programming to meet their educational needs and prepare them for their chosen endeavors in society.
Staff
Natasha Langjahr Straayer
Director, Advanced Academics & Gifted Programming
Misty Burkhart
Coordinator, Advanced Academics &Gifted Programming
Christina Levesque
Administrative Assistant
The Discovery Program Spring Application Window for the 2026-2027 School Year is Now OPEN.Application Deadline: March 13, 2026
DCSD will not accept any further applications for the 25-26 school year.
The Early Access to Kindergarten and First Grade Application Window for the 2026-2027 School Year is Now OPEN.Application Deadline: April 1, 2026
No late application will be accepted
Definition of Gifted
Gifted and Talented students are those students between the ages of four and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. 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 Intellectual Ability
- Specific Academic Aptitudes
- Mathematics
- Reading
- Science
- Social Studies
- World Languages
- Writing
- Specific Talent Aptitudes
- Creative or Productive Thinking
- Dance
- Leadership
- Music
- Performing Arts (theater, speech and debate)
- Visual Arts
- Psychomotor