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 Application Process for the 2024 - 2025 School Year is CLOSED for parents/guardians. DCSD will not accept any further applications for the 24-25 school year directly from parents/guardians.
The Early Access to Kindergarten and First Grade Application Window for the 2024-2025 School Year is Now CLOSED. DCSD will not accept any further applications for the 24-25 school year. Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
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