Maryland Honors Three Schools For Gifted And Talented Programs

February is Gifted and Talented Education Month

For Immediate Release                                                 Contact: Bill Reinhard, 410.767.0486

Three Maryland schools this month are receiving  Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) School Awards, which recognize top  elementary, middle, and high school programs.

The 2014 EGATE schools are:

Cross Country Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Greenbelt Elementary School, Prince George’s County Public Schools

Now in their fifth year, the EGATE awards spotlight gifted and talented programs aligned with MarylandCriteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines and State regulations for  Gifted and Talented Education.  Each EGATE school submits a comprehensive application which provides documentation of 21 criteria of excellence under four program objectives: student identification, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and program management and evaluation.

In the five years of the award’s existence, 33 schools from 10 school systems have earned the EGATE status. Members from the Maryland Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education and local school system personnel review and score the EGATE applications, which
document the school’s gifted and talented program activities over a 15 month period.

This year’s new EGATE schools will be recognized during Maryland’s Gifted and Talented Education month at a reception and awards ceremony on February 25 from 5– 8 p.m. at North County High School in Glen Burnie. 

EGATE schools receive a citation from the Governor, and the EGATE banner to display on their school buildings and websites.  They host celebratory visits from Advisory Council members and MSDE staff and serve as models for other schools that want to achieve this status.

More information on the EGATE School Awards Program is available athttp://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/giftedtalented. Schools interested in applying for the 2015 EGATE program will submit applications to MSDE for review by November 20, 2015.