Maryland Honors 10 Schools for Gifted and Talented Programs

Schools Will Receive Awards in February

BALTIMORE — Maryland will honor ten schools next month with the Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) School award, which recognizes top elementary, middle, and high school programs.

Now in its seventh year, the EGATE awards spotlight gifted and talented programs aligned with the Maryland Criteria 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.

The 2016 EGATE schools are:

Crofton Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Piney Orchard Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
Severna Park Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Cecil Elementary School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Charles County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
William B. Wade Elementary School, Charles County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
Chevy Chase Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
Whitehall Elementary School, Prince George’s County Public Schools

In the seven years of the award’s existence, 44 different schools from 10 school systems have earned the EGATE status. Five schools have earned the designation twice. 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 16 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 will be honored at a meeting of the Maryland State Board of Education and host celebratory visits from Advisory Council members and MSDE staff in the spring. These schools will serve as models for other schools that want to achieve this status.

More information on the EGATE School Awards Program is available at http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/giftedtalented/index.html. Schools interested in applying for the 2017 EGATE program will submit applications to MSDE for review by December 01, 2017.