Lake Forest School District 67

What do the terms “Gifted and Talented” mean?

District 67-Board Policy and Philosophy
These are students whose mental development is accelerated beyond the average or who have demonstrated a specific aptitude or talent and can benefit from specially planned educational services to the extent they need them. “Gifted and talented students” include students with exceptional ability in an academic subject, high level thought processes, divergent thinking, creativity and the arts. This description was taken from the Board Policy that was adopted in 1998 and the legal reference is 105ILCS 5/14A-1 et seq.

National Association for Gifted Students
Students who have cognitive abilities significantly above the norm and or who have demonstrated an exceptional aptitude or talent are considered gifted and or talented. They thrive on complexity and depth and need the abstract thinking approach to learning used in gifted education classes.

Here are some additional references that have been used in the gifted community at large:

August 1971 Congressional Report
Gifted and talented children are those identified by professionally qualified people who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance. These are children who require differentiated educational programs and/or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and society.

The Explore and Quest programs in District 67 identify and serve children with gifted intellectual ability (High level thought processes, divergent and abstract thinking) and highly exceptional ability in Math and or Language Arts. Children who excel in creativity and the arts are well served with differentiation within the district curriculum. The students are identified using a matrix and through final determination by the Quest committee. For more information regarding the specifics of the matrix or procedures for admittance into the program please contact Colleen Brueggeman, Director of Gifted Instruction K-4 at
1-847-615-4474.