Gifted learners demonstrate the potential for advanced thinking and reasoning, creativity and high achievement when compared to others who are the same age with similar prior learning experiences and comparable home environments and cultures.
Programs and services must be designed to meet their unique cognitive strengths and socio-emotional needs.
Each CCPS school has a gifted education facilitator who addresses gifted education concerns.
Each school board must review and approve a comprehensive plan for the education of the gifted. That plan must provide specific explanations of the school division’s implementation of the Regulations Governing Educational Services for Gifted Students. Read the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted.
Evaluation for gifted services occurs during specific time periods each year. This ensures students are tested at the most appropriate time for their grade level and allows results to be considered in Center-Based Gifted Academy decisions.
Referral deadlines:
A student may be referred for evaluation by:
Referrals are processed after the referral period ends. Once this occurs, parents/guardians receive:
The online Gifted Program Services Referral and Review Form must be submitted to begin the gifted evaluation process. Verbal or email communications do not serve as a substitute for this form.
Once a student is referred, the evaluation is conducted and eligibility and placement are determined. Any new placement begins at the start of the following school year.
The following data is collected and reviewed
Gifted testing must be administered in person, and all testing occurs in the student’s school. If qualifying assessment data or previous areas of academic strength exist, certain portions of the testing may not be required.
Each component of the CCPS operational definition of giftedness is considered in the holistic evaluation of the child. In order to be identified as eligible for gifted services, students must have two evident gifted indicators and at least one identified area of academic strength.
Students found eligible for CBG services will retain eligibility. If a student does not participate in CBG Services they may choose to do so in a subsequent school year.
Strength in English, math, social studies and/or science evident in academic strength indicators such as subject-area performance measurements, student work samples and perception/interest inventories. Academic areas of strength are determined by two evident indicators present in a particular content area.
Students who are not eligible for gifted services but display notable gifted indicators, regardless of the number of demonstrated academic strength areas, may be eligible for monitor status. This means students are placed in classes with a cluster of identified gifted students, and they are monitored and re-evaluated in two years.
Program placement for identified gifted students is determined at the time of the gifted eligibility decision. To ensure fairness, the review goes beyond test scores to include holistic evaluations.
The following data points are used to determine eligibility for Center-Based Gifted (CBG) Services:
Students may enter CBG Services only at the beginning of a school year. However, parents may choose to exit students from CBG Services at any time.
Because a tremendous amount of information is gathered during the evaluation process, it takes time to complete data collection, scoring and processing. Families can expect to receive eligibility results in early February for grades 2-12 and late May for grades K-1.
CCPS families will receive electronic results via ParentVUE. Non-CCPS referrals receive results through the mail. Results include a decision letter and a Gifted Education Eligibility Report (GEER). Learn more about the GEER here.
Parents/guardians with questions about an eligibility decision should contact the school’s gifted identification facilitator using the contact information provided in the decision letter. Parents/guardians with questions about a CBG Academy decision should contact the gifted support staff member at their child’s school.
Parents/guardians may submit an appeal within 10 instructional days from receipt of the decision through the online form linked in the student’s decision letter. Appeals should include specific concerns or circumstances that are believed to impact the eligibility decision. Appeals are reviewed by the Office of Gifted Education and the division’s appeals committee.
The division-level appeals committee reviews all information used in determining student eligibility and considers issues raised in the letter of appeal. A written notification of the decision is provided to parents/guardians and school-level personnel within 15 instructional days after the decision is made. Decisions made by the committee are final.
Chesterfield County Public Schools provides services in the areas of English, math, social studies and science for identified gifted students in grades K-12.
Gifted elementary and middle school students are cluster-grouped as possible with other identified gifted learners. Teachers consider readiness, achievement and interests to modify curriculum and instruction while striving to provide appropriate challenges. This may include curriculum enrichment and extension, differentiated assignments, increased rigor and advanced pacing. Identified gifted students in grades 3-8 may also further qualify to participate in a CBG Academy.
CBG Academy teachers use advanced content, pacing and instructional strategies that provide additional depth, complexity, rigor and challenge for gifted learners. Core content area classes are composed entirely of students eligible for CBG services. Eligible students are assigned to an academy based on their home address.
The high school honors program in English, mathematics, science and history/social sciences provides rigorous curriculum experiences for gifted students in grades 9-12. Additional offerings include advanced placement courses and dual enrollment opportunities. Additionally, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, CodeRVA, and CCPS Specialty centers provide comprehensive services for students with high ability and interest in specific areas.
Students who reside in Chesterfield County may apply to participate in two regional governor’s school opportunities. Beginning in mid-October each year, eligible eighth graders may apply to these regional programs through the CCPS Online application portal.
The number of available slots at each school varies from year to year. The number of returning upperclassmen (rising sophomores, juniors and seniors) subtracted from the total number of CCPS slots determines the number of students who will be offered admission.
Students must reside in a participating school division and must apply through the division in which they live. Chesterfield County Public Schools uses an online application portal. CCPS students log in using RapidIdentity, while non-CCPS students must create an account. Paper applications are not used in Chesterfield County Public Schools; all applicants must apply through the CCPS application portal.
The Regional Evaluation Committee, consisting of teams of educators representing participating school divisions, is trained to evaluate each portion of the student’s application. The regional core team of gifted education program administrators representing the participating school divisions and the Coordinator of Admissions oversee the process.
Transportation is provided from a variety of pick-up points throughout the county. More information is available on the transportation page.
The number of returning upperclassmen (rising sophomores, juniors and seniors) subtracted from the total number of CCPS slots determines the number of students who will be offered admission.
Applicants should review the information provided on this page before applying. This information is specifically for applicants from Chesterfield County and may differ slightly from information provided on the governor’s school websites.
Chesterfield County has a total of 129 allocated slots in grades 9-12 at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School. Chesterfield will have about 30 open slots to fill for the 2023-24 school year.
Chesterfield County has a total of 228 allocated slots in grades 9-12 at Maggie L. Walker Regional Governor’s School. There will be about 50 open slots to fill for the 2023-24 school year.
When enrolling children in a Chesterfield County public school, parents/guardians need to notify the enrolling school if the student was identified for gifted services in the previous school system so the appropriate records may be obtained. Necessary documentation includes:
After confirming gifted identification and placement from the previous school system, the student will be provisionally placed in services most comparable to those received in the student’s last school. The child will then be evaluated using Chesterfield County criteria prior to the end of the school year when possible. A previous identification in another school system does not guarantee eligibility for CCPS gifted services.
A fall assessment opportunity is available for students in grades 2-12 who are not enrolled in CCPS but are residents of Chesterfield County. A student in grades 2-12 who resides in Chesterfield County and who attends a non-CCPS school may be referred for gifted evaluation in the fall testing window. An online submission may be made through the online Gifted Program Services Referral and Review Form.
The referral will be processed by staff at the school in the student’s attendance zone. Any required testing will occur at this location based on the testing schedule established by that school. The parent/guardian is responsible for transporting their student to testing sessions. Other required components of the identification protocol such as grades, work samples and teacher perception inventories will be requested from the student’s current, non-CCPS school. These components must be provided to determine eligibility for services.
This School Board advisory committee reviews the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted each year and determines the extent to which the previous year’s plan was implemented. It is composed of parents of identified gifted students, community members, teachers, administrators and identified gifted students.
Meetings are open to the public. Information on meeting dates and locations may be found on the Chesterfield County School Board site. To navigate to the materials, select LIBRARY in the upper right corner and select Gifted Education Advisory Committee from the dark gray list of items that appears on the left.
School Day: 7:35 a.m. – 2:05 p.m.
Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Address: 3800 Cougar Trail
Chester, VA 23831
Office: (804) 524-3620
Attendance: (804) 524-3627
Clinic: (804) 524-3620 ext. 114
Fax: (804) 520-0189
Email: CVRMS_Mail@ccpsnet.net
School Mascot: Cougars
School Colors: Blue & Red
