Gifted Education in Ohio

In 2012, the state of Ohio changed the way school report cards are calculated. Part of this change was made to reflect the presence and effectiveness of gifted education programs in Ohio school districts.

            Gifted students have different needs than the average student population. Gifted students are defined by the National Association for Gifted Children as “students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities” One of these students, Blake Bain, was enrolled in a gifted program in elementary school. Blake remembers determining their eligibility for the gifted program. “I had to take a really long IQ test.”

            The state of Ohio tracks gifted programs and the number of students enrolled in public school gifted programs. The US Department of Education estimates that around 6% of public school students are gifted in some way, whether intellectually or creatively.