​Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) believes that within the total student population, there are gifted students who show potential for performing at exceptionally high levels compared to others of their age, experience, or environment. These students are found in all ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic groups and need differentiated instruction to achieve at levels commensurate with their abilities. It is to be expected that a gifted student will acquire the higher levels of thinking -- to apply and synthesize knowledge to new situations, to organize thoughts, and to give value to new and challenging ideas. 

Rockdale County provides special programs and service options for the student identified as intellectually gifted and/or talented that provide experiences which will help each student develop as an independent learner, aware of his or her own worth and the worth of others. Each phase of the program will give participants an increasing responsibility to set goals, to gain the skills necessary to work systematically toward these goals, to develop and maintain a love of learning, to learn from failure, and to gain skill in realistically evaluating their own efforts; therefore, reaching their maximum potential as responsible, productive citizens and lifelong learners. The successful attainment of this goal is dependent upon the collaborative effort among community, educators, and parents.

Goals and Objectives for Gifted Education Services

• Advanced Research Skills: Students in the academic rigor program will conduct authentic research on a variety of topics in different subject areas, selecting, using and reporting findings with the appropriate research methodology.
  Skills include: organizing, asking questions, planning, analyzing, data reporting, and citing references.
• Creative Thinking and Creative Problem Solving Skills: Students in the academic rigor program will develop and apply creative thinking skills in order to generate original ideas and solutions.
  Skills include: flexibility, fluency, originality and elaboration in thought, divergent and convergent thinking, brainstorming, and risk taking.
• High Order/Critical Thinking/Logical Problem Solving Skills: Students in the academic rigor program will use higher order thinking skills to further develop their understanding of the concepts and practice the skills of critical thinking.
  Skills include: predicting, inferring, questioning, defending decisions, evaluating and adjusting decisions, and developing intellectual empathy.
• Communication Skills: Students in the academic rigor program will develop advanced communication skills through the creation of products that utilize new techniques, materials, and formats and are presented and critiqued by real audiences.
  Skills include: presentation skills, debates, speeches, non-verbal communication, and technology integration.
• Understanding of self and interactions with others: Students in the academic rigor program will participate in activities that will allow for interaction with others of gifted ability and learn to deal effectively with concerns and issues facing themselves and their peers, in order to provide a foundation for self-understanding and leadership ability.
  Skills include: group discussion skills, group dynamics, questioning skills, identifying, varying perspectives, and selecting means of communication.