Full Menu
Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs → Accelerated and Enriched Instruction
Montgomery County Public Schools is committed to providing rigorous instructional programs that encourage all students to realize their full potential as learners. A continuum of programs and services are provided.
Students’ learning may be enriched and accelerated; and, students may participate in advanced-level coursework at their local schools. Instruction is differentiated to provide all students appropriate pacing and support necessary for advanced-level learning.
Students may also attend special programs such as centers for enriched studies, magnet programs, or specialized programs, based on their interest and talent.
Gifted and Talented decision letters were sent to families of students participating in the screening process from Central Office the week of June 7. Letters will be uploaded to ParentVue by the end of the month.
In response to the global pandemic and the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) current instructional model, the Gifted and Talented (GT) Identification process for the 2020-2021 school year has been modified. The Pandemic Plan for GT Identification included universal screening for students in both second and third grades because current third grade students were not screened as second graders. In addition, students in Grades 5 and 7 who are new to MCPS or who had been identified for rescreening, also went through the GT Identification process. Multiple measures were used to determine if students met the GT criteria, including math data, literacy data, parent input, and teacher input. The 2020-2021 modified process used measures for literacy and mathematics from the 2019-2020 and the 2020-2021 school years in order to ensure that academic measures from before the pandemic were reviewed in addition to more current data. The CogAT™ cognitive assessment was not administered this year. For more information about the specific criteria used and answers to frequently asked questions, please read: 2020-2021 Understanding the Gifted and Talented Identification Process Pandemic Plan .
The GT Identification Process is not connected to the magnet program (criteria based) process. If you have questions about the criteria based process, please visit the Special Programs website.
If you still have questions about the modifications in the GT Identification Process for 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 due to the pandemic, please call AEI at 240-740-3110 and leave a message and include a brief summary of your question, your child's id number, grade, school and your contact information. We are able to respond via email more quickly than returning phone calls.
If you have questions about the instructional recommendations for your student please contact your school administrator or check the Gifted and Talented Liaison or Accelerated and Enriched Support Teacher (AEIST) List to identify an additional point of contact for your school.
Parents of students in grade 2, 3, or 5 whose students were not identified as Gifted and Talented may use the link below to request that their student be re-evaluated at the next screening opportunity.
Request for rescreening [https://bit.ly/request_rescreen]
2020-2021 Understanding the Gifted and Talented Identification Process Pandemic Plan
Elementary ProgramsCenters for Enriched Studies, Enriched Literacy Curriculum
Middle School ProgramsMagnet Programs
High School ProgramsMagnet Programs, Local Enriched Courses in Math and World Studies
Twice Exceptional Students and ServicesFrequently Asked Questions, Publications and Resources about gifted students with disabilities (e.g. GT/LD)
Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) School Awards Program- This program honors exceptional elementary, middle, and high schools that offer gifted and telented programs aligned with the objectives and criteria of the Maryland Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines and Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 13A.04.07 Gifted and Talented Education. The following MCPS schools have been named EGATE schools:
About Accelerated and Enriched InstructionAEI Vision, Mission and MCPS GT Policies
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 259 Rockville, Maryland 20850
Fax: 301-279-3529Telephone: 240-740-3110
AEI is part of the MCPS Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs (OCIP).
The AEI Feedback Council provides feedback and continuing guidance to staff on MCPS programs and the implementation of MCPS Policy IOA Gifted and Talented Education (PDF). The committee is comprised of 20-25 community and staff stakeholders who represent multiple points of view.