Cherry Creek Schools defines gifted and talented students as children between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs.

Gifted students also include students with disabilities (i.e. twice-exceptional). Exceptional abilities or potential are present in all ethnic and cultural groups, across all socio-economic strata and in all arenas of human endeavor.

Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of one or any combination of the following areas of giftedness:

• General or specific intellectual ability
• Specific academic aptitude
• Creative or productive thinking
• Leadership abilities
• Visual Arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities

Philosophy

Cherry Creek Schools believes that gifted and talented students have unique academic and affective needs. Administrators and teachers support a philosophy that emphasizes the need for a challenging learning environment that focuses on high achievement for every gifted and talented student, as well as meeting their unique social and emotional needs.

• Programming for gifted and talented students must be responsive to individual needs and must recognize the multiple talents, challenges, and cultural and linguistic diversity of the district's population.
• Cherry Creek Schools supports researched-based strategies that provide opportunities for optimal learning to ensure that gifted and talented students will perform at levels commensurate with their abilities.
• Gifted and talented students should be provided dynamic and challenging educational programming at every level throughout their school career.
   

Mission Statement

The purpose of gifted education in Cherry Creek Schools is to inspire students to maximize growth and cultivate talent in both academic and affective domains.