After careful review of the proposed revisions of the Regulations Governing Educational Services for Gifted Students, the Gifted Education Local Advisory Committee of Essex County Public Schools believes:

1. that each school division should continue to develop a five year plan that is reviewed and approved by the Department of Education, as opposed to the proposed annual plan that is reviewed and approved by local school boards
2. that references in the area of identification criteria should be changed to "individual or group nationally norm-referenced aptitude and/or achievement tests"
3. that references to business days should be changed to instructional days
4. that the funding language should be reinstated in the regulations

     We also request that serious consideration should be given to the changes proposed by both the Virginia Association for the Gifted and the Virginia Consortium of Gifted Education Administrators.  Thank you.