I would like to request that the following recommendations be followed:

1. Local plan development should retain the current procedure for school divisions to develop a 5-year plan with peer review, local School Board approval, and Virginia Department of Education approval.

2. Assessments used to identify students for gifted education program services should include a variety of measurements. Nationally norm-referenced assessments must be included among the criteria for identification of general intellectual and specific academic aptitude.

3. School divisions should be allowed to select which of the core academic areas – English, mathematics, history/social sciences, and science – will be a focus for instructional differentiation for gifted learners. This choice permits divisions to assess the needs of their students and select areas that require emphasis based on the stages of child development.

Please contact me at the above email address if I can be of assistance.  Thank you,  Mark Endries