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Gifted & Talented Education · Delaware

Gifted Education in Delaware: Every District Has a Plan, But Each Plan Is Its Own

Delaware’s gifted education framework is built on a foundational principle: every district and charter school must have a DDOE-approved plan, but each defines its own “capacity”: the giftedness areas it identifies and serves. Six areas are recognized. No district is required to serve all six. Understanding your district’s specific plan is the starting point for everything.

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19
traditional school districts, each required to have a DDOE-approved G/T Education Plan
6
giftedness areas recognized; districts choose which areas are within their capacity
5 years
maximum review cycle; DDOE reviews every plan for compliance and equitable practices
1982
year SACPGT was formed. Delaware’s statewide advisory council has guided G/T education ever since.
The defining structural principle

Delaware’s “Capacity” Concept: What Makes This Framework Unique

Most gifted education regulations tell districts what they must do. Delaware’s Regulation 902 does something different: it tells districts what they must have (a DDOE-approved plan) and then gives them explicit authority to define the scope of what they offer based on their own capacity.

14 DE Admin. Code 902: Regulatory Definition

“Capacity”: The Word That Shapes Every Delaware G/T Plan

“Capacity means the way in which a school district or charter school chooses to identify its areas of giftedness and the types of services they choose to provide. A school district or charter school is not required to provide programming for all giftedness areas.” (14 DE Admin. Code 902)

This is not a gap in the regulation. It is an intentional design. Delaware recognized that its 19 traditional school districts range from Red Clay Consolidated (18,000+ students, 32 schools, New Castle County) to Delmar (one of the smallest districts in the state, spanning the Delaware-Maryland border). Requiring a small rural district to identify and serve all six giftedness areas with the same rigor as a large suburban district would either be impossible or produce programs so thin they help no student. The capacity model lets districts build real programs within their means, rather than minimal checkbox programs covering everything superficially.

What this means for families: Which giftedness areas a student can be identified in, and what services are available, depends entirely on the specific district or charter school the student attends. A student identified as gifted in creative productive thinking in one Delaware district may find that their family’s new district only serves general intellectual ability and specific academic aptitude. Families seeking gifted services should ask their district directly: Which giftedness areas does your plan cover? What is your identification process for each? The Plan is a public document.
The six giftedness areas

Delaware’s Six Giftedness Areas: The Full Marland Framework

Delaware’s definition of a gifted or talented student, found in both Regulation 902 and the SACPGT Guidebook, follows the federal Marland (1971) framework, recognizing six areas in which students may show high performance capability with demonstrated achievement or potential ability, singly or in combination. Each area requires its own identification procedures when a district chooses to serve it:

Area 1
General Intellectual Ability
Exceptional reasoning, rapid learning, and advanced conceptual understanding across multiple disciplines. The most commonly served area in Delaware. Typically identified through cognitive ability tests, above-grade-level achievement, and teacher observation checklists. Renzulli Profiler: intellectual curiosity & learning style data
Area 2
Specific Academic Aptitude
Exceptional performance or potential in one or more specific academic fields (mathematics, reading/ELA, science, or social studies) without necessarily demonstrating general intellectual giftedness across all areas. Enrichment database: subject-specific advanced content
Area 3
Creative Productive Thinking
Exceptional ability to generate original ideas, think divergently, make unusual connections, and produce creative work. Identified through validated creativity assessments, portfolios, observation, and student products. SACPGT guidance emphasizes this area as frequently underserved. CTC: validated scored creativity assessment
Area 4
Leadership Ability
Exceptional capacity to motivate, organize, and lead others; influence group dynamics; solve problems in social contexts. Identified through behavioral checklists, structured observation, peer and teacher input. One of the more complex areas to identify and program for systematically. Leadership Assessment: scored behavioral leadership profile
Area 5
Visual and Performing Arts
Exceptional talent in visual arts, music, dance, theatre, or other performing arts. Identified through portfolio assessment, audition, juried performance, and observation by qualified arts educators. Typically requires subject-specific expertise in the evaluator and the program. PBL tools: original arts investigation & product creation
Area 6
Psychomotor Ability
Exceptional physical coordination, athletic talent, and fine/gross motor ability. The least commonly served giftedness area in Delaware school programs. Most district plans do not identify or program for this area given the significant capacity requirements. Identified through performance assessment and qualified physical observation. Enrichment database: kinesthetic and physical learning extensions

Delaware’s SACPGT Guidebook notes that identification procedures and criteria should be “specific to the different areas of giftedness being assessed and directly related to the specific programs and services which are provided.” This mirrors the Criteria for Excellence language used in neighboring Maryland. Using the same identification procedure for all six areas is not appropriate practice. Each area requires measures validated for that area.

Regulation 902: what every plan must contain

The Required Elements of Every Delaware G/T Education Plan

While districts define their own capacity, 14 DE Admin. Code 902 establishes what every DDOE-approved Gifted or Talented Education Plan must include. Plans are reviewed by DDOE no less than every 5 years for compliance with the regulation and equitable practices. Substantive changes trigger re-submission within 1 year:

Written philosophy, goals, and outcomes: A clear statement of what the program aims to achieve for identified gifted or talented students, developed with input from stakeholder groups.
Identification process by professionally qualified persons: Documented procedures for identifying students using multiple measures; the specific giftedness area(s) the district identifies in; procedures ensuring all students have an equal opportunity to be identified.
Parent/guardian communication procedures: Documented procedures for informing parents, guardians, or relative caregivers of a student’s participation in the G/T program, including initial identification notification and ongoing communication.
Teacher certification requirement (Regulation 1572): Procedures establishing that, at a minimum, each teacher assigned to teach a student identified as gifted or talented must hold the Standard Certificate issued under 14 DE Admin. Code 1572 (Teacher of Students Who Are Gifted or Talented).
Transfer student identification procedures: Clear procedures for identifying and placing students who were identified as gifted or talented in their prior school or district, ensuring continuity of services across district lines and into Delaware from other states.
Plan evaluation: Documented evaluation process for the G/T plan and program, submitted to DDOE no less than every 5 years. Major changes trigger re-submission regardless of the 5-year cycle. DDOE reviews for compliance with Regulation 902 and equitable practices.
The certification requirement is non-negotiable. The phrase “at a minimum” in the regulation means the Regulation 1572 Standard Certificate is the floor, not a guideline. Every teacher directly teaching identified G/T students needs this credential. For smaller districts and charter schools, this creates a real staffing challenge: the pool of Regulation 1572-certified teachers in Delaware is limited, and obtaining the certification requires coursework through an approved preparation program. Pre-approved PD options exist, including Wilmington University courses in Gifted and Talented, but building a certified pipeline takes planning.
SACPGT Guidebook 2024: the quality framework

The Six-Section SACPGT Guidebook: Delaware’s Technical Assistance Standard

The Statewide Advisory Council on Programs for the Gifted and Talented (SACPGT), formed in 1982, developed the SACPGT Program Resource Guidebook (last revised February 2024) as the primary technical assistance document for Delaware LEAs planning and evaluating G/T programs. While non-binding, the Guidebook’s six sections map directly to what high-quality G/T program documentation looks like and are organized around NAGC standards:

Section 1

Program Design

Written philosophy, goals, and outcomes; grouping/structure models appropriate for gifted education; integration with general education programs; delivered during the school day; developed with input from stakeholder groups (required by Reg. 902).

Section 2

Identification

Professionally qualified persons; multiple measures for identification; equal opportunity for all students; ongoing identification process; transfer student procedures; equitable approaches minimizing bias; universal screening and multiple entry points from PreK through grade 12 encouraged.

Section 3

Curriculum and Instruction

Aligned to and extending Delaware state academic content standards; responsive to needs, interests, and abilities of G/T students; supported by appropriate structures and resources; based on current research and recognized literature including NAGC standards.

Section 4

Educators and Certified Staff

Certification per Regulation 1572 for teachers assigned to G/T students; regular PD opportunities related to gifted education; role-specific training for anyone with direct decision-making or instructional responsibilities for G/T students.

Section 5

Parents, Guardians & Community

Communication procedures for informing families (required by Reg. 902); open and ongoing communication maintained; active advisory committee supported by the LEA; community resources and mentors identified to supplement G/T services.

Section 6

Plan and Program Evaluation

Plan evaluated and submitted to DDOE no less than every 5 years (required by Reg. 902); ongoing student performance assessment; periodic program review consistent with philosophy and standards; major changes trigger immediate re-submission.

NAGC Standards Integration: The SACPGT Guidebook incorporates NAGC’s 2019 Programming Standards throughout all six sections: Standard 1 (Learning and Development), Standard 2 (Assessments and Identification), Standard 3 (Curriculum and Instruction), Standard 4 (Learning Environments), Standard 5 (Programming), and Standard 6 (Professional Learning). These national standards provide the quality benchmarks that guide Delaware LEAs in evaluating whether their programs reflect current best practice, even where Delaware regulation sets only minimum requirements.
DE-MTSS and advanced learners

Delaware’s Multi-Tiered System of Support: The Equity and Access Framework

DDOE explicitly connects gifted education with DE-MTSS (Delaware’s Multi-Tiered System of Support). This connection reflects a deliberate equity philosophy: advanced learners exist across all schools, including those serving high-poverty or high-ELL populations, and the MTSS framework provides the structural mechanism for ensuring no student with exceptional potential goes unserved due to access barriers in the identification process.

How DE-MTSS supports G/T identification NAGC Standard 2.3, integrated in the SACPGT Guidebook, calls for universal screening and multiple entry points to identify students from diverse backgrounds, using front-loading talent development activities, local norms, assessments in preferred language or nonverbal formats, and relationship-building to understand students’ unique challenges. The DE-MTSS framework provides the universal data collection infrastructure that supports this kind of equitable screening at Tier 1, before formal G/T identification begins.
How DE-MTSS supports G/T service delivery G/T enrichment services can be delivered flexibly within the tiered DE-MTSS structure, allowing schools to provide enriched learning opportunities at multiple levels without requiring a student to have a formal G/T Plan in place. Tier 2 and Tier 3 enrichment within DE-MTSS can identify students showing talent development potential before formal G/T identification, and can serve students in giftedness areas the district’s capacity doesn’t formally cover through the plan.
Platform tools

What Renzulli Learning Provides: Supporting Delaware’s Plan Requirements and Six Giftedness Areas

Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC), Area 3 (Creative Productive Thinking): A validated, scored creativity assessment that directly addresses Delaware’s third giftedness area, which the SACPGT Guidebook identifies as frequently underserved. The CTC provides structured, documented creativity evidence for the multi-measure identification process that districts choosing to serve Area 3 need. It’s also valuable for Delaware’s equity goals: creativity assessments are more culturally accessible than language-dependent cognitive tests for identifying creative potential in underrepresented student groups.
Renzulli Profiler, Multiple Measures (Identification) and Area 1 (General Intellectual): A 20–30 minute interest and learning style inventory. The Guidebook’s Section 2 emphasizes that identification should use multiple measures, including qualitative data about student interests and strengths. The Profiler provides this qualitative layer (interest depth, intellectual curiosity, preferred learning approaches) that standardized cognitive tests don’t capture. Particularly valuable for ensuring equal opportunity for students from all backgrounds.
Leadership Assessment, Area 4 (Leadership Ability): A scored behavioral profile of leadership strengths. For districts choosing to identify and serve Leadership ability (one of the six areas that many Delaware LEAs skip due to complexity), the Leadership Assessment provides the structured, professionally generated data the identification process requires. Leadership giftedness identified through observation checklists alone is often inconsistently applied; a validated scored assessment adds rigor and documentation.
Enrichment Database, Curriculum and Instruction (Guidebook Section 3) and DE-MTSS Tiers: Over 40,000 interest-matched, above-curriculum activities aligned to Delaware learning standards, delivered during the school day as Section 1 requires. Activities address Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The interest-matching mechanism directly implements the NAGC Standard 3 requirement that curriculum be “responsive to needs, interests, and abilities.” Flexible delivery supports DE-MTSS enrichment at multiple tiers.
Personal Success Plan (PSP), Plan Evaluation (Guidebook Section 6) and DDOE Review: Tracks student progress toward enrichment and gifted program goals; generates exportable summaries. Directly supports Section 6 of the Guidebook, which requires ongoing student performance assessment to facilitate program development and revision. When DDOE reviews a district’s plan every 5 years, PSP data provides the documented evidence of student growth and program outcomes that demonstrates the plan is being implemented as written.
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Tools, Areas 3, 4, and 5, and NAGC Standard 3: SEM-based student investigations generating authentic products. Addresses Delaware’s creative productive thinking (Area 3) and visual/performing arts (Area 5) giftedness areas through original production. PBL projects generate the portfolio evidence that identification and ongoing assessment in these areas requires. Also directly implements NAGC’s recommendation for product-based and performance-based assessments to measure G/T student progress.
Executive Function Assessment, NAGC Standard 1 (Affective Growth) and Underachieving G/T Students: Assesses planning, self-regulation, and metacognition. The SACPGT Guidebook’s NAGC Standard 1 section explicitly calls for “specialized, research-supported intervention services for students with gifts and talents who are underachieving (whose learning is not commensurate with their abilities)” This is the twice-exceptional or underachievement context where EF assessment is essential for identifying the gap between ability and performance.
Regulation by regulation

Delaware’s Requirements & Renzulli Learning: Side by Side

14 DE Admin. Code 902 14 DE Admin. Code 1572 SACPGT Guidebook (2024)
Delaware Requirement Renzulli Learning Contribution
Definition: Reg. 902
G/T students are those capable of high performance in any of six areas singly or in combination; require differentiated programs beyond the regular school program		 Renzulli tools cover five of the six areas: CTC (Area 3), Leadership Assessment (Area 4), PBL tools (Areas 3 and 5), Profiler (Areas 1 and 2), enrichment database (Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) , providing differentiated programming beyond the regular curriculum across each area districts choose to serve.
Identification: Reg. 902 and Guidebook §2
Multiple measures; equal opportunity for all students; professionally qualified persons; ongoing; transfer student procedures; NAGC Standard 2 universal screening and multiple entry points encouraged		 CTC + Profiler + Leadership Assessment together provide multi-measure evidence across cognitive, creative, behavioral, and interest dimensions , the kind of multidimensional evidence package that NAGC Standard 2 and Reg. 902’s equal-opportunity requirement call for, including instruments more accessible than language-dependent tests for underrepresented students.
Curriculum and Instruction: Guidebook §3
Responsive to needs, interests, and abilities; aligned to and extending Delaware standards; delivered during the school day; supported by appropriate structures and resources; based on NAGC standards		 The enrichment database delivers interest-matched, above-curriculum activities during the school day. Activity alignment to Delaware learning standards supports program documentation. The interest-matching mechanism directly implements NAGC Standard 3’s responsiveness requirement.
Teacher Certification: Reg. 1572
Each teacher assigned to teach identified G/T students must hold the Standard Certificate (Teacher of Students Who Are Gifted or Talented)		 Renzulli Learning supports Regulation 1572-certified teachers with structured enrichment tools, activity documentation, and student progress evidence , giving certified G/T teachers the curriculum infrastructure to deliver consistently strong programs across Delaware’s diverse district contexts.
Plan Evaluation: Reg. 902 and Guidebook §6
Plan evaluated and submitted to DDOE no less than every 5 years; ongoing student performance assessment to facilitate program revision; major changes trigger immediate re-submission		 The PSP generates exportable student progress summaries and program engagement logs , providing the documented evidence of student growth that DDOE’s 5-year review expects to find and that supports ongoing program evaluation between review cycles.
DE-MTSS Alignment
DDOE connects G/T education to the DE-MTSS framework for equitable access; enrichment at multiple tiers; universal screening encouraged at Tier 1		 Renzulli Learning’s flexible enrichment delivery works across DE-MTSS tiers : universal enrichment activities for all students at Tier 1, and targeted enrichment for identified G/T students at Tier 2/3. Interest profiles from the Profiler can surface G/T potential within the MTSS data review cycle before formal identification.
Implementation across Delaware’s districts and charters

What Gifted Education Actually Looks Like Across Delaware’s 19 Districts and Charter Schools

“The capacity model makes sense for a state Delaware’s size, but it creates real variation. A family that moves from Red Clay to a smaller district in Sussex County may find their child’s identification doesn’t transfer cleanly because the two districts identify different areas. And charter schools each have their own plans, so you can have three charters in the same neighborhood with three different approaches. The Plan document is supposed to be public, but most parents don’t know to look for it. That’s where transparency becomes the practical challenge.”
G/T Program Coordinator · Delaware school district
For larger New Castle County districts Red Clay (Delaware’s largest, 18,000+ students), Christina, Brandywine, Colonial, and Appoquinimink collectively serve the bulk of Delaware’s identified G/T students. These districts typically have more developed capacity, serving multiple giftedness areas with certified G/T teachers across multiple buildings. Consistent services across schools within the district and equitable identification in Title I schools are the primary implementation challenges.
For smaller and rural districts + charter schools Delaware’s smaller districts (Delmar, Woodbridge, Lake Forest, Laurel) and its 30+ charter schools often have limited capacity: one area identified, one certified G/T teacher, limited programming budget. The capacity model is designed for this reality. For these LEAs, a platform that provides ready-to-use enrichment, student profiling, and progress documentation without requiring extensive specialist infrastructure. That is the difference between a Plan that sits in a binder and one that serves students.
Frequently asked questions

Delaware Gifted Education: Common Questions

14 DE Admin. Code 902 defines “Capacity” as “the way in which a school district or charter school chooses to identify its areas of giftedness and the types of services they choose to provide.” The regulation explicitly states that a district or charter school is not required to provide programming for all giftedness areas. Each LEA determines which of the six areas (general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative productive thinking, leadership ability, visual and performing arts, psychomotor ability) it has the capacity to identify and serve, and documents those choices in its DDOE-approved plan. This means gifted services vary significantly from one district or charter to another in Delaware.
Delaware’s definition of a gifted or talented student (Regulation 902 and the SACPGT Guidebook) follows the Marland (1971) federal framework and recognizes: (1) General intellectual ability; (2) Specific academic aptitude; (3) Creative productive thinking; (4) Leadership ability; (5) Visual and performing arts; (6) Psychomotor ability. Students may be identified in any area singly or in combination. However, each district or charter school only identifies and programs for the areas within its defined capacity, and identification procedures must be specific to each area being assessed.
Under Regulation 902, every DDOE-approved plan must include: a written philosophy and goals (with stakeholder input); identification procedures using multiple measures, ensuring equal opportunity for all students; the specific giftedness areas the district identifies and serves; parent/guardian communication procedures; requirements for teacher certification under Regulation 1572; transfer student identification procedures; and an evaluation process. Plans are reviewed by DDOE no less than every 5 years for compliance with the regulation and equitable practices. Substantive changes must be submitted to DDOE within 1 year of the change.
14 DE Admin. Code 1572 requires that each teacher assigned to teach a student identified as gifted or talented hold a Teacher of Students Who Are Gifted or Talented Standard Certificate, issued through the Professional Standards Board pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a). This is a binding requirement, not optional. Pre-approved PD activities include Wilmington University courses in Gifted and Talented education. Educators seeking the certification should check the DDOE educator certification system for current approved preparation programs.
The Statewide Advisory Council on Programs for the Gifted and Talented (SACPGT) was formed in 1982 as an advisory body representing Delaware school districts, charter schools, and higher education. Its vision: all gifted and talented children in Delaware have the opportunity to reach their full educational, emotional, and social potential. The SACPGT Guidebook (revised February 2024) is the primary technical assistance document for Delaware LEAs. Organized in six sections (Program Design, Identification, Curriculum and Instruction, Educators and Certified Staff, Parents/Guardians/Community, Plan and Program Evaluation), it integrates NAGC standards throughout. The Guidebook is non-binding but represents best practice aligned with Regulation 902 requirements. It is available through DDOE’s gifted education page.
Renzulli Learning supports every section of Delaware’s required plan. The CTC provides scored creativity evidence for Area 3 (Creative Productive Thinking). The Profiler contributes multiple-measure identification evidence for Areas 1 and 2. The Leadership Assessment addresses Area 4. The enrichment database delivers differentiated curriculum across multiple areas during the school day. The PSP generates student progress evidence for plan evaluation. PBL tools produce portfolio evidence for Areas 3 and 5. The EFA supports underachieving G/T students and NAGC Standard 1 affective outcomes.
Official sources

Delaware Gifted Education Resources

All identification, plan development, and teacher certification decisions should reference primary DDOE sources. The SACPGT Guidebook provides non-binding guidance; Regulation 902 and Regulation 1572 are binding. Renzulli Learning is designed to complement your district’s or charter’s DDOE-approved plan and capacity decisions, not replace them.

Explore Renzulli Learning’s gifted education alignment for neighboring states:

All States G&T Alignment Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey Virginia District of Columbia

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