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Gifted & Talented Education · Maryland
Maryland Gifted Education: Universal Screening, a 10% Identification Minimum, MSDE-Approved Programs, and the EGATE School Awards
Education Article §8-201 and COMAR 13A.04.07 establish minimum standards every Maryland local school system must satisfy: equitable universal screening, identification of at least 10% of students systemwide, multiple indicators from the MSDE-approved list, and differentiated services from the annually reviewed MSDE-approved program list \u2014 with EGATE School Awards recognizing exemplary alignment.
24
Maryland local school systems required to comply with COMAR 13A.04.07
10%
minimum identification floor systemwide \u2014 one of the strongest in any state framework
3
screening points: universal by Grade 3, plus 3-5 and 6-9 grade band identifications
EGATE
School Awards designation for programs aligned with the Criteria for Excellence and COMAR 13A.04.07
The defining structural feature
Maryland’s G/T Framework Has Real Identification Floors and Real MSDE Quality Control
Most state frameworks define gifted and talented education in general terms and leave operational specifics to local districts. Maryland operates differently. COMAR 13A.04.07 establishes minimum standards \u2014 not aspirational guidance \u2014 that every Maryland local school system must satisfy. Three structural features make Maryland’s framework genuinely accountability-driven:
Floor 1
10% Identification Minimum
COMAR 13A.04.07.02.D requires universal screening to identify a significant number of students in every school AND at least 10 percent of students in each local school system, as early as possible but no later than Grade 3. This is one of the stronger identification floors in any state framework. Most states have no quantitative floor at all.
Floor 2
MSDE-Approved Lists
Identification must use multiple indicators from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of assessments and checklists. Services must come from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of programs and services. This creates structural quality control \u2014 districts can’t simply implement any enrichment program and call it G/T.
Floor 3
MSDE Compliance Approval
MSDE reviews and approves each school system’s identification process for compliance with the regulation. Beginning September 1, 2019, local school systems must report identification numbers and any school exemptions in their consolidated Every Student Succeeds Act plan \u2014 making G/T data transparently visible.
The 2019 amendments to COMAR 13A.04.07 strengthened the equity framework. The amendments added the universal screening mandate, the 10 percent floor, multiple-indicator requirements, and ESSA reporting accountability. The stated aim was to improve identification of typically underrepresented students in G/T programs \u2014 including Black, Hispanic, Latino, English Learner, and low socioeconomic status students. The regulatory premise: gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups; systematic under-identification represents a regulatory compliance issue, not just a local implementation gap.
COMAR 13A.04.07.02: identification
Universal Screening, Multiple Indicators, and Three Identification Points
COMAR 13A.04.07.02 establishes Maryland’s identification framework. The regulation is operationally specific \u2014 not just principles, but procedural requirements every LSS must satisfy:
Equitable identification process (subsection A): Each local school system shall establish an equitable process for identifying gifted and talented students as defined in Education Article §8-201, Annotated Code of Maryland. The equity requirement is not optional \u2014 it’s the operational foundation of the regulation.
Universal pool encompasses all students (subsection B): The identification pool for gifted and talented students shall encompass all students. There is no opt-in nomination process; the pool is structurally universal. This is the regulatory basis for the universal screening requirement.
Multiple indicators required (subsection C): The identification process shall use universal screening and multiple indicators of potential, ability, and achievement from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of assessments and checklists. No single instrument is sufficient. Most Maryland school systems use the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as the cognitive assessment component, measuring Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal reasoning.
Three identification points (subsection D): A universal screening process shall be used to identify a significant number of students in every school and at least 10 percent of students in each local school system, as early as possible but no later than Grade 3. Additional identification shall occur at the 3-5 and 6-9 grade bands for participation in programs and services described in Regulation .03.
School-level exemption with reporting (subsection .07): Local school system superintendents may exempt specific schools from the requirement to identify a significant number of G/T students. Beginning September 1, 2019, local school systems shall report in their consolidated local Every Student Succeeds Act plan \u2014 including the schools that have been exempted from identification of a significant number of gifted and talented students.
MSDE compliance review (subsection F): The Department shall review and approve each school system’s identification process to ensure compliance with this regulation; and provide a Maryland’s Model of Gifted and Talented Education document including available State-mandated achievement assessments for adoption by school systems without an approved identification process.
COMAR 13A.04.07.03: programs and services
“Beyond the Regular School Program” Services from the MSDE-Approved List
COMAR 13A.04.07.03 establishes Maryland’s programs and services standard. Like the identification regulation, it’s operationally specific \u2014 not aspirational language but enforceable requirements:
The "Beyond the Regular School Program" Standard Each school system shall provide different services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of programs and services. The "beyond the regular program" standard is the operational test for whether a service qualifies as G/T programming under COMAR. A service that’s indistinguishable from regular instruction does not satisfy the requirement.
Differentiated Services Must Accelerate, Extend, or Enrich Appropriately differentiated, evidence-based programs and services shall accelerate, extend, or enrich instructional content, strategies, and products to develop the gifted and talented student’s potential. The three-mode framework (accelerate, extend, enrich) provides the operational vocabulary for service planning at the LSS level.
The MSDE-approved list creates structural quality control. Local school systems cannot implement any enrichment program and call it G/T \u2014 the program must appear on the annually reviewed approved list. This is genuinely distinctive among state frameworks. Most states leave program selection entirely to local discretion. Maryland’s approved list framework means that programs serving identified G/T students must satisfy state-level evidence and quality standards before they qualify as compliant G/T programming.
EGATE: Maryland’s formal program recognition
The Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education School Awards
The Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) designation is a Maryland-distinctive program recognition mechanism. It’s issued by MSDE and the Maryland Gifted and Talented Advisory Council, recognizing PK-12 Maryland public schools whose G/T programs are aligned with Maryland’s Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines AND COMAR 13A.04.07.
What EGATE recognizes EGATE-designated schools demonstrate evidence-based identification, equitable access across all student populations, professional learning aligned with Gifted and Talented Education Specialist certification competencies, evidence-based programs and services, and continuous improvement processes. Schools earning the EGATE designation focus on improving all levels of student achievement, including students who are advanced, gifted, and talented.
Why EGATE matters operationally EGATE is one of the few formal state-level G/T program recognition programs in the United States \u2014 most states do not maintain a comparable structured awards process. For Maryland LSSs, EGATE provides external validation of program quality and a structured framework for continuous improvement. The Criteria for Excellence document provides the operational rubric districts use to self-assess and prepare for EGATE submission.
Professional infrastructure
The Specialist Certification, the Advisory Council, and Maryland’s G/T Professional Ecosystem
COMAR 13A.04.07 is supported by a professional infrastructure that few other states match:
Gifted and Talented Education Specialist Certification
Maryland offers a specific Gifted and Talented Education Specialist certification under COMAR 13A.12.03.12. The certification establishes professional competencies for educators specializing in gifted and talented education \u2014 distinguishing Maryland from states with no G/T-specific credential.
Professional Learning Alignment
Under COMAR 13A.04.07.04, teachers of gifted and talented students shall engage in professional learning aligned with the competencies specified by the Specialist certification. Teachers who wish to pursue G/T leadership roles shall be encouraged to obtain the Specialist certification \u2014 creating a continuous educator development pathway.
State Advisory Council
The State Superintendent of Schools maintains an Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education that advises the Superintendent on issues and best practices relevant to gifted and talented education in Maryland. The Council collaborates with MSDE on EGATE designations, COMAR amendments, and the Criteria for Excellence framework.
Real challenges
What Maryland LSS G/T Coordinators Struggle With
These are the operational challenges we consistently hear from Maryland local school system gifted and talented coordinators:
10% identification floor with equity
The 10% systemwide floor is structurally challenging when combined with the equity requirement. Districts that identify exactly 10% but disproportionately from majority demographic groups face equity scrutiny in MSDE compliance review. Districts must identify 10% AND identify equitably across all student populations \u2014 which requires multi-source evidence beyond cognitive testing alone.
Universal screening at scale
Maryland’s universal screening mandate \u2014 by Grade 3 \u2014 means every LSS must screen every student. For larger systems like Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County serving tens of thousands of students per grade level, screening infrastructure that produces consistent multi-indicator evidence is operationally critical.
3-5 and 6-9 grade band identifications
Beyond the Grade 3 universal screening, LSSs must conduct additional identification at 3-5 and 6-9 grade bands. This means coordinators run identification cycles three times across K-12 \u2014 not once. Year-round documentation infrastructure rather than reporting-time reconstruction is the practical operational requirement.
ESSA reporting and EGATE preparation
Beginning September 1, 2019, LSSs must report identification numbers, programs and services delivered, and any school exemptions in their consolidated ESSA plan. Districts pursuing EGATE recognition must additionally compile evidence of alignment with the Criteria for Excellence framework. Both reporting tracks need exportable, defensible documentation.
Platform tools
What Renzulli Learning Provides: Mapped to Maryland’s Framework
Each tool maps to a specific COMAR 13A.04.07 requirement \u2014 with particular strength on universal screening, multiple-indicator evidence, and the “beyond the regular program” service standard:
Renzulli Profiler — Universal Screening + Multiple Indicators (COMAR 13A.04.07.02.C and .D): A 20\u201330 minute strength-based interest and learning style inventory available in 20+ languages through the Global Profiler. The Profiler functions as a strengths-based universal screener generating multiple-indicator evidence of potential, ability, and interests across academic domains \u2014 complementing the cognitive testing (typically CogAT) most Maryland LSSs use as their primary cognitive assessment. Multilingual access supports the equity requirement under COMAR 13A.04.07.02.A, particularly for Maryland’s significant English Learner population.
Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) — Multi-Indicator Evidence + Equity: A validated, standardized creativity assessment (US Patent 12,087,176) measuring fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. The CTC qualifies as multiple-indicator evidence under COMAR 13A.04.07.02.C \u2014 distinct from achievement and ability tests. Non-verbal and culture-independent design supports identification of students whose cognitive measures may be suppressed by linguistic or socioeconomic factors, directly addressing the 2019 amendments’ equity intent.
Leadership Assessment — Multi-Indicator Behavioral Evidence: Provides scored evidence of leadership characteristics. While leadership is not separately categorical in Maryland’s framework (unlike Kentucky’s five domains), the Leadership Assessment contributes to the multi-indicator evidence portfolio COMAR 13A.04.07.02.C requires \u2014 capturing dimensions of student capability that achievement and cognitive testing alone do not.
Executive Function Assessment (EFA) — Twice-Exceptional Identification + Equity: Measures self-regulation, planning, working memory, and metacognition. For Maryland LSSs evaluating students whose abilities are masked by ADHD, autism spectrum, or other executive function differences, the EFA provides functional profile data supporting accurate identification \u2014 directly addressing the equity requirement that systematic under-identification of 2E students represents a compliance issue.
Enrichment Database — Beyond the Regular School Program (COMAR 13A.04.07.03): Over 40,000 interest-matched, SEM-aligned activities. The COMAR “beyond the regular school program” standard requires services that go meaningfully beyond regular curriculum. The enrichment database provides above-grade-level content explicitly designed to extend beyond the general curriculum \u2014 directly satisfying the operational test for compliant G/T programming with documentable, exportable expenditure evidence supporting both ESSA reporting and EGATE preparation.
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Tools — Accelerate / Extend / Enrich: SEM-based investigations producing authentic student products and performances. PBL projects deliver the “accelerate, extend, or enrich” service standard COMAR 13A.04.07.03 names \u2014 producing student work samples for ESSA reporting evidence and EGATE Criteria for Excellence alignment documentation.
Personal Success Plan (PSP) — ESSA Reporting + EGATE Alignment Documentation: A student-driven goal and progress tracker. PSP records consolidate identification evidence, services delivered, progress against goals, and family communication \u2014 producing exportable documentation that supports both consolidated ESSA plan reporting (identification numbers, services, exemptions) and EGATE alignment with Maryland’s Criteria for Excellence. Year-round documentation rather than reporting-time reconstruction.
Maryland regulations and Renzulli Learning side by side
How Renzulli Learning Aligns with COMAR 13A.04.07 and Education Article §8-201
Education Article §8-201 COMAR 13A.04.07.02 COMAR 13A.04.07.03 COMAR 13A.04.07.04 COMAR 13A.12.03.12| Maryland Requirement | Renzulli Learning Contribution |
|---|---|
| COMAR 13A.04.07.02.A Equitable identification process Each LSS shall establish an equitable process; identification pool encompasses all students | Profiler (universal student self-report reduces nomination bias), CTC (creativity evidence less dependent on prior arts training and SES), EFA (2E identification across all student populations). Together these tools systematically surface giftedness that traditional aptitude-only identification misses. |
| COMAR 13A.04.07.02.D 10% identification floor + universal screening by Grade 3 Plus 3-5 and 6-9 grade band identifications | Profiler deploys as a strengths-based universal screener at any grade band. Combined with cognitive testing (typically CogAT), provides the multi-indicator evidence base for the 10% identification floor. Three identification cycles supported by year-round documentation infrastructure. |
| COMAR 13A.04.07.02.C Multiple indicators of potential, ability, achievement From annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of assessments and checklists | Profiler + CTC + EFA + Leadership Assessment together deliver the multi-indicator evidence COMAR requires \u2014 strengths, interests, learning styles, creativity, executive function, and leadership. Multiple distinct evidence types complement district-selected MSDE-approved list instruments. |
| COMAR 13A.04.07.03 "Beyond the regular school program" services Annually reviewed MSDE-approved list; accelerate, extend, or enrich | Enrichment database (40,000+ above-curriculum activities) and SEM-based PBL tools deliver the accelerate/extend/enrich services COMAR .03 requires \u2014 research-based and aligned with NAGC standards referenced in MSDE program approval criteria. |
| ESSA Reporting Consolidated state plan G/T reporting Beginning September 1, 2019; identification numbers, exemptions, services | PSP aggregates into program-level reports documenting which students were identified, what services they received, and what progress they made \u2014 directly supporting consolidated ESSA plan reporting MD requires. |
| EGATE School Awards Criteria for Excellence alignment Evidence-based identification, equitable access, professional learning, continuous improvement | Platform features map to the Criteria for Excellence framework: equitable identification (CTC, EFA, multilingual Profiler), evidence-based programs (enrichment database, PBL), professional learning support (educator-facing tools and PD resources), and continuous improvement (PSP year-round documentation). |
| COMAR 13A.12.03.12 G/T Education Specialist certification Professional learning alignment for teachers of G/T students | Renzulli Learning instruments themselves serve as practical professional development: using the Profiler, CTC, EFA, and Leadership Assessment builds teacher recognition capacity across all of Maryland’s identification dimensions. Understanding what the tools measure builds Specialist certification competencies in applied form. |
From Maryland educators
What Implementation Looks Like in Maryland Local School Systems
“The 10% floor changes everything operationally. We can’t just identify the obvious students and call it a day. Universal screening means we’re looking at every student, every cohort, with multiple indicators. The Profiler gives us strengths data we couldn’t get from CogAT alone, and the CTC surfaces creativity in students whose cognitive scores undersell their potential. That’s how we hit 10% AND meet the equity standard simultaneously.”G/T Coordinator · Central Maryland local school system
For larger Maryland LSSs Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and Howard County Public Schools serve tens of thousands of students per grade level. LSS-level reporting infrastructure that produces consistent multi-indicator evidence at universal-screening scale is operationally critical for both COMAR compliance and ESSA reporting accountability.
For smaller Maryland LSSs Smaller LSSs like Kent County, Caroline County, Somerset County, and Garrett County have fewer students but the same regulatory floors apply. A single G/T coordinator covering multiple schools needs scalable identification and programming infrastructure that handles universal screening, three-grade-band identifications, and ESSA reporting without specialist staffing at every site.
Frequently asked questions
Maryland Gifted and Talented Education: Common Questions
Questions Maryland LSS gifted and talented coordinators, classroom teachers, and parents ask most often:
What does COMAR 13A.04.07 require for gifted and talented education in Maryland?
COMAR 13A.04.07 (Gifted and Talented Education), the Code of Maryland Regulations chapter implementing Education Article §8-201, establishes the minimum standards for student identification, programs and services, professional learning, and reporting requirements that every Maryland local school system must satisfy. The regulation applies to every Maryland LSS \u2014 24 in total (23 counties plus Baltimore City). Under COMAR 13A.04.07.02, each local school system shall establish an equitable identification process. Under COMAR 13A.04.07.03, each system shall provide different services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program. MSDE reviews and approves each school system’s identification process for compliance. Beginning September 1, 2019, local school systems must report in their consolidated local Every Student Succeeds Act plan.
What is Maryland’s universal screening requirement?
Under COMAR 13A.04.07.02.D, a universal screening process shall be used to identify a significant number of students in every school and at least 10 percent of students in each local school system, as early as possible but no later than Grade 3. Additional identification shall occur at the 3-5 and 6-9 grade bands for participation in the programs and services described in Regulation .03. The identification pool for gifted and talented students shall encompass all students \u2014 universal screening is structurally embedded, not opt-in. The identification process shall use multiple indicators of potential, ability, and achievement from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of assessments and checklists. Most Maryland school systems use the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as the cognitive assessment component, measuring Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal reasoning.
What does the 10% identification floor mean?
COMAR 13A.04.07.02.D establishes that the universal screening process must identify at least 10 percent of students in each local school system as gifted and talented. This is one of the stronger identification floors in any state’s regulatory framework. The 10 percent floor applies systemwide, not school-by-school. Within the systemwide floor, COMAR also requires identification of a significant number of students in every school. Local school system superintendents may exempt specific schools from the significant-number requirement, but exempted schools must be reported in the consolidated ESSA plan beginning September 1, 2019. The identification floor reflects the regulatory premise that gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and in all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups, and that systematic under-identification represents a regulatory compliance issue.
What does COMAR 13A.04.07.03 require for programs and services?
Under COMAR 13A.04.07.03, each Maryland school system shall provide different services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program. The services must come from an annually reviewed MSDE-approved list of programs and services. Differentiated services shall accelerate, extend, or enrich instructional content, strategies, and products to develop the gifted and talented student’s potential. The “beyond the regular school program” standard establishes the operational test for whether a service qualifies as G/T programming under COMAR. The MSDE-approved list standard means that local school systems cannot simply implement any enrichment program and call it G/T \u2014 the program must appear on the annually reviewed approved list. This creates structural quality control on what counts as gifted programming statewide.
What is the EGATE School Award?
The Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) School Award is a designation program issued by MSDE and the Maryland Gifted and Talented Advisory Council. It recognizes PK-12 Maryland public schools whose G/T programs are aligned with Maryland’s Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines and COMAR 13A.04.07. EGATE is one of the few formal state-level G/T program recognition programs in the United States \u2014 most states do not maintain a comparable structured awards process. EGATE-designated schools demonstrate evidence-based identification, equitable access, professional learning aligned with Gifted and Talented Education Specialist certification competencies, evidence-based programs and services, and continuous improvement processes. Schools that earn the EGATE designation focus on improving all levels of student achievement, including students who are advanced, gifted, and talented.
What is the Gifted and Talented Education Specialist certification?
Maryland offers a specific Gifted and Talented Education Specialist certification under COMAR 13A.12.03.12. The certification establishes professional competencies for educators specializing in gifted and talented education. Under COMAR 13A.04.07.04, teachers of gifted and talented students shall engage in professional learning aligned with the competencies specified by the Specialist certification, and teachers who wish to pursue leadership roles in gifted and talented education shall be encouraged to obtain the Specialist certification. The State Superintendent of Schools maintains an Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education that advises the Superintendent on issues and best practices relevant to gifted and talented education in Maryland \u2014 strengthening the professional infrastructure that supports COMAR 13A.04.07 implementation.
How does Maryland address equity in gifted identification?
COMAR 13A.04.07.02 explicitly requires an equitable identification process and states that the identification pool encompasses all students. The 2019 amendments to COMAR 13A.04.07 strengthened the equity framework by adding the universal screening requirement, the 10 percent floor, multiple indicators of potential ability and achievement, and ESSA reporting accountability. The amendments aimed to improve identification of typically underrepresented students in G/T programs, including Black, Hispanic, Latino, English Learner, and low socioeconomic status students. The regulatory premise is that gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups; systematic under-identification represents a compliance issue. ESSA accountability reporting since September 1, 2019, has established gifted and talented students as a Maryland accountability student group, creating ongoing data transparency on identification equity.
How does Renzulli Learning support Maryland’s framework?
Renzulli Learning provides instruments and content aligned to COMAR 13A.04.07’s universal screening, multiple-indicator, and differentiated-service requirements. The Renzulli Profiler functions as a strengths-based universal screener generating multiple-indicator evidence of potential, ability, and interests across academic domains \u2014 supporting both the universal-screening mandate and the 10 percent identification floor. The Cebeci Test of Creativity provides scored creativity evidence supporting equitable identification, particularly for students whose cognitive measures may be suppressed by linguistic or socioeconomic factors. The Leadership Assessment provides leadership data; the Executive Function Assessment supports identification of twice-exceptional students. The 40,000+ activity enrichment database provides interest-matched, above-curriculum content delivering the accelerate/extend/enrich services COMAR 13A.04.07.03 requires \u2014 with documentable, exportable evidence supporting both ESSA reporting and EGATE alignment with Maryland’s Criteria for Excellence.
Official sources
Maryland Gifted and Talented Education Resources
All identification, programming, and ESSA reporting decisions should reference primary MSDE and statutory sources. Renzulli Learning is designed to complement \u2014 not replace \u2014 your LSS’s MSDE-approved identification process and locally adopted programs and services from the MSDE-approved list.
- MSDE \u2014 Gifted and Talented Education Program Hub (state guidance, Criteria for Excellence, EGATE)
- COMAR 13A.04.07 \u2014 Gifted and Talented Education (full state regulation)
- Education Article §8-201, Annotated Code of Maryland \u2014 definition of gifted and talented student
- Maryland’s Model of Gifted and Talented Education \u2014 Identification Requirements (MSDE)
- EGATE School Award \u2014 Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (Maryland Educators of Gifted Students)
- MSDE \u2014 Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines (basis for EGATE recognition)
Custom District Alignments
Need a custom alignment for your LSS’s universal screening, the 10% identification floor, MSDE-approved program documentation, or EGATE preparation?
Explore Renzulli Learning’s gifted and talented alignment for neighboring states:
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