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Public Policy Information for MCGT Members

Current Gifted Education Statutes in MN

Minnesota Definition of Gifted and Talented

2009 Session Information

How You Can Help Improve Minnesota's Services for Gifted & Talented Children

MCGT Public Policy Committee

Reference Articles

Public Policy Archives from Previous Years

National Public Policy Information


Current Gifted Education Statutes in MN

126C.10 GENERAL EDUCATION REVENUE.
Subd. 2b.Gifted and talented revenue.
Gifted and talented revenue for each district equals the district's adjusted marginal cost pupil units for that school year times $12 for fiscal year 2008 and later. A school district must reserve gifted and talented revenue and, consistent with section 120B.15, must spend the revenue only to:

(1) identify gifted and talented students;
(2) provide education programs for gifted and talented students; or
(3) provide staff development to prepare teachers to best meet the unique needs of gifted and talented students.
120B.15 GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS PROGRAMS.
(a) School districts may identify students, locally develop programs, provide staff development, and evaluate programs to provide gifted and talented students with challenging educational programs.
(b) School districts may adopt guidelines for assessing and identifying students for participation in gifted and talented programs. The guidelines should include the use of:
(1) multiple and objective criteria; and
(2) assessments and procedures that are valid and reliable, fair, and based on current theory and research.
(c) School districts must adopt procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and talented students. These procedures must include how the district will:
(1) assess a student's readiness and motivation for acceleration; and
(2) match the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to a student to achieve the best type of academic acceleration for that student.

Minnesota Definition of Gifted and Talented

Approved by MN Department of Education, August, 2005

Gifted and talented children and youth are those students with outstanding abilities identified at preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. These students are capable of high performance when compared to others of similar age, experience, and environment, and represent the diverse populations of our communities. These are students whose potential requires differentiated and challenging educational programs and/or services beyond those provided in the general school program. Students capable of high performance include those with demonstrated achievement or potential ability in any one or more of the following areas: general intellectual, specific academic subjects, creativity, leadership, and visual and performing arts.

Glossary of Terms Used in the Definition:

General intellectual ability: students who demonstrate a high aptitude for abstract reasoning and conceptualization, who master skills and concepts quickly, and/or exhibit advanced critical thinking capability.
Specific academic aptitude: students who evidence extraordinary learning ability in one or more specific disciplines.
Creative and critical thinking: students who are highly insightful, imaginative, and innovative; who consistently assimilate and synthesize seemingly unrelated information to create new and novel solutions for conventional tasks; and who can interpret, analyze, and evaluate information.
Leadership ability: students who emerge as leaders, and who demonstrate high ability to accomplish group goals by working with and through others.
Visual and performing arts: children who are consistently superior in the development of a product or performance in any of the visual and performing arts.
Differentiated: modifications to the existing curriculum based on the academic needs, interests, and learning styles of students with different ability levels, which often involve increasing the scope, depth, and pace at which topics are taught to gifted students.
Diverse: populations made up of group members who differ on a variety of characteristics, such as race, culture, socio-economic status, and language.

This definition of gifted and talented children and youth is included in the MARSS Manual (Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System), the individual student record system that serves as the Minnesota Department of Education's primary reporting system for student data.

2009 Session Information

Coming soon!

How You Can Help Improve Minnesota's Services for Gifted & Talented Children

1. Find out the names and contact information (office address, phone and email) for your representative and senator by going to the following website:

http://geo.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/districts/start.html

2. Once you know your senator and representative, you can contact them to let them know your position on these bills (see tips on how to do that below).

3. Set up an appointment to meet with your senator or representative. MCGT Public Policy Committee Members are available if you want someone to accompany you on your visit. The committee is also in the process of setting up an Advocacy Day and will be encouraging members to set visits for that day.

Tips on contacting your legislator

The following link includes many hints that the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services and the League of Women Voter's publish for how to contact your state representative or state senator. These include tips for writing, emailing, phoning and visiting your legislator.

Tips on contacting your legislator

MCGT Public Policy Committee:
Contact Information & Area of Specialty

As part of its mission, the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented (MCGT) promotes "better understanding of, and educational services for, gifted and talented children and their families." MCGT is a 501(c)(3) charitable educational organization primarily devoted to informing parents and members of the public about issues related to gifted education. One activity some members participate in is grassroots contacts with members of the Minnesota Legislature to explain how pending legislation may affect families of gifted children. MCGT does not advocate the election of specific candidates for public office and welcomes participation by members of all political affiliations. If you are interested in learning more about pending legislation in Minnesota, contact the MCGT Office [mailto link] for information on how to sign up for an email list about discussion of legislative proposals. Your thoughts and ideas about sound public policy in regard to education are very welcomed by the MCGT board of directors [mailto link].

Reference Articles

Articles by former members of the MCGT board can be found through the links below. They reflect an earlier period of MCGT's efforts to inform the public about legislation that would be helpful to families of gifted children, and may not reflect the most recent concerns of MCGT members.

How do I Stay Informed on Legislation and What Is Happening?

Suggestions for Action

Public Policy Archives from Previous Years

For public policy information from 1950-last year, click on the link below:

Public Policy Archives from Previous Years

National Public Policy Information

For national public policy information, click on the link below:

National Public Policy

[legislative.html last revision March 20, 2009]