Students enrolled in the Advanced Content courses in middle and high school must take at least one gifted education course and spend a minimum of five (FTE) segments per week in gifted education classes. Three or four core subject areas are usually taken by the students in middle school. The district may elect to include students who are not identified as gifted but who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation in a particular content area. 

Houston County uses the following descriptors as a means of distinguishing gifted education services: In middle and high school, gifted education classes may be referred to as gifted, GTE, honors, and/or advanced content.

Testing for Gifted Services

New students who were enrolled in a gifted program in Georgia will be placed in Houston County Gifted Program upon written confirmation of eligibility. 

Students currently enrolled in Houston County Schools may be referred for testing at any time during the school year. All referrals will be reviewed by the school’s eligibility team for consideration for gifted education formal evaluation. Testing, scoring, and norming will be completed school-by-school by Houston County gifted testing diagnosticians. Parents are notified of eligibility. Gifted-identified students will, with parental consent, be enrolled in gifted education classes at the beginning of the following school year. Students enrolled in a gifted program from another state and/or military children served in gifted/honors/AP program at the sending school will be placed in gifted classes upon written confirmation of eligibility. “This does not preclude the school in the receiving state from performing subsequent evaluations to ensure appropriate placement and continued enrollment of the student in the course(s).” (Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children)