Get to Know Gifted at City Schools

Whether your child is already enrolled in school or your new arrival is years away from matriculation, it’s always a good idea to do some “homework” about your school options in Baltimore City. Today, we’re shining a spotlight on the award-winning work of Baltimore City Public Schools’ Office of Gifted and Advanced Learning (GAL).

City Schools’ approach to nurturing gifted* students may look different than you imagine. Rather than relying on parents to opt into testing, pulling students out to attend a magnet school, or waiting until students demonstrate aptitude later in their elementary school years, City Schools recognizes that there are gifted, advanced, and talent development students in every grade at every school—and they represent all populations.

City Schools’ commitment to equity means that GAL students, including twice exceptional learners who have learning challenges, receive services and support at all schools across the district. 22 City Schools have been recognized with Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) awards since 2014.

Pictured: James McHenry Elementary/Middle School, located in Hollins Market, which received the EGATE designation in 2024.

Formal identification

Each fall, all kindergarteners and students who are new to the district take the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT)—an online, multiple-choice test designed for students from all backgrounds. Parents can access their child’s scores via Campus Portal in January. If the assessment identifies a student as Talent Development (scoring in the top 25% nationally), Advanced (top 20%), or Gifted (top 10%), the school’s GAL lead will notify the family. The student, family, GAL lead, and teacher will then work together to develop an Instructional Learning Plan (ILP) within three months of identification. An ILP is similar to an IEP for students with disabilities.

Instruction

Each individual school nurtures its own GAL population. Students in all kindergarten and first-grade classrooms dive into analogical reasoning, learning how to draw conclusions from similarities across contexts.  Elementary-aged GAL students may receive enrichment using supplementary curricula, including Jacob’s Ladder in reading and Project M² and M³ for math.

Fourth graders can apply to the Ingenuity Project for middle school, which offers advanced math and science courses at four schools: Hamilton, James McHenry, Mount Royal, and Roland Park. At all middle schools, GAL students are encouraged to take honors classes, which are open to all students, regardless of identification, where they will work on above-grade-level English curricula, compacted/telescoped math, and special projects in science and social studies.

High school GAL students can take honors, Pre-AP, or AP courses and are eligible for Dual Enrollment opportunities. In addition, they can take International Baccalaureate coursework at City College or begin accumulating college credits at Bard High School Early College Baltimore.

Pictured: Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School in Hunting Ridge.

Learn more

To learn more about the Gifted and Advanced Learning office at City Schools, visit their website, check out this news article, and read the Gifted and Advanced Learning policy (IHBB) and regulations (IHBB-RA). The office also hosts Get to Know Gifted events throughout the school year, facilitates a “Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted” (SENG) group for parents, and holds virtual office hours for GAL families on the third Tuesday of every month.

* The National Association for Gifted Children defines giftedness as, “Students with gifts and talents perform—or have the capability to perform—at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains.”