Talent Development and Gifted Services

In 2015, Albemarle County Public Schools took the first step to be more inclusive regarding opportunities and access for all students to develop their talents. Talent development as a division-wide approach focuses on student potential by providing opportunities and access regardless of a gifted label. Historically, the gifted label has excluded groups who identify as Black, Latinx, English Language Learners, students who have learning exceptionalities, and students who are identified as economically disadvantaged. The shift from the “gifted child” paradigm to a talent development framework required a reimagining of ACPS’s services for advanced, high-ability, and students with potential. The table below, adapted from Dai and Chen (2013), addresses the specific areas of reimagining: assumptions around ability, purpose of services, who receives services, and how services are provided. 

Talent development as a framework for services intends to be more inclusive by providing opportunities for students to explore and demonstrate talents. The greatest difference between a Talent Development framework and the "gifted child paradigm" is the understanding of ability. Albemarle County Public Schools recognizes that talents and strengths may manifest themselves in different ways, across a variety of domains, and throughout a child's educational career. Talent development resource teachers (TDRTs) along with their colleagues in the schools work to support the developing talents of strengths of students by providing opportunities for growth and exploration. TDRTs collaborate with their fellow educators to provide opportunities for children to develop the mental and social emotional skills to reach their potential and beyond. This may be through co-teaching, co-planning, supporting differentiated instruction, and engagement with the school professional learning communities.  The shift to a talent development framework ultimately allows TDRTs and educators to be more intentional in supporting students through their growth and development by recognizing strengths in all students, and being responsive to those strengths. 

Throughout the process of implementing a division-wide approach to talent development, the Gifted Resource Teachers (GRT) agreed that the title "GRT" no longer aligned with the mission, vision, and services that they provided at their schools. In an effort to be responsive to the community and schools, the GRTs decided to change their title name to: Talent Development Resource Teacher (TDRT). This title reflects the role the TDRT plays when supporting the whole school, including the students as well as the teachers, as a resource to facilitate talent development as a school-wide model. The use of the title "Talent Development Resource Teacher" is unique to Albemarle County Public Schools.