Gifted Program

Ontario Ministry of Education defines giftedness as an unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided. Learn more about the definition of giftedness from the Association for Bright Children of Ontario (ABC Ontario).

Your child must be identified as gifted by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) in order to be placed in a gifted program. Durham District School Board (DDSB) provides program options for gifted students between Grades 4 and 12. You can choose to have your child:

Remain in their regular class placement at their home school with accommodations provided by their teacher
Enter a self-contained class with other gifted students

Gifted assessments

You can nominate your child for a gifted assessment if you think they exhibit above average ability, creative thinking or can make broad connections to seemingly unconnected things. You can only nominate your child for assessment a maximum of 2 times with the DDSB. There are group and individual assessment options. If your child passes the gifted assessment, they won't need to write it again. We review placements during the spring each year.

DDSB assessment

Parents and educators can nominate students to participate in the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). We send out nomination forms with all Grade 3 students each year in early September. If your child is in Grades 4 to 12, you can request a nomination form from their school's Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) in early September.

Between mid-October and mid-November, the SERT will notify you of your child's assessment date. Testing is done in a group setting. We will send home the test results in mid-January to early February.

If your child scores within the 95^th and 97^th percentile in the group assessment, they can take an individual assessment with a member of DDSB's psychological services. Students who are 98^th percentile or above after the individual assessment, can participate in the DDSB gifted program.

Private assessment

You may seek a private assessment from a licensed Psychologist or Psychological Associate who can administer a standardized measure of cognitive development, e.g., Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Stanford-Binet, Woodcock-Johnson. If the same test is used by the Practitioner as was done by DDSB staff, there should be a waiting period of at least nine-months to minimize practice effects and to ensure validity of results. The DDSB will need to approve such private assessments. Contact the gifted program facilitator or speak to your school’s Special Education Resource Teacher to obtain the consent form and processing information.

The DDSB does not endorse any specific Psychological Services providers in the community. If you are interested in private testing, please do a Google search of local Psychologists (in your area) to see which ones provide "Psychological Assessment or Testing". You also can check the Ontario Psychological Association website (https://www.psych.on.ca/) for names of local practitioners.

Assessment from another school board

The criteria for gifted assessments vary between school boards. If your child received an assessment through a different school board, we will need to review the documents. Contact the gifted program facilitator for more information.

Supporting Gifted Learners

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) offers various placements, programs, interventions, and individualized accommodations to ensure students can fully participate, integrate, and succeed in their education.

Before considering a special education class placement, the DDSB prioritizes placing students in regular classes with appropriate special education services, in line with the Education Act - Regulation 181/98.

Accommodations for intellectually gifted students are outlined in their Individual Education Plan (IEP). These plans are created with input from the student and their parents or caregivers. Accommodations may include opportunities to connect with other gifted learners and participate in academic competitions.

Elementary Grades: The DDSB offers Special Education Gifted Placements at host schools throughout Durham Region. Placement in these classes is determined through an annual random selection process among eligible students. Students already in these placements will continue in them.

Placement Options: Both regular class and Special Education Gifted Class placements are available for students identified as intellectually gifted through the assessment process.

Each spring, before the Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting, preference forms are available for students and parents/guardians to consider placement options. For those interested in the Special Education Gifted Placement Program, a random selection process is conducted. Notifications are sent to students and parents/guardians after the selection process, indicating whether the student will be placed in a regular class or a Special Education Gifted Class.

If a student is not initially placed in a Special Education Gifted Class, a random selection will be conducted for each available opening based on the student's address and host schools until the beginning of the second semester. A numbered waitlist is not used. If space becomes available, the DDSB will contact the student and their parents/guardians regarding the placement.

DDSB schools with gifted classes

The following DDSB schools offer full-time classes for gifted students:

A.G. Bell Public School – Ajax (grades 4 to 8)
William Dunbar Public School – Pickering (grades 4 to 8)
Pickering High School – Pickering and Ajax students (grades 9 to 11)
Jack Miner Public School – Whitby (grades 4 to 8)
Pringle Creek Public School – Whitby (grades 4 to 8)
Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute – Whitby (grades 9 to 11)
Coronation Public School – Oshawa (grades 4 to 8)
O'Neill Collegiate Vocational Institute – Oshawa (grades 9 to 11)
R.H. Cornish Public School – Port Perry (grades 4 to 8)
Port Perry High School – Port Perry (grades 9 to 11)

Gifted students make up about 2% of the overall population, so it isn't possible or practical for every school to offer self-contained, full-time gifted classes.

Additional information about giftedness

Here are some additional resources for gifted learners, parents and educators:

The Association for Bright Children of Ontario (ABC Ontario)

ABC Ontario works to increase the understanding and acceptance of bright and gifted children at home, at school and in the community. It is an advocacy group for parents and students and offers workshops, resources and conferences on gifted issues.

Educators of the Gifted Organizations (Edgo)

Edgo promotes gifted education throughout Ontario. It has information and resources for teachers, parents and students and offers an annual conference in the fall. Of special interest is the recommended reading list.

Hoagie's Gifted Education page

Hoagie's Gifted Education page is an “all-things gifted” resource guide with resources and links for parents, educators, counsellors, kids and teens.

Gifted Child Today

Gifted Child Today magazine is an excellent publication for parents of gifted children. They provide several sample articles on relevant topics.

Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education and Talent Development

The Renzuli Center at the University of Connecticut is a top institution for research into giftedness and the Renzuli model of enrichment studies.

National Association for Gifted Children

The National Association for Gifted Children offers resources and support for educators, parents and administrators working with gifted children. This includes conferences and events as well as advocacy groups.