GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION
Guidance relevant to 14 Del Admin. C. 1572: Teacher of Students Who Are
Gifted or Talented
EDUCATORS:
If you are teaching gifted or talented students, you must to hold a Standard Certificate in Teacher of
Students Who Are Gifted or Talented. Changes to Professional Standards Board Regulation 1572,
which outlines requirements for a Standard Certificate, went into effect January 11, 2015:
http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/1500/1572.shtml#TopOfPage.
1. If you already hold a Standard Certificate in Gifted and Talented, and you hold a Standard
Certificate in the content area(s) you are teaching, you do not need to do anything.
2. If you are an educator who is on a Gifted and Talented Emergency Certificate with an effective
date prior to the January 11, 2015, you may complete either the old OR new certification
requirements within two consecutive school years (by June 30, 2016).
a. The old regulation requires 15 credits in specific areas (or the equivalent in professional
development).
b. The new regulation requires PRAXIS II in addition to 15 credits in specific areas (or the
equivalent in professional development).
3. If you are an educator who is placed on an Emergency Certificate after January 11, 2015, you
must complete the new certification requirements within two consecutive school years. For instance:
a. If you are issued an Emergency Certificate during the 2015-16 school year, you must take
PRAXIS II Teacher of Students who are Gifted and Talented and work on completing
required coursework or professional development during the school year.
b. Submit documentation of progress to your HR Director before June 30, 2016, in order to get
your Emergency Certificate extended one year through June 30, 2017.
Additional guidelines:
 A combination of credit hours and PD clock hours are acceptable to meet the required total
coursework/PD for this regulation.
 Credit hours and PD session clock hours may not be divided and split among multiple strands of
learning.
 Documentation should be submitted to Licensure and Certification only when the required clock
hours for a specific strand have been completed and/or when multiple strands have been
completed. Exceptions:
o Plus credit applications for semester hour credits
o If the candidate needs to document progress towards their Standard Certificate to keep an
Emergency Certificate.
 DDOE does not count any amount of teaching experience in lieu of coursework for certification.
Completion of the required hours:

Educators may obtain either credit hours or their equivalent in professional development (PD)
clock hours to obtain licensure/certification.

Unless pre-approved by the DDOE (see list below), Course and PD approvals are subject to
review. To obtain approval:
o Proposed Professional Learning Documentation Forms will be reviewed by members of
the Statewide Advisory Council on Programs for Gifted and Talented Students during
their regularly scheduled meetings (Oct, Jan, March, and May).
o Plans may only be submitted on the Professional Learning Documentation Form for
Teachers of Students Who Are Gifted or Talented.
o Plans must be specific and aligned to one or more of the identified strands of learning:
 Foundations of Giftedness, including Cultural and Socioeconomic Equity (3
credits);
 Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students (3 credits);
 Psychology of Gifted Students (3 credits);
 Creative and Critical Thinking Skills (3 credits)
 Practicum or Internship (3 credits)
o Plans should be submitted to Deb Hansen (deb.hansen@doe.k12.de.us) no later than
the first of the month during which there is a scheduled meeting.
o Courses or PD clock hour activities may not be split across multiple strands. They must
be attributable and specific to one, and only one, identified strand of learning.
o Coursework approval will be communicated by email to the educator, the educator’s HR
director, and the DOE Office of Certification within one month of the meeting. The
Council’s decision is final.
Pre-Approved Professional Development
In accordance with DE Admin. C. 1572 §4.1.2, the following PD activities with a focus in special
education for gifted or talented students or students who are gifted or talented have been preapproved by the Department of Education. It is not necessary to submit these events on a Professional
Learning Documentation Form for Teachers of Students Who Are Gifted or Talented for approval.
 Wilmington University courses in Gifted and Talented
o
o
Graduate credit
Approved courses:
 D 7802 Psychology of Gifted and Talented Learners
 MED 7804 Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies for G/T Learners
 MED 7807 Creativity and Critical Thinking
 MED 7996 Practicum: Gifted and Talented Learners
 MSE 7400 The Gifted and Talented Child (pre-requisite for the MED courses)
 eLearning course
o
o
PD hours
Approved courses:
 Fostering Creativity and Innovation in the Classroom
(Allowable Strand: Creative and Critical Thinking Skills)
 Confratute Conference 2015
o
o
Held at the University of Connecticut
Dates: Sunday, July 12, 2015 (All day) to Friday, July 17, 2015 (All day).
o
o
o
o
o
o
PD hours (maximum 45 clock hours) or Graduate Credit
All sessions attended must align to ONLY one of the four strands of learning
For Confratute, 34 hours has been deemed the equivalent of three (3) credit hours.
List sessions on the Professional Learning Documentation Form. List session title, clock
hours, signature of instructor or facilitator, and the date. Session descriptions should be
included as well.
Conferences prior to 2015 will not be accepted for credit
Visit http://www.nagc.org/education-training/confratute-2015 for more information
DISTRICTS AND CHARTERS:


If your LEA has teachers who are teaching students who “have been identified as gifted or talented
through assessments and other criteria set forth by local school districts or other programs
specifically identified by the Department as programs for students who are gifted or talented, (14
Del Admin.Code 1572) please share this information with those teachers.
All LEA conducted PD for Gifted and Talented Educators must now be aligned to one of the strands
in 1572. Please include this information on certificates or in your online PD system to facilitate
certification. Please inform those in your organization that are responsible for professional
development.