Resources for Parents of Gifted Children in Florida
Resources for Gifted Children and Young Adults
Resources for Teachers of Gifted Children
SIG of Central Florida Mensa
If you have just discovered that your child (or you) is/are gifted, visit the Hoagies website. (See Gifted 101.)
Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP) has moved its publication the Duke Gifted Letter online. Subscribe or visit the link for informative articles.
For information on Acceleration, check out these links: Nation Deceived, Florida DOE,NAGC Position Statement. Check out the Iowa Acceleration Scales.
If you are considering homeschooling your gifted child, this article by Kathi Kearney, and see these links for resources. Florida Virtual School is another option for some families. Florida Homeschooling information.
Differentiation and flexible ability grouping are effective tools for teaching gifted children in the regular classroom. Sometimes parents need to advocate for their children in order for them to receive a free and appropriate education. You'll need to learn about these strategies and buzz words before your EP/IEP meetings. Read about Florida EP rules here.
The Hoagies website has a great collection of articles on IQ testing and specific tests here.
Mensa Recommended Reading List for Parents of Gifted Children
American Library Association Recommended Reading
101 Great Books for College-Bound Readers
- Deborah Ruf: Levels of Giftedness
- Profoundly Gifted: Davidson Institute for Talent Development
- Twice Exceptional: Uniquely Gifted
- SENG-Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted
- Visual-Spatial: Gifted Development Center
Visit the FL DOE website for your free parent handbook, list of district gifted supervisors and contact information, state laws and policies, information on identification and staffing, procedural safeguards and services.
The Davidson Institute has created a free Educators Guild for active elementary, secondary and post-secondary educators, as well as other professionals who are committed to meeting the unique academic needs of gifted students. Services include private electronic mailing lists and discussion forums for educators to exchange ideas, locate resources, and discuss issues; Consulting services to assist with identification of gifted students, locating resources, and developing strategies to meet their unique educational needs; Newsletters and E-News updates; Professional Development opportunities, online workshops and more.
The University of South Florida offers all 5 gifted endorsement courses for teacher certification completely online. They also are one of the only universities to offer an online Master's degree program in Gifted Education. The University of Central Florida offers a certificate program for gifted education through their Masters in Curriculum and Instruction program. Most school districts in FL also offer free or reduced- cost endorsement courses leading to gifted certification or recertification.
Consider joining Florida Association for the Gifted, Florida Gifted Network, and/or the National Association for the Gifted. Add membership in these associations or publications to your class "wish list." Ask your principal to send you to the annual conferences using school professional development funds. Share what you have learned with colleagues.
Order materials and teacher resources from Great Potential Press, Prufrock Press, Tin Man Press, Free Spirit Publishers and Mindware catalogs.
Read Stephanie Tolan's Is It a Cheetah?
Talent Searches and Distance Learning
Talent Searches are unique opportunities for families of gifted students to gain a better understanding of where their student stands in relation to his or her gifted peers and to determine the best educational program for their child. Because traditional achievement testing often fails to measure the variation among many gifted students who reach the upper limits (ceilings) of scoring on grade-level exams, talent searches are able to assist families by providing the opportunity for gifted students to take advanced above-level (usually two or more years above the student's current grade placement) testing. Many of the universities and other programs offer financial assistance to those who qualify. For other financial assistance information and/or scholarships, please visit the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and the Nicholas Green Foundation websites.
“EPGY” Education Program for Gifted Youth
Stanford’s computer-based distance-learning courses for high ability students in grades K-12. This program offers individualization through pace and content. Students must demonstrate high mathematical or verbal ability on a recent (within 2 years) standardized test in order to register.
HATS- Stetson University High Achieving Talented Students
For Gifted and High Achieving 4th - 9th Grade Florida Students. This program is sponsored by Stetson University and is a collaborative project between the university and the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Iowa. For more information, contact Lynn Albinson Phone: 386.822.7091 . Fax: 386.822.7388
Duke University’s TIP- Talent Identification Program
For eligible students in grades 4/5 and grade 7. Seventh grade candidates are identified and invited to complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination. Duke TIP then provides the participants with comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities.
For information contact Duke TIP or call (919) 668-9100.
Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth
CTY's Talent Searches identify, assess, and recognize students with exceptional mathematical and/or verbal reasoning abilities. Students in grades 2-8 qualify for participation in the Talent Searches by scoring at or above the 97th percentile on a nationally normed, standardized aptitude or achievement test. CTY .
On this page: resources for parents, teachers, links for gifted kids and teens, scholarships & talent searches
Young Mensa is a Special Interest Group (SIG) of American Mensa. This website provides information about joining Mensa and resources that may be of interest to families with gifted children in the Central Florida area. Mensa and Young Mensa are not advocacy groups. Mensa does not hold any opinion, nor does it have or express any political or religious views Websites and their contents are always subject to change and listing of any website here does not imply endorsement by Central Florida Mensa. Please report broken links to the GCC.
International Digital Children's Library: 894 free books in over 34 different languages
Parent Groups and Gifted Organizations
in Florida
Broward County
The Highlands Advanced
Academics Parent Network
Florida Gifted Network (FGN)
Join the free discussion forum
Membership form
GACH Gifted Advisory Council of Hillsborough-Tampa
PAGES of Hernando County
Citrus Organization for the Gifted
Seminole County Special Education PTA (SEPTA)
Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System(FDLRS)
Working on Gifted Issues (WOGI) and FLAG present the New Frameworks for K-12 Gifted Learners
Our Online Gifted Conferences- webinars and discussion forum
Make plans to attend the National Association for Gifted Children's Conference. There will be a Parent's Day with kids classes on Saturday. Register early for a discount.
