Skip to main content
District
  1. Departments
  2. Exceptional Student Services
  3. Gifted Education

Gifted Education

The Florence Unified School District is committed to special programming for students to help them develop their extraordinary abilities. This district recognizes that gifted students have unique interests, needs, and talents. Our mission is to provide optimal development of the gifted students’ intellectual, emotional, and social abilities and to honor the diversity among all students through a differentiated and challenging curriculum.

According to the State of Arizona, “gifted child means a child who is of lawful school age, who, due to superior intellect or advanced learning ability, or both, is not afforded an opportunity for otherwise attainable progress and development in regular classroom instruction and who needs special instruction, or special ancillary service, or both, to achieve at levels commensurate with his/her intellect and ability.”

To better meet the needs of your child, we will introduce a program that is more appropriately designed to prepare and deliver instructional experiences for children in our Talented And Gifted (TAG) program.

Information About Gifted Education

Eligibility

The Florence Unified School District has adopted a multi-criterion procedure to maximize student identification as gifted learners. Verifiable previous enrollment in a gifted program qualifies a student for placement. Testing is available three times during the school year.

Serving Grades K-6

The Florence Unified School District utilizes a "cluster" model that allows identified gifted students to be placed together in a classroom where a differentiated curriculum appropriate to the students' needs is ongoing. Consultation with a district specialist is available to classroom teachers for meeting specific needs of students, district expectations, and state requirements.

Referrals

Students may be considered for testing through referral by parents/guardians, students, teachers, or themselves.  Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on any section of a standardized achievement test may qualify for further testing.

Serving Grades 7-12

Students in grades 7 through 12 receive differentiated curriculum through placement in honors classes in each of the academic disciplines. Students are clustered into homogeneous groups for instruction and heterogeneous groups for enrichment. AP classes, accelerated learning, and individualized learning opportunities are available when appropriate.

Gifted Resources

Contact Us

Anthem K-8 -
(480) 987-5380

Circle Cross Ranch K-8 STEM Academy -
(480) 987-7600

Copper Basin K-8 -
(480) 888-7500

Florence K-8 -
(520) 866-3540

Magma Ranch K-8 -
(520) 868-7300

San Tan Heights K-8 -
(480) 888-1555

Skyline Ranch K-8 -
(480) 888-7520

Walker Butte K-8 -
(480) 987-3560

Florence High School -
(520) 866-3560

Poston Butte High School -
(480) 474-6100

San Tan Foothills High School -
(480) 474-6240

Gifted News

To view the Florence Unified School District's Gifted Education Programming and Services Scope and Sequence,
or for additional information regarding testing, please email the district gifted coordinator Dr. Kelly Smith.

ESS Quick Links