Advanced Learner Programs (ALPs) PreK-8

The purpose of the ALPs Office is to empower educators and parents to provide meaningful opportunities for limitless student growth. The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) states, “Gifted and talented students and those with high abilities need gifted education programs that will challenge them in regular classroom settings and enrichment and accelerated programs to enable them to make continuous progress in school.” The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) defines a gifted child as an elementary or secondary student who is identified by professionally qualified individuals as:

• having outstanding talent and performing, or showing the potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to other students;

• exhibiting high performance capability in intellectual, creative, or artistic areas;

• possessing an unusual leadership capacity; and/or

• excelling in specific academic fields."

MSDE further asserts, "Gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and in all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups." 

The ALPs office supports administrators and teachers in recognizing and challenging student potential and advanced learning capabilities. To meet the differences of the student population, as well as the unique stages of development, the ALPs office delivers service through three distinct areas:

• Primary ALPs (Pre-K-Grade 2)

• Intermediate ALPs (Grades 3-5)

• Middle School ALPs (Grades 6-8)

Within each of these areas, the ALPs office addresses two vital needs:

• Recognizing and documenting the potential of students

• Providing appropriate levels of challenge based on student need and/or identification