The Mission of the Orangeburg County School District GATE Program is to provide educational opportunities which maximize the potential of academically and artistically gifted students by offering specialized curricula and world-class experiences that are responsive to the students' unique learning and intellectual strengths.

State Board Regulation:  

GIFTED AND TALENTED  

Purpose: The State Board of Education recognizes the need to provide gifted and talented education services to identified students in grades one through twelve. These regulations provide the framework for provision of these services. All regulations must be followed in order to qualify for state funding. In order to comply with the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984, school districts must provide programming for all gifted and talented students at the elementary and secondary levels. These programming services shall develop the unique talents of students. 

To learn about South Carolina's identification process or how identified students are served in Orangeburg County School District, review the information below.  Also included is the GATE program's contact information as well as access to additional resources.  

DEFINITION 
South Carolina's Department of Education defines gifted and talented students as those who are identified in grades one through twelve as demonstrating high performance ability or potential in academic and/or artistic areas. These students require an educational program beyond what is normally provided by the general school program in order to achieve their potential.   
 
HOW DOES A STUDENT QUALIFY TO RECEIVE GIFTED AND TALENTED SERVICES IN SC? 
 
At the start of each academic year, Orangeburg County begins the screening and identification process. In order to be identified as academically gifted and talented in South Carolina, students must have a composite aptitude (reasoning ability) score at or above the 96th national age percentile OR meet two out of three dimensions of eligibility: aptitude (reasoning ability), academic achievement, or intellectual/academic performance. If you would like to learn more about the different assessments and when and to whom they are administered to determine state identified eligibility, contact our office.