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Chatham County Board of Education approves AIG plan for 2025–2028
Summary
The Chatham County Board of Education approved its academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) plan for 2025–2028 after a presentation describing identification, equity and program changes; board members approved the plan by voice vote.
The Chatham County Board of Education approved the district’s academically and intellectually gifted plan for 2025–2028 during its June meeting, adopting recommended updates to identification and program practices.
District staff said the plan was revised after stakeholder review and state feedback. Michael Triplett, identified in the meeting as the district’s IPF for AIG, told the board the revision process included surveys of students, parents, principals and teachers and a line-by-line rewrite for clarity. The plan will be submitted to the State Board of Education after local approval, staff said.
Why it matters: State guidance requires a three-year AIG plan and the district said the updated plan is intended to expand access for underrepresented students, align identification with state testing, and clarify pathways for intellectually gifted students.
Key changes described by staff include adopting Chatham County district norms (in addition to national norms) for some identification measures; incorporating state end-of-grade and end-of-course results into identification to align with Senate Bill 500; removing the nonverbal battery from the primary math identification pathway and creating a separate intellectually gifted pathway focused on critical thinking and STEM; and retiring the older specialist inventory in favor of peer‑reviewed instruments such as the Renzulli scales or USATOPS forms for underrepresented populations. Triplett summarized one practical effect: “If a student makes level 5, they are automatically put into a high level course, and they require written permission from the parent to be withdrawn from that course.”
Staff also said the plan emphasizes data-driven decision-making, professional learning for educators, and continued work on single-subject acceleration and specialist allotment.
The board approved the plan by voice vote after a brief clarification that the printed materials contained a typographical date error; staff confirmed the intended approval cycle is 2025–2028. The motion was made and seconded and the chair called for the ayes. The board voiced its approval.
