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Director outlines growth and service-model changes for Muscogee County gifted program
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Summary
Dr. Jennifer Rowe told the school board the district now has 2,661 identified gifted students, explained a state-driven end to the 'collaborative' service model, and described steps (teacher endorsements, referral windows, online referrals) the district is taking to maintain services.
Dr. Jennifer Rowe, director of gifted education, told the Muscogee County School District board during its March 9 work session that the district currently has 2,661 identified gifted students, up from 2,438 last year, representing about 8% of enrollment.
Rowe said the district uses an online referral system — one of only a few in Georgia — and that the district ran three referral windows last year to make testing more manageable. "Spring 2026 we currently have 610 referrals pending," she said, adding that the district continues to use state-approved screeners (CogAT in first grade, PSAT in eighth) to identify students.
The presentation focused on preparation for a statewide change to gifted-service models: the state has begun phasing out the "collaborative" model that relied on non–gift-certified teachers collaborating with endorsed teachers. "Collab is no longer a legal gifted service model," Rowe said. To adapt, the district is expanding resource (pull-out), cluster, advanced-content, IB and AP-based service models and has put about 50 secondary teachers through the gifted-endorsement process to increase the pool of certified staff.
Rowe highlighted student achievements tied to the program, including robotics and academic competition placements, and described this month’s community-service focus for Gifted Child Month. She also summarized referral outcomes for recent windows: in one spring window 419 students were referred and 127 qualified; in a fall window 239 were referred and 67 qualified.
Board members asked how out-of-state gifted designations are handled; Rowe said the district honors identification from other Georgia districts and, for active-duty military families, a national compact requires states to accept prior identification. She also explained that parents may temporarily inactivate or withdraw students from gifted services for personal reasons, and that St. Elmo (the district's resource site for gifted students) will continue operating as a pull-out resource site.
The board did not take formal action during the update. The district will continue staffing and referral adjustments ahead of the model changes for the next school year.
