The AZ Academic Decathlon Regional is looking for volunteers for the 2021 competition taking place virtually on February 5-6. The registration system is now open for speech, interview, and essay judges for the (virtual) AZ Academic Decathlon Regional competition.  Even if you have […]

What an unexpected year.    We have all been impacted this year by a global pandemic, a demand for long overdue racial justice and equity in our society, and more changes in our education system than could have ever been […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

I am so grateful to have been chosen for the scholarship award. I have been teaching gifted students in Page, AZ for a year and a half. It’s been a bumpy road but so much fun. I believe that our students […]

Description: Drawing using markers of Elias catching a sailfish.

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

PHOENIX, ARIZONA –  A global pandemic. Social issues. Virtual Classrooms. During a year when many people have felt disconnected, worried and unheard, the Arizona Association for Gifted & Talented (AAGT) is aware of disparities that have become more obvious than […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

CONTACT: Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented Heather Long • Executive Director (602) 882-1848 director@azgifted.org RELEASE DATE: Thursday, September 30, 2020 AAGT RELEASES THEIR 2020 CANDIDATES SURVEY ON GIFTED EDUCATION IN ARIZONA   PHOENIX, ARIZONA –  With heightened awareness around […]

Election season is upon us and in doing your research for candidates in your area, do you know who supports your child’s education? We will update this post with results as we receive them. Unsure of your legislative district, click […]

THE H.O.T. (HIGHER ORDER THINKING) SPOT A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR CURIOUS KIDS By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

We Press On…. These last 6 months have been a time of trial, fear, anxiety, problem finding and problem solving. AAGT chose to respond to the uncertainty of the times with opportunities, resources and information for the gifted community in […]

  Competing against graduate students, Alexander placed second in the Society of Neuroscience’s International Brain Awareness Video Challenge. CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDER! Please support him with a “like” in the People’s Choice Competition.

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

Thank you to Gray for sharing this poem, entitled “Black and White”, written for a sophomore project

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

Thank you to AAGT Supporter, Christina Cimino for sharing these resources! Georgia Math  This K-12 curriculum provides some great strategies to teach concepts, intervention for gap areas, word problems, and games for students. SFUSD Math Curriculum: This is task based […]

As a parent or teacher, it can be difficult to manage the highs and lows gifted children are experiencing right now.  Their minds are going in many different directions in response to their environment.  Sometimes, they withdraw to ponder and […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

Pam McDonald, a doctoral student at Grand Canyon University, is working with AAGT to further gifted research. McDonald will study how teachers describe their support of 2e students using strengths-based practices to promote well-being. If you are an Arizona K-8 teacher […]

Legislative Updates: The State Legislature passed a “skinny” budget before it recessed in March. Gifted funding was not included in this budget.  The Legislature has not convened again to make any adjustments or additions to the budget. There will be […]

  Being home for so many months have made many of us re-examine our spaces. 14 year old Riley has worked months on her “aesthetic” in her room. Piecing together images to hang, painting her wall, saving up for new […]

A Letter from the National Association for Gifted Children July 14, 2020 On June 5th, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) published a statement denouncing systemic racism and supporting racial justice. Today, on behalf of the NAGC Board of […]

Due to COVID-19 disruptions and required social distancing guidelines in ACT test centers, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the planned launch of online testing for national ACT test-takers. We are focused on adding additional testing capacity for […]

AAGT would like to take a moment to thank Texas Association for Gifted and Talented for sharing with us their resources and webinars. We hope that you take the time to watch and use the tools that have been provided […]

Illustration by Sacrée Frangine The Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented (AAGT) stands for equity and abhors the racial injustices that have devastated the lives of Black Americans across our country.  Many have felt their hearts burning and breaking in […]

AAGT’s Mission is to advocate for the diverse population of gifted and talented students in the state of Arizona. Our hearts are broken during this period of unrest our state and country are in. Our children today are going to […]

Supervolcano project created and painted by Isaiah!

Gavin loves to learn how to bake or cook, and we wanted to make something we’ve never made before. So we tried our hand at cannolis! They turned out amazing!

Styles has a passion for flipping.

Cat (marker & water on foil laid down on paper for paint effect) Villain lair Earth art using rocks

Dot art of Eiffel Tower Insects (paint effect from using markers/water on foil) Dabbing unicorn/cat

Boy in monster costume, girl in cat costume Mom Wild Thing (preschool assignment after reading Where The Wild Things Are)

Jefferson’s kindergarten class was going to study bugs upon returning from spring break. When it was announced they would not be going back, he had a big idea to learn about insects and report on the praying mantis egg case […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

Written By: Donna Campbell, M.Ed. Advocacy Chair, Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented Picture By: Katie Campbell-Grutsch Gifted students often respond to uncertainty and disruption in their lives with heightened feelings of fear, anxiety, worry, and sadness.  Many are unable […]

Updates from the State Legislature The State Legislature passed a “skinny” budget before it recessed in March. Gifted funding was not included in this budget. The intention is for the Legislature to reconvene at a later date to complete the […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

The H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) Spot a Weekly Publication for Curious Kids By Jason S. McIntosh, Ph.D. CAUTION: Participation may lead to a lack of boredom and a tired brain! Available to download and print for your Gifted Students! Each […]

Susan Jackson from the Daimon Institute for Highly Gifted shared these thoughts: We are in a LIMINAL time. A time of in-betweenness. A time of tumult. In these times it’s normal to feel dysregulated. To feel unmoored. To experience overwhelmedness. This might […]

  2020 SUBMISSION DEADLINE– August 1, 2020 The Professional Learning Network annually awards a Professional Development Award.  The Award recognizes an individual(s), institution, or organization for planning and implementing sustained professional development on gifted education. The program may relate to […]

UPDATE: Governor Doug Ducey and Superintendent Kathy Hoffman jointly announced the closure of all schools through the remaining of the 2019-2020 School Year. See the announcement. Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented is here as a resource to parents, students […]

Dr. Jason McIntosh, WESD’s Gifted Services Coordinator, recently took the time to compare the old NAGC standards with the new standards and created a PowerPoint summarizing his findings for teachers of the gifted. We are so grateful that he is […]

House Bill 2626 passed through the Senate Education Committee and will now be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at 2:00 pm in Senate Hearing Room (SHR) 109. During the Senate Education Committee, there was […]

House Bill 2626 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 2:00 pm in Senate Hearing Room (SHR) 1. We persist in our quest to get full funding of the mandate at $5 million. […]

It takes a village to raise a child and also to make a difference in advocacy! AAGT truly appreciates all your work in emailing, calling and supporting our initiatives with HB2626 – but our work continues. We are asking that […]

Another AAGT Annual conference and expo has come to a close and we hope that everyone that attended feels invigorated and ready to continue meeting the unique needs of our creative and talented youth! This year’s conference focused on Creators […]

House Bill 2626 passed through the House Education Committee and the House Appropriations Committee last week. It is YOUR emails and dedication that made a difference! THANK YOU! We are asking that you please send a thank you to the […]

AAGT partner, RenzulliLearning has generously gifted a 1-year Renzulli Learning Site License with 2 Online Professional Development days, which is a $5,000 value, to raffle off at the Annual Conference next week! Raffles and prizes are given away each day […]

Exciting news for Gifted Education in Arizona – Governor Doug A. Ducey has proclaimed that February 2-8, 2020 is officially Gifted Education Week! We look forward to celebrating with Gifted Educators and Supporters from around arizona at our Annual Conference […]

January 19, 2020 This is a tremendous step in our effort to get full, ongoing, dedicated funds back for Gifted Education in Arizona! Please show your gratitude to Governor Ducey for listening and responding to our messages with the $1 […]

Original post from AZEdNews, written by Elaina Verhoff | APS Treasures 4 Teachers and Arizona Public Service (APS) are pleased to present a series of free workshops titled “Putting the Make into Education” to help Arizona teachers bring a Makerspace to the classroom. […]

Renzulli Learning and the Arizona Association for the Gifted and Talented (AAGT) have established a partnership to share their resources with homes and classrooms for gifted, talented, twice-exceptional, and all students. Renzulli Learning helps to increase a child’s engagement in […]

A SENG MIni-Conference is coming to Phoenix! SENG mini-conferences are one-day events filled with breakout sessions from GT/2E experts, keynote sessions, and more. THe Phoenix conference will be held: February 29, 2020 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Barry Goldwater High […]

Thank you! Your advocacy this year has been powerful. From messaging the legislature about the unique needs of gifted students, to appearing at your congressional and senate offices in Washington D.C., you have been exceptional advocates for our gifted students. […]

Monday, December 16, 2019 AAGT was informed just last night that a third session of the Study Committee on gifted funding is planned for today, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. House Hearing Room 1. If you are available, it is […]

For over 46 years, the Arizona Association for the Gifted and Talented (AAGT) has become recognized as an effective provider of support to educators and parents of Arizona’s gifted students, as well as an advocate for the needs of these […]

SEEKING MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS WHO: enjoy the creativity in teaching are eager to share ideas with colleagues are excited about networking with peers from across the country would like financial and academic support for great ideas About the National […]

Hello Arizona teachers – do you have an interest in teaching Gifted Students in China over the summer? Join a group of experienced and accomplished educators bringing innovative, hands-on education to the young bright minds of China. Dive into a […]

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) awarded Donna Campbell, a consultant with the Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented, with the 2019 NAGC David W. Belin Advocacy Award at the 2019 NAGC 66th Annual Conference in Albuquerque, NM. Donna was […]

The second study committee with Rep. Shawnna Bolick (Chair), Rep. Leo Biasiucci, Rep. Walter Blackman, Rep. Alma Hernandez, Rep. Arlando Teller, Sen. Sylvia Allen (Vice Chair), Sen. Lela Alston, Sen. Heather Carter, Sen. Andrea Dalessandro, and Sen. Sine Kerr went […]

The second meeting of the Study Committee on Special Education Weights and Funding for Gifted Pupils: MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 20191:00 PMARIZONA STATE CAPITOLHOUSE HEARING ROOM #1 This study committee is very important to all of us as it could have […]

[wa_restricted login_label=”Login to View” message=”The following information is for current AAGT Members Only, please log in to view.”][/wa_restricted] Below are links to the presentations given at the 2019 Parent Institute. 2019 GIFTED DIFFERENTIAL DX AND LD • Paul Beljan, PsyD, […]

A very special thank you to the 2019 Parent Institute Vendors for sharing resources with us at our event on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Be sure to view the gallery above for information from our vendors and take time to […]

Jointly funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) is a full scholarship exchange program that annually offers 250 young Americans the opportunity to live with a host family and attend high school […]

September 26, 2019 In addition to the 2019 Arizona Legislature allocating $1 million in grant funds for gifted education, members also approved the formation of a Legislative Interim Committee to study, Special Education Weights and Funding for Gifted Pupils. This […]

The 2019 Parent Institute was a huge success and we want to thank everyone involved, specifically AAGT Board Members and Parent Institute Co-chairs Adam Laningham and Stephanie Newitt. Excellent job organizing and preparing for this year’s event. Our hosts at […]

Here’s a Golden Opportunity for Smart Kids…and People who Care About Them. As you know. Mensa is an international high IQ society.  The requirement for membership is to pass one of the two Mensa tests or make an appropriate score […]

TUCSON, AZ, AUGUST 2019 — Arizona Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ 3rd District) toured the gifted education program at Lauffer Middle School in the Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD) and visited with students on Thursday, August 29, 2019. He was […]

By Carolyn Ragatz, PhD AAGT Board of Directors As we head into another school year here in Arizona, I start to think of the unique social and emotional needs of gifted students. Whereas all students are special and their emotions certainly […]