GT Advocate Contact Information at Bailey:
Name: Jennifer Seale
Email: Jennifer.seale@austinisd.org
Gifted/Talented & Talent Explore
Austin ISD offers Gifted and Talented services on all campuses. GT Advocates on each campus supports teachers, students, and families with resources and information. All campuses in Austin ISD offer Gifted and Talented assessment and identification. Parents and caregivers can submit their child’s name to the Campus GT Advocate to be evaluated for Gifted and Talented services.
Students identified for GT services are protected by state law and district policy.
According to the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students, Gifted and Talented (GT) refers to a child who performs or shows the potential of performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment. Gifted and talented children may also exhibit an unusual capacity for leadership or high-performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area.
Talent Explore is a unique AISD program for students with high ability or potential in specific subject areas. Students in Talent Explore are provided opportunities to further develop their academic and creative abilities. Students are identified as TE by participating in the GT screening process. TE students may benefit from participating in future GT assessments as they continue to learn and grow.
GT Referral and Assessment Process
All campuses in Austin ISD offer Gifted and Talented screening in grades K-12 based on referrals. Anyone may submit a referral for a student; family members, teachers, community members, counselors, administrators, and even the students themselves.
For more information and the online referral link, please visit the Austin ISD Advanced Academics webpage.
Students may be identified for services in the following areas:
- STEM (Math and/or Science)
- Humanities (Language Arts and/or Social Studies)
Gifted/Talented Screening Timeline - 2026-27 School Year
- August 18 - October 16: GT Referral Window Referral Forms
- September 23: Virtual GT Services Family Information Session Meeting Link
- October 26-November 20: Testing of referred students
- December 2-16: Campus GT Committee reviews assessments and observations to identify students
- December 18: Parent Notification of Eligibility
- January 2027: Newly Identified Students Begin Services
For more information on GT Services and the identification process, please visit the district website Gifted & Talented section.
Districtwide Standardized Services
Elementary School
- GT Cluster Grouping
- GT Learning Plans & GT Student Services Summary
- GT SEL Lessons
- Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP)
- Academic Choice Boards
Acceleration: Grade Skipping (requires Credit-by-Exam)
Middle School
- Advanced Courses
- Magnet (requires admission)
- AVID
- Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP)
- Academic Choice Boards
Acceleration: Grade or Content-Area Acceleration (requires Credit-by-Exam)
High School
- Advanced Courses:
- Advanced Placement
- Dual Credit (requires passing TSI score)
- Dual Enrollment/UT OnRamps
- Magnet (requires admission)
- International Baccalaureate (requires admission)
- Advanced-level CTE courses
- AVID
- Garza Online courses
Acceleration: Grade or Content-Area Acceleation (requires Credit-by-Exam)
Contact Information
Search for your school in the Campus GT Contacts.
Family Resources in the Austin ISD Portal
Gifted and Talented Family Connection in the Austin ISD Portal
This is a site that families can access through the Austin ISD Portal (login required). It houses an ever-expanding library of family support materials and resources for GT students in grades K-12.
Visit the Austin ISD Portal and search for the “Gifted & Talented Family Connection.”