Gifted Education – Virginia

Educational Requirements

According to the Virginia Department of Education: 

The state of Virginia offers the following endorsements. 

• Virginia offers Gifted Education

Additional Requirements

Program requirements are located in the Virginia Administrative Code.

1. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and hold a license issued by the Virginia Board of Education with a teaching endorsement in a teaching area;
2. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and completed an approved teacher preparation program in gifted education; or
3. Completed the following requirements:
a. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and hold a license issued by the Virginia Board of Education with a teaching endorsement in a teaching area; and
b. Completed 12 semester hours of graduate-level coursework in gifted education distributed in the following areas:
(1) Introduction and identification of giftedness: 3 semester hours;
(2) Social and emotional development and guidance of gifted learners: 3 semester hours;
(3) Curriculum and instructional strategies for gifted learners: 3 semester hours; and
(4) Advanced course work in one of the following areas: 3 semester hours:
(a) Advanced curriculum, instruction, and assessment design;
(b) Advanced program development and evaluation; or
(c) Advanced study in underrepresented populations; and
c. Completed a practicum of at least 45 instructional hours. This practicum shall include a minimum of 45 instructional hours of successful teaching experiences with gifted students in a public or an accredited nonpublic school. In lieu of the practicum, one year of successful, full-time teaching experience with gifted students in a public or an accredited nonpublic school may be accepted, provided the teacher is assigned a mentor holding a valid license with an endorsement in gifted education.