Teacher of the Year Ceremony
Due to inclement weather, the Teacher of the Year Ceremony has been postponed to December 16, 2025 from 5-7pm. Doors will open at 4pm. The Ceremony will take place at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, and the order of events will remain the same.

Identifying gifted and talented children in CT

Laws/Regulations

What are the Connecticut laws that pertain to Gifted and Talented Education?

The regulations regarding Gifted and Talented Education are found within the state regulations regarding special education:

  • Children Requiring Special Education (Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies [RCSA] §§ 10-76a-1—10-76l-1) (Rev. 2015)
    • Sec. 10-76a-1: Definitions and exceptionalities
    • Sec. 10-76d: Conditions of instruction
    • Sec. 10-76d-9: Evaluation; Independent Educational Evaluation; Determining the existence of a learning disability; Evaluation and identification for gifted and talented
  • PA 17-82:  Connecticut’s Newest GTE Law (July 1, 2017)
  • Substitute House Bill No. 7353, PA 19-184

It is important to note that Gifted and Talented Education is not included in the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which sets forth the federal requirements regarding special education.  Therefore, only state regulations apply to Gifted and Talented Education and not the IDEA.  Related to this, it is important to note that, although some terms like “PPT” (Planning and Placement Team) and “identification” are shared between the activities of identifying children with disabilities and children who are Gifted and Talented, these terms have specific definitions that are unique to each activity.