What is the Gifted and Talented Program?
The Gifted and Talented program is the Australian Department of Education initiative to provide stimulating and challenging academic learning to exceptional children who outperform their peers of the same age.
The curriculum is specifically designed to provide these children with the environment they require for the best development of their academic capabilities. The courses include language programs, arts programs, and academic programs that help the children engage in intellectual, critical, and advanced thinking skills.
The programs are offered at several public schools, and online programs are available for country students.
Who is Considered Gifted and Talented?
This program caters to the students who regularly outperform their cohort. These children have exceptional learning abilities and can master new skills at a fast rate. Also, they are very creative and have a well-developed understanding and connection-making skills.
They are curious little souls with great empathy and social skills. They follow instructions and complete tasks considered complicated for their age. These children often have advanced language skills. All these qualities distinguish gifted and talented children from their peers.
Which Schools Offer This Program?
The gifted and talented program is offered at about 24 elite public schools, regional schools, and an arts college. New schools to offer the program are selected on a different basis. These programs are also offered online to accommodate as many students as possible. Perth Modern School offers a gifted and talented program based on the Academic Selective Entrance Test (ASET).
In addition to the school, John Curtin College of Art provides the gifted students selectively curated arts and media courses. Students from Western Australia can take the program at Bunbury Senior High School or Albany Senior High School, City Beach Residential College, and Albany Residential College.
How Can You Get Into The Program?
To get into the program, the candidates need to satisfy specific geographical criteria. The applicant must be an Australian or a New Zealand citizen. They must also exhibit the qualities listed above that make them different from their peers.
The entrance exam for the program is called ASET, and it consists of 4 parts. It includes reading comprehension, communicating ideas in writing, quantitative reasoning, and abstract reasoning. The test aims to evaluate all reading, writing, cognition, and reasoning skills of the students and is used to test potential rather than acquired information.
Sample Test For ASET
The entrance exam for the gifted and talented program doesn’t test the textbook knowledge of the applicants. It is focused on evaluating the critical skills and hidden potentials of the applicant. The Department of Education does not recommend any preparation methods or material for the test. However, a sample test of ASET can be downloaded from the website to get an idea about the format and style of the ASET.
Conclusion
Gifted and talented is a wonderful program and it offers a lot of opportunities for children around the globe. Make sure you check out this opportunity so you can do better things with your life.
