A new law requires Iowa school boards to have uniform guidelines in place for screening, identifying and serving gifted students before school starts in 2027. The policy passed the Iowa House and Senate this spring with strong bipartisan support. Republican Representative Dan Gehlbach of Urbandale says it’s important to have consistent policies for students who perform at higher levels than their peers.
The law encourages schools to assess all K-12 students as prospects for talented and gifted opportunities, including those who are English Language Learners or participants in special education programming.
The law also says schools must offer classes and other services that match the academic strengths and interests of a gifted and talented student. Gehlbach says the goal is to make sure talented and gifted students, regardless of their zip code, get opportunities to excel.
Representative Angela Ramirez, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, is among the 14 lawmakers who opposed the bill. Ramirez says state has a responsibility to ensure talented and gifted students have access to advanced courses, but she says once the law takes effect, schools may have to hire more teachers, transport more students between buildings or pay for more college-level classes.
State officials say for the past seven years, Iowa school districts have had an unspent budget of $23 MILLION for talented and gifted student programs. The new law was proposed by the Iowa Department of Education, which found Iowa schools had a general lack of procedures for identifying talented and gifted students in early elementary grades. Last fall, Iowa schools reported that over 41,000 students were classified as gifted and talented.
