Federal Definition of Gifted
U.S. Department of Education. (1993).

Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capacity in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, and unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools. Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

Texas Definition of Gifted
Texas Education Code, Subchapter D. Educational Programs for Gifted and Talented Students (1995).

. . . “gifted and talented students” means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who:

1. exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
2. possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
3. excels in a specific academic field.

The Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students ( in English; in Spanish) indicates five categories of giftedness: general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creativity, leadership, and visual/performing arts. Currently Austin ISD serves students who are identified as advanced intellectually and academically. Their giftedness may surface as an outstanding aptitude in one or more of the areas of language arts, math, science and social studies or in their ability to process information more rapidly with greater depth and complexity.