Online Professional Development Courses for Gifted Teaching!

Have you been looking for asynchronous, online courses that can be taken at an individual pace to fulfill G/T requirements? Look no further!  

Cosenza & Associates Advanced Academic Director, Judy O’Neal, has created a series of online courses for Texas Gifted/Talented Teachers which have been successfully used since 2020 . All courses have been aligned to the Texas State Plan for Gifted and Talented Students.

What do the courses include?

All online classes include video lectures, interactive activities, and short quizzes to check for understanding.  A live person will monitor each participant’s work and be available to answer any questions. At the conclusion of the course, the monitor will check the work and send each participant a completion notice. A G/T 6-hour certificate will be available for teacher to print after successfully completing the class .

Which courses are for you?

• If 30 hours of G/T professional development are needed, the following 5 courses are designed to meet the state requirements. 
• If 6-hour update courses are needed, any one of these courses can be taken to refresh a G/T foundation.  The courses with an * are the ones most often taken as update hours. 
• If you are an administrator or counselor, then you may need to take the Nature and Needs for Gifted Students-Administrator/Counselor Course.
• Local districts have final approval for acceptable G/T hours.

Open-enrollment course windows are as follows:

• January 1 – May 21, 2023
• June 1 – August 21, 2023
• September 1 – December 15, 2023

If teachers do not complete the course by the completion date they can be moved to the next window for an additional $20.00 fee per course.

Teachers can sign up at any time prior to the close of the course.  Courses for new enrollees will open every Wednesday. 

Order Your Courses Online

After purchase, you will be emailed with course instructions.

Please note that once courses are purchased and the enrollment window begins, course fees are non-refundable. Print materials, such as the Differentiation Flipchart, may be returned for a refund, less a 10% processing fee, if they are unused and resellable.

Order a District / Institution License

Special district/institution pricing is available upon request. To learn more about district licensing pricing, please fill out the form below and a representative will contact with further information.

Course Descriptions

1. Nature and Needs of Gifted and Talented Students (Teacher Edition), 6 hours G/T credit

Learn how to recognize and appreciate the unique characteristics of these students.  Participants will review the state law and guidelines that are outlined in the Texas State Plan for Gifted and Talented Students.  Participants will examine best practices for serving gifted students and analyze different service options that are currently being implemented across the state. 

2. Nature and Needs of Gifted and Talented Students (Administrator/Counselor Edition), 6 hours G/T credit

Learn how to recognize and appreciate the unique characteristics of these students.  The social and emotional behaviors and needs of gifted students will be explored. Participants will review the state law and guidelines that are outlined in the Texas State Plan for Gifted and Talented Students.  Participants will examine best practices for serving gifted students and analyze different service options that are currently being implemented across the state. Steps to help evaluate G/T services  on a campus or a district will be introduced to help facilitate improvement.

3. Assessing and Identifying Gifted and Talented Students- 6 hours G/T credit

Examine the qualitative and quantitative tools and criteria for identifying gifted and talented students. Discuss the barriers to identification in underrepresented populations. Learn the state requirements and timelines for assessment and identification of G/T students. Review current district matrix examples.

 4. *Differentiating for Gifted Students- 6 hours G/T credit

Participants will learn how to distinguish the difference between differentiation for all students and differentiation for the gifted.  Review best practices that are supported by the Principles of a Differentiation for the Gifted, the Texas State Goal for the Gifted, A Nation Deceived and the Texas Performance Standards Project.

Participants will be introduced to the Differentiation Essentials for Advanced Students. (See below Flip Chart Option)

 5. *Creativity for all Students, Including the Gifted- 6 hours G/T Credit

Explore the facets of creativity and how to nurture creativity in all students, including the gifted.  Learn Creative thinking strategies and problem solving strategies to help students nurture their creativity. Teachers will complete courses with strategies and activities to use in the classroom.

6. *Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted- 6 hours G/T credit

Examine the unique characteristics gifted students exhibit.  Learn how to recognize the at-risk behaviors that gifted learners can develop.  Explore what experts in the field have discovered about these at risk behaviors. Participants will leave with classroom strategies to support a gifted student’s strengths and will help prevent at-risk behaviors.

Courses for new enrollees will open every Wednesday.