Maryland will honor ten schools next month with the Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) School award, which recognizes top elementary, middle, and high school programs.

Now in its seventh year, the EGATE awards spotlight gifted and talented programs aligned with the Maryland Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines and state regulations for gifted and talented education. Each EGATE school submits a comprehensive application which provides documentation of 21 criteria of excellence under four program objectives: student identification, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and program management and evaluation.

The 2016 EGATE schools are:

Crofton Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Piney Orchard Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
Severna Park Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Cecil Elementary School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools
Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Charles County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
William B. Wade Elementary School, Charles County Public Schools (also a 2011 awardee)
Chevy Chase Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
Whitehall Elementary School, Prince George’s County Public Schools

For more information, visit the Maryland State Department of Education press release.