Parents of gifted children in Tasmania can apply for early entry into Kindergarten the year before their child is due to start but applications are not assessed until October of each year.
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Early entry to Kindergarten is one way the Education Department assists gifted children in Tasmania but the application includes sign off from a psychologist and supporting documentation.
An Education Department spokesman said gifted children were "not all the same" and that each child had a different degree of giftedness and, as such, had complex needs.
"Highly gifted students can work at a higher year level in one or more areas of the curriculum, and some schools offer advanced programs. There is also a process for applying for early entry to school available for young children who have been formally identified as gifted," the spokesman said.
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Children who are gifted have the capacity for advanced development relative to their age peers in at least one ability domain (intellectual, physical, creative or social) to a degree that places them at least among the top 10 per cent of their age peers.
The spokesman said the department supported and encouraged gifted students in a number of ways.
"At least 10 schools across Tasmania have implemented innovative projects to address the needs of gifted students in their population.
"The projects have used a range of technologies to extend students' knowledge, understanding and critical and creative thinking within contexts that varied from solving global problems to making videos, to building a range of constructions, both virtual and real."
In the context of the Australian Curriculum, teachers are able to vary and extend the level of challenge and complexity of everyday classroom learning tasks for gifted and highly able students.
The spokesman also said there were formal procedures for subject and grade acceleration if parents want to pursue that option for their child.
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"If a student and parent wish to pursue acceleration, a school-based evaluation team is convened to review the evidence to evaluate the student's suitability."
However, in other states schools have implemented acceleration classes and separate schools to support the needs of gifted students.
"Professional learning programs are available for teachers to provide insight into the specific needs of gifted students and also provide access to an extensive online collection of expertise, resources and strategies," the spokesman said.
"The Department also offers Gifted Online programs free to all schools. They are designed to meet the needs of gifted students by providing an extension in subjects such as mathematics, English, visual arts and digital technologies. The programs also enable participating students to connect with like-minded peers, with similar interests and abilities, from around the state. Gifted Online programs are facilitated by teachers who are very experienced in working with gifted students in an online environment."
Other programs and competitions that engage students of all ages to include the Young Archies portrait painting competition, the Future Problem Solving program, RoboCup robotics, the Tasmanian Science Talent Search, MyState Film Festival, the What Matters writing competition, and Tournament of Minds competitions.
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