Question: Do regulations of the Commonwealth of Virginia require differentiated services for gifted students? Answer: Yes.
Question: Is Commonwealth Governor’s School (CGS) the only program of its kind in Virginia? Answer: CGS is 1 of 19 academic-year governor’s school programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VA Department of Education (VDOE) also supports summer governor’s school programs at both a regional and state level.
Question: Do students need to be identified Gifted/FOCUS/SCOPE/TAG student in order to apply to CGS? Answer: No. Students become candidates through a multi-criteria application process that includes: ability test scores, achievement test scores, grades, teacher recommendations, portfolio, and an interview.
Question: Does CGS offer a challenging program of studies? Answer: YES! CGS offers academically talented and highly-motivated students a challenging, college-level, differentiated, interdisciplinary, academic program in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
Question: How is CGS funded? Answer: CGS receives additional state funding on a per-pupil basis. Over $1,000,000 additional state and grant funding is available for the region because of CGS.
Question: Is CGS a separate school? Answer: No. CGS is a school-within-a-school program. Students spend half the day with their regional academic peers at a CGS site, and half the day at their home-based school. Students participate in home-based school classes, clubs, sports, fine arts activities, SCA, etc. Most CGS students report that they feel very connected to their home-based high schools.
Question: Can CGS students select which courses they wish to take? Answer: No. CGS students participate in a four-year planned program of study that includes English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Because geometry is not a prerequisite for CGS admission, math has a dual option strand.
Question: Is the CGS curriculum based on the Advanced Placement (AP) concept?Answer: No. CGS incorporates AP recommended curriculum, but broadens it to incorporate interdisciplinary connections and the four CGS community pillars of technology, community of leaders, community outreach, curriculum and instruction focus. In 2019 (prior to Covid-19), CGS students took 1,226 AP exams in 12 subject areas through CGS. Over 74% of the exam scores were 3 or above. 41% of CGS candidate scores were 4 or 5. AP test scores (as well as SOL test scores) are credited to the home-based high school.
Question: Do CGS students go on field trips? Answer: YES – the Virginia Department of Education requires that CGS students have field experiences.
Question: Are CGS students guaranteed high school valedictorian or salutatorian honors? Answer: NO! It is likely that students participating in the CGS program will be candidates for valedictorian or salutatorian honors. The Class of 2021 had 7 valedictorians and 7 salutatorians who were CGS students. The opportunity to earn a high GPA is available to non-CGS students as well as CGS students.
Question: Do CGS students have time for a social life? Answer: CGS students are normal teenagers. Most work very hard on their time management skills to enable them to maintain balanced academics, extracurricular activities, and social lives.
Question: Do many CGS students withdraw from the program? Answer: No – approximately 10% of students have withdrawn in past years. New applicants fill vacated spaces. Students leave CGS for a variety of reasons, e.g., they feel more comfortable in a traditional structured learning environment; choose to use more of their time to pursue other goals or interests such as music, arts, drama, dance, sports, etc.; negative effect on GPA; not comfortable balancing CGS with home-based school activities; desire to select college-level courses in a single academic discipline; early graduation; moving; etc.
Question: How many courses do CGS teachers teach? Answer: CGS teachers teach on a block schedule, plan in teams, have duties both at CGS and a home-based school. They participate in extended-hour learning activities after school, evenings, weekends, and during the summer. These activities include tutoring, AP test preps, enrichment activities, community outreach, and professional development. Approximately half of CGS teachers balance teaching responsibilities at a home-based high school and at CGS. The other half teach in CGS exclusively.
governor’s school acceptance rate
All applicants must be rising seniors, nominated by their schools, and admission to the program is highly competitive. Of the 300-400 applications received, approximately 25% will receive offers of admission.
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Summer is just around the corner, and there are a multitude of things you can do to fill this time: Girls and Boys State, internships, work, college classes, and much more. One great summer opportunity that may not have crossed your mind yet is Governor’s School.
Governor’s School is a program available in twenty-three different states that offers gifted and high-achieving secondary (and sometimes middle school) students an enrichment program addressing three areas of student development: academic or artistic, interdisciplinary, and social and emotional development. Governor’s School is a residential program and encourages a constructive learning environment for ambitious students to explore their potential in various disciplines.
Read on to learn more about this program and to find out whether your state has a Governor’s School program.
What is Governor’s School?
Governor’s School is a summer program that offers gifted and high-achieving students the opportunity to participate in a residential program on sponsoring college campuses to study a variety of subjects, including science, math, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, art, film, creative writing, and more. Some programs allow for students to do research on various topics, which may involve working in a laboratory with a college professor, studying at NASA Kennedy Space Center, or working with world-renowned artists.
How long is the program and what does it cost?
Programs vary from state to state, but most are between three and seven weeks. Most programs are partially or fully-funded by donors or government entities, and some offer scholarships for students to attend. If cost is an issue, most programs will work with accepted students so that no one is turned away due to finances.
History[edit]
The concept of the Governors School actually started as a three-year grant funded program in Stafford County, Virginia, from 1970 – 1972. One hundred Stafford public high school students were selected as “day students” and 100 public high school students from across the state were invited to be “on campus” students and were housed at the then Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Shirley C. Heim, Stafford County Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools, envisioned a program where the average person would be exposed to the arts. The original title was “the Humanities Institute.” Mrs. Heim, under the supervision of Superintendent Andrew Wright, persuasively argued that Stafford County, culturally wiped out after the American Civil War, was more culturally deprived than Appalachia. Her argument helped secure the three year Federally funded grant program. It was after the three-year program ended that the Virginia State Department of Education, supported by Governor Linwood Holton, Jr., evolved the program away from the Arts to include science, technology, and journalism.
Begun in 1973 at the behest of Governor Linwood Holton, the first incarnation of the Governors School program included summer residential sessions for 400 gifted students from across the Commonwealth. The first summer residential Governors Schools were held in 1973 at Mary Baldwin College, Mary Washington College, and the Science Museum in Richmond. Isabelle P. Rucker, Director of Special Programs for the Gifted, oversaw the residential sessions until her retirement in the fall of 1979,[1] and served as a mentor to both faculty and students for many years. Since its beginning, the program has expanded to more than 40 sites throughout the Commonwealth. Summer residential sessions are still offered, but many other programs have been developed, including the two flagship schools described below.
Academic-year Governor’s Schools[edit]
The Virginia Department of Education, in conjunction with localities, sponsors regional academic-year Governors Schools that serve gifted high school students during the academic year. Currently, 18 academic-year Governors Schools provide students with acceleration and exploration in areas ranging from the arts, to government and international studies, to global economics and technology, and to mathematics, science, and technology.
They are established as “joint schools” by Virginia school law. As such, they are typically managed by a regional governing board of representatives from the school boards of each participating school division. The regional governing board is charged with developing policies for the school including the schools admissions process. While these processes differ from school to school, all applicants are assessed using multiple criteria by trained evaluators who have experience in gifted education and the focus area of the specific academic-year Governors School.
Most schools specialize in a particular subject, and each serves a single region, only accepting students whose parents or guardians live within a predefined list of nearby cities or counties.
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Across our five art areas and multiple programs, the Governors School offers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for South Carolinas young artists. Whether interested in our tuition-free residential high school program or our arts-intensive summer programs, students gain transformative experiences and foundational skills. All of our programs lead students to become valuable members of the nationwide network of Govie alumni. It is the arts education and vast alumni network that helps students pursue their passion and live their dreams.
The Students of the Commonwealth Governor’s School of Virginia
Question: Do CGS students go on field trips? Answer: YES – the Virginia Department of Education requires that CGS students have field experiences.
Question: Are CGS students guaranteed high school valedictorian or salutatorian honors? Answer: NO! It is likely that students participating in the CGS program will be candidates for valedictorian or salutatorian honors. The Class of 2021 had 7 valedictorians and 7 salutatorians who were CGS students. The opportunity to earn a high GPA is available to non-CGS students as well as CGS students.
Question: Do CGS students go on field trips? Answer: YES – the Virginia Department of Education requires that CGS students have field experiences.
Question: Do regulations of the Commonwealth of Virginia require differentiated services for gifted students? Answer: Yes.
Question: How many courses do CGS teachers teach? Answer: CGS teachers teach on a block schedule, plan in teams, have duties both at CGS and a home-based school. They participate in extended-hour learning activities after school, evenings, weekends, and during the summer. These activities include tutoring, AP test preps, enrichment activities, community outreach, and professional development. Approximately half of CGS teachers balance teaching responsibilities at a home-based high school and at CGS. The other half teach in CGS exclusively.