Receiving ‘gifted’ label easier than ever in D.C. area

Toss a piece of chalk in a local classroom, and chances are strong it will land on the desk of a budding genius — or at least one labeled as such.

In Montgomery County, nearly 40 percent of third-graders earned the “gifted and talented” designation after a round of tests and recommendations last spring. That is, nearly 4,000 Montgomery 9-year-olds have “the potential for extraordinary accomplishments,” according to most definitions.