There are no effective laws, requirements, recommendations, support, or funding for the education of gifted and advanced students in the state of Massachusetts.

Because of this, the vast majority of districts don’t provide gifted students and advanced learners, students capable of or already learning at above-grade levels with an education that is commensurate with their abilities. Therefore, MAGE has a very active advocacy committee.

MAGE Advocacy works at the state level by engaging with:

• the Massachusetts legislature

• the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and

• the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

​We are a team of dedicated volunteers made up of people from all walks of life who care about the education of our state's brightest children. We believe that the state should help these children get an appropriate education. 

Advocacy News

Ways to get involved

• Find your representative →

• Send a letter to your legislators to tell them of the need for education of the state’s gifted and advanced learners →

• Contact Advocacy to join the advocacy mailing list, and subscribe to our general MAGE mailing list →

• Join a monthly advocacy meeting →

• Access Advocacy reference documents (legislative reports, reference articles, data sets, etc.)
  

2025-2026 Gifted Education Bills currently before the state legislature

Several gifted education bills have been filed in the current state legislative session by Rep. Kilcoyne and Rep. Pease. H.661, H.663, H.621, and H.622 had their public hearing in July 2025, and H.658 had its hearing in October 2025.

UPDATE: In September 2025, H.622 accompanied by H.621 and H.663, was favorably reported to the House Committee on Ways and Means

Overview and explanation of the 2025-2026 bills

H.658 An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-level children Status: BEFORE JOINT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

H.661 An Act relative to equitable accelerated learning opportunities for public school students Status: BEFORE JOINT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

H.621 An Act relative to State Engagement in the Education of Gifted and Advanced Students Status: FAVORABLY REPORTED TO HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

H.622 An Act relative to an Expert Panel on the Education of Advanced and Gifted Students Status: FAVORABLY REPORTED TO HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

H.663 An Act relative to Educational Equity for Gifted and Beyond Grade-Level Children Status: FAVORABLY REPORTED TO HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

Instructions on how to ask your legislators to support these bills:

1. Find your state Rep.’s and Sen.’s contact information at: MA "Find My Legislator";

2. Copy and paste the message below in an email to your state Rep. and your state Senator, add your personal story if you like, and cc or bcc advocacy@massgifted.org;

3. Forward this email to friends and family asking them to join you in taking action.

Questions? Contact us at advocacy@massgifted.org.

Gifted and advanced students need state laws that provide them equitable protection to reach their full potential. Please make sure to let your representatives know about this need and ask them to support gifted education on your behalf.

 *** SAMPLE EMAIL (Copy and paste, or compose your own. Adding your personal story is very helpful but keep in mind that emails to your legislators are considered public records) ***

Dear Representative/Senator [insert name here], 

The public schools of Massachusetts are falling short in educating their advanced, gifted, and high-potential students, by not acknowledging their needs and not providing them with an appropriate educational path that nourishes their strengths, supports their social-emotional needs, and allows them to experience effective challenge to reach their full potential. 

In 2019, DESE delivered to the Massachusetts legislature a study report, Gifted Education in Massachusetts: A Practice and Policy Review. The report laid out that the Commonwealth is failing to serve the state’s advanced learners, resulting in lack of access to effective learning growth across the state that especially affects low-income, black, and brown advanced students, as well as English Learners and students with disabilities. 

Gifted, advanced and high-potential students need state laws that advance both equity and excellence and provide them protection to reach their full potential so that Massachusetts gifted and advanced students can experience academic and social-emotional growth, and do so regardless of socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds. 

I ask you to support the following bills, in order to support equitable access to learning growth. An overview of the bills is linked here: Legislation Overview for 2025-26

H.658 An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-level children

H.661 An Act relative to equitable accelerated learning opportunities for public school students

H.621 An Act relative to State Engagement in the Education of Gifted and Advanced Students

H.622 An Act relative to an Expert Panel on the Education of Advanced and Gifted Students

H.663 An Act relative to Educational Equity for Gifted and Beyond Grade-Level Children

Thank you,

[your name]

[your mailing address]

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 2019 Report on the State of Gifted in Massachusetts

In 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) published a report on the state of gifted education in Massachusetts. It clearly outlined out the lack of support for advanced learners across the state.

Several recommendations included the tracking of the number of advanced learners in the state, the establishment of state policy and guidelines on acceleration, the hiring of a DESE staff member devoted to advanced learners, and the establishment of a task force. To date the actions carried out following this report have been the re-establishment of the G&T Education Advisory Council to BESE, and the hiring of a part-time Manager for Advanced and Accelerated Learning at DESE.