Gifted and Talented Education Services (GATES) offers a variety of program options for students who are identified as gifted and talented and whose educational needs cannot be met within the regular classroom setting. Maine law, Chapter 104, defines gifted and talented students, K-12, who excel, or have the potential to excel, beyond their age peers, in the regular school program, to the extent that they need and can benefit from programs for the gifted and talented. Gifted and talented children shall receive specialized instruction through these programs if they have exceptional ability, aptitude, skill, or creativity in one or more of the following categories: general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, or artistic ability. These students usually comprise three to five percent of the population. Students are screened annually for identification and notification of GATES programming.