Rationale and Principles of Gifted Education Policy in Hong Kong The mission of gifted education is to fully explore and develop the potentials of gifted students systematically and strategically by providing them with opportunities to receive education at appropriate levels in a flexible teaching and learning environment. To cater to the educational needs of gifted students, we advocate the following principles: Nurturing multiple intelligences is a fundamental goal of quality basic education and should be the mission of ALL schools; Gifted education should be part of quality education. The needs of gifted students, like their less able counterparts, should basically be met in their own school; A broad definition using multiple intelligences should be adopted; Exploring students' thinking and creativity abilities and social skills should be the foci of gifted education. Schools should provide sequential and multiple educational activities to gifted students at different levels; To compile resources collected from educational parties/bodies as support to schools. Operation Mode of Gifted Education in Hong Kong A three-tier operation mode is adopted in implementing gifted education in Hong Kong:   Level One¡G  A To immerse the core elements advocated in gifted education i.e. High-order thinking skills, creativity and personal-social competence in the curriculum for ALL students; B¡G To differentiate teaching through appropriate grouping of students to meet the different needs of the groups with enrichment and extension of curriculum across ALL subjects in regular classrooms. Level Two¡G C¡G To conduct pull-out programmes of generic nature outside the regular classroom to allow systematic training for a homogeneous group of students (e.g. Creativity training, leadership training, etc.); D¡G To conduct pull-out programme in specific areas (e.g. Maths, Arts, etc.) outside the regular classroom to allow systematic training for students with outstanding performance in specific domains. Level Three¡G E¡G The Education Bureau liaises with tertiary institutes and other educational organizations/bodies to form expert groups to initiate and develop external resource support for the exceptionally gifted (e.g. counselling, mentorship, early entry to advanced class, etc.).