The National Association for Gifted Children identifies children as "…those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports)." The Pennsylvania Department of Education defines mentally gifted as possessing "outstanding intellectual and creative ability, the development of which requires specially-designed programs or support services, or both, not ordinarily provided in the regular education program." As a mentally gifted student who was k-12 educated in the Philadelphia Public School system I am choosing to look in depth at PA Code 22 Section 16: Gifted Education. This portion of school policy is unfamiliar to many families and educators simply because the products of the code, such as specialized staff, classes and resources are considered "over budget" resources that their schools cannot afford for their students.