RADFORD -- Some New River Valley educators say proposed changes to how gifted education is handled statewide could result in less oversight and fewer students being served.

The Virginia Board of Education is looking at a series of changes to its gifted regulations, including the role the state plays in local plans, how often local gifted education plans are compiled and how students are identified.

"I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to put out as wide a net to find students that have such potential," said Lisa Swope, Radford High School's gifted coordinator.

The state approved its current gifted regulations in 1993. They say, among other things, that schools can identify students as gifted based on their general intellect and their academic aptitudes in selected subjects, such as English or math.

If the changes are approved, students could be required to test high in multiple subjects to be considered gifted. The changes would allow school systems to use one or more ways to determine if a student is gifted: students' general intellect, specific academic aptitude or aptitude in career and technical education or the fine arts. If a school system uses academic aptitude as an indicator, the revisions say educators "shall include procedures for identification and service, in, at a minimum, English, history and social science, mathematics and science."

During Tuesday night's public hearing on the proposed changes at Radford High School, Swope said that language could change how she hunts for talented students and, ultimately, harm the program.

"We serve students identified in only one academic area, such as English, who do not qualify for services in the other three subject areas. Currently, these students receive services from us to nurture their giftedness in English," she said. "As I understand the wording of the revision, we will be required to serve students in all four academic areas -- math, science, English and social sciences -- which, to me, seems to preclude serving students who will no longer qualify for services at all if they qualify in one subject area only."

In addition to concerns about students, educators say the new rules would limit oversight of local gifted plans.

The current regulations require peer review of school systems' gifted plans, which are written every five years. Right now, the state approves those plans and sends them back to school boards to then approve. Under the new regulations, those plans would be written annually and approved without state input.

Other educators said they worry that could lead to a lack of focus and funding from their school boards.

"If we go to a yearly plan and only have to go as far as a local school board, they're not going to take it as seriously," said Reba Taylor, who works with gifted students at Blacksburg and Eastern Montgomery high schools and Shawsville Middle.

The yearly report could mean a constant change, she said.

Diane Naff, Montgomery County's gifted coordinator, said she welcomes some of the changes in regulations.

Some of the new language is more clear than the original text from 15 years ago, she said.

However, how clear is up for debate. Naff does not see the rules about identifying gifted students in the same vein as Swope. Naff said Montgomery County should not be hurt by that change because she gets support for gifted education,

For smaller districts, such as Radford, that could be different.

If state approval of local plans is not required, local boards could choose to put gifted education under the umbrella of another department if they wanted, Naff said. The regulations, and state code, do not say that money provided for gifted education should be spent directly on gifted education.

"I think the fear is that we've always felt like the department of education had required the plans and that they were going to adopt them and put that stamp of approval on them," she said.

The changes could be approved in October or November, said board member and Pulaski County school administrator Thomas Brewster.

The public has until Friday to comment on the changes at townhall.virginia.gov. More than 450 had commented as of Wednesday.