When creating a gifted and talented program for a school district, there are many things one needs to consider in order for it to be successful. In this post you will find a general outline of what to consider during your planning process. Upcoming blog posts will expand on different aspects of this post, which will then be linked to this post.
Components for Programming and Services
- Philosophy ~ What is the philosophy of the district’s program? State the beliefs of the program, creating a launching space for forming the program’s policies. The program’s philosophy should lead to commitment to excellence and help the programming team make good decisions.
- Goals ~ As a team, the district should discuss what the desired student outcomes are and what will be done in order to meet the needs of the target population.
- Curriculum Alignment and Adaptation to Standards ~ It is imperative that the program’s curriculum aligns to the state and national standards. When developing the gifted and talented program, conduct research on the best curriculum and differentiation strategies to use with academically advanced students.
- Student Assessment ~ How will the district test students for the program? What are the qualifications to be accepted into the gifted program?
- Differentiated Opportunities for Learning ~ The program should provide opportunities for students to learn at and above their level in various subjects. They should be appropriately challenged and provided open-ended activities, including student choice assignments. This can be done through individual/small group instruction and independent study.
- Staffing and Professional Growth ~ What qualifications does the gifted and talented coordinator and teacher need in order to be successful? What professional development opportunities will the district provide for them?
- Parent and Community Involvement ~ How will parents of gifted students, along with the community, be involved within the program?
- Funding ~ Where will the funding for the program come from? What costs are needed for the different aspects of the program?
Evaluations
After implementing the plan to create a gifted and talented program, the district should get feedback from students, teachers, and parents in order to know what the strengths and weaknesses are of the program. The district should then take that information and make the necessary changes in order to make program improvements.
Program Designs
It is important to think about how the district’s program can provide appropriate learning opportunities for all of its students. There is a variety of different methods that can be used when it comes to working with gifted students. Below are a few options of what the district can do. Make sure to check and see what works best for your district and target population.
- Curriculum Compacting ~ Curriculum compacting can be done with small groups of students or individually. It may be used if a student works at a quicker pace than their peers and need less repetition and practice to master a skill. Curriculum compacting allows the teacher to see what the student has mastered and what they still need to learn, along with allowing time for enrichment and accelerated study. It also encourages independence from the student. Compacting the curriculum eliminates the skills and/or concepts that the student has already mastered. Students will finish the unit in a quicker time period, allowing them ample opportunities to focus on the skills or knowledge that they need more help with.
- Learning/Interest Centers~ Learning and interest centers can be used when students finish their assigned class work. The centers are a great way to provide student choice and allow the students to explore the hows and whys through various interest based tasks. Through these centers, students can be challenged while pursuing their interests.
- Enrichment Groups ~ When students remain in the general education class for the school day, they can be placed in enrichment groups where they are assigned higher-level material to support their academic level. These opportunities include extending the curriculum and can happen either in the classroom or out of it.
- Grade Advancement ~ If a student is excelling in their age-level grade, they may benefit from skipping that grade and going on to the next one. This allows them to be able to be challenged in all areas instead of just one or two where they are given enrichment opportunities a couple hours a week.
- Subject Acceleration ~ If you have a student who excels in one subject, such as math, they can join the grade level above for that one subject. This helps them to be able to complete work that is more suitable for their abilities and to cut back on repetition and unneeded practice.
- Honors Classes, Advanced Placement Classes, and College Classes ~ Once students get into middle school and high school, they can be offered honors classes, advanced placement classes, and college courses that are offered in the high school.
- Independent Study/Individualized Instruction ~ Independent study allows students to conduct research independently, learn planning skills, and work at their level while challenging themselves with working on in-depth work on problems of interest. Together, the teacher and student identify a topic or problem of student interest and make a plan of study. While students work on their project, they document their work through a log that gets turned into the teacher to do follow-ups with the student.
- Distance Learning ~ Distance learning opportunities provide teachers other resources to help meet the needs of their gifted students. Some distance learning programs include Art of Problem Solving and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Online Courses. There are also distance learning high school and college courses that students can take. If money is an issue, one can search “free” on Davidson Gifted Database in order to find some free resources for distance learning.
- Tiered Assignments ~ Tiered assignments within the general classroom allows for varied levels of activities. Students can be assigned appropriately challenging tasks in order to build on prior knowledge and to continue to learn. Through tiered assignments, teachers and students use a variety of resource materials and learning methods so the students are working on the same unit but completing different tasks according to their academic level.
- Learning Contracts ~ A learning contract is an agreement between the teacher and the student. Students are given the opportunity and freedom to complete tasks through a variety of choices. Learning contracts give the students the chance to learn planning and decision making skills.
Arrange for Students to Demonstrate Capabilities
Within your gifted and talented program, it is important that students are given ample chances to demonstrate what they are capable of doing. This can be done by preassessing the students before a unit in order to establish their academic level within the given topic. It is important to then teach beyond what the student is capable of, and then reassess them to see what they have learned. Finally, it is important for the teacher to interpret and evaluate the results of the reassessment.
Finding Learning Needs
Once students are placed in the gifted and talented program, it is important to find out what the learning needs are of each individual student. This can be done using a variety of resources and strategies:
- Interest Surveys ~ By using interest surveys, teachers are able to build on the students’ interests in their academics and in how they demonstrate their learning (i.e., through projects, tests, etc.).
- Observations ~ Conducting observations throughout the school day can inform the teacher on how the student does with their work, as well as if they are capable of completing their work at an independent, self-paced level.
- Class Work ~ Reflecting on the students’ class work can help the teacher know where to enrich the abilities/strengths of their students, as well as where they need less and more review in the content area.
- Student Interviews ~ Asking students questions through an interview helps to empower them and can help them to take charge of their learning.
- Parent Interviews ~ Parents know their children and want to advocate for them, so asking them for advice and strategies when working with their child can be helpful in finding the student’s learning needs.
- Standardized Tests ~ Standardized tests allow teachers to see where the students are most advanced.
- Product Samples ~ Different samples of students’ work can provide evidence on the students’ interests and abilities.
- Preassessments ~ Preassessments allow the teacher to see what the student already knows so they know the student does not need more practice in those areas.
- Cumulative Folders ~ When teachers get new students, this is a great place to start in order to see past teacher notes and observations of the student.
- Portfolio ~ Portfolios are great authentic assessments that allow teachers to see student reflections on the work they have completed.
Curriculum
When considering curriculum to use in the gifted and talented program, it is important to make sure one is not only enriching the curriculum, but also accelerating. Students should be able to dive deeper and more elaborately into the subject or topic. They should also be able to make connections, relationships, and associations across multiple subjects and topics, and gain a personal understanding of the topic. Finally, student should be challenged at their own pace and ability.
Involving Parents
Within a gifted and talented program, it is imperative that parents are involved throughout the whole school year. Conducting at least two informational meetings each year will be very helpful when first starting a program. At the beginning of the school year, have a parent meeting focused on planning purposes. Let parents know the plans for the program for the school year, what the goals are, how the goals will be met, etc. Then at the end of the school year, focus the meeting on evaluation. Allow parents to provide insights on how they thought the school year went and any suggestions on ways to improve the program. Throughout the school year, districts can conduct mini-meetings to continue to gain insight while the program is being implemented.
Teachers can also involve parents in the gifted and talented program by having individual or group conferences, publishing bulletins and newsletters, and providing parents with surveys and questionnaires.
Go here for more tips on working with parents.