Talented & Gifted Program Services

General Information - Program Info

 

Fall 2009 Changes to the

ISD 279 Gifted Education Program

As reported in school newsletters throughout the year, a group of administrators, teachers, and parents has been working to review and implement improvements to the elementary Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program, to be renamed “Gifted Education” (GE). The review arose from five key issues that have prompted an acceleration of the Program Improvement Process, including:

1. The completion of the revised strategic plan for Talented and Gifted programming by the Minnesota Department of Education in the fall of 2007.
2. Under representation of minority students seeking placement in Talented and Gifted classes, grades 2 through 12.
3. A growing national cry for acceleration, differentiation and clustering to better meet the needs of gifted students, initiated by the 2004 document called “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students.”
4. The NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children) conference in Minneapolis in the fall of 2007 brought many of these national issues to the forefront in the Midwest.
5. A recommendation from the 2006-2007 District Planning Advisory Council citing a need to service enhancement for gifted students.

What’s the same?

1. A variety of high-quality, rigorous gifted education services will be available to identified students in every elementary building.
2. Pull-out services will continue for current core and newly identified students.  These services will include affective, creative thinking and problem-solving offerings, and either math or reading, depending on the site focus.
3. Every classroom will have students with varying levels of academic ability.
4. Some pull-outs will still be offered.  The newly named Needs-Based Classes (NBC) will contract the site focus to expand the range of opportunities for students.

What’s new?

1. Daily vs. weekly opportunities for rigorous instruction for gifted learners.
2. More services delivered in the regular classroom by gifted education teachers.
3. Students assigned to classrooms to create a mix of ability grouping in each room.
4. At least one classroom at every elementary grade level will include a “cluster” of students with the highest need for instruction designed for high-ability students.  Clustering these students in designated classrooms with specially trained teachers will help ensure that those students’ needs for challenging and relevant learning are met on a daily basis.
5. Classroom assignments reflect the student population at each grade level and support learning fro all students.
6. Training for classroom teachers to increase the challenge for all students in every classroom.
7. Placement criteria established relative to the overall population in each school, and based on student ability plus performance.

The redesigned Gifted Education program will:

1. Use a new identification instrument that looks at a broader range of students’ abilities.
2. Challenge more students with daily instruction tailored to meet their needs.
3. Expand services to more grade levels, adding both kindergarten and first grade service.
4. Offer more opportunities for classroom and Gifted Education teachers to provide instruction designed for high-ability learners.
5. Incorporate national standards and best practices in gifted education.
6. Provide professional development to teachers in differentiating curriculum and instruction.

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