Palmer High School Gifted & Talented Program November 2014

Definition Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any area(s) of giftedness. Gifted students include students with disabilities ( twice-exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations.

Categories of Giftedness General or specific intellectual ability Specific academic aptitude Quantitative Verbal General (non-verbal)

Additional Gifted Categories Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness Creative or Productive Thinking Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities Leadership

Quantitative Giftedness Quantitative reasoning skills; flexibility and fluency in working with quantitative symbols and concepts; and the ability to organize, structure, and give meaning to an unordered set of numerals and mathematical symbols. These reasoning skills are significantly related to problem solving in mathematics and other disciplines.

Verbal Giftedness Measures flexibility, fluency, and adaptability in reasoning with verbal materials and solving verbal problems. These reasoning abilities play an important role in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and virtually all verbal learning tasks.

General Giftedness General reasoning measures problem solving that includes logic, associative reasoning, creative thinking, and deductive reasoning to move from a set of given principles or circumstances to the desired result. This thinking is often measured by the ability to solve analogies.

Twice-exceptional Student Identified gifted with an IEP or 504. Physical disability Learning disability Social/emotional disability Served by both the IEP or 504 and an ALP (Advanced Learning Plan)

Bright ChildGifted Learner Knows the answer Is interested Is attentive Has good ideas Works hard Answers the questions Top group Listens with interest Learns with ease 6-8 repetitions for mastery Understands ideas Enjoys peers Grasps the meaning Completes the assignments Asks the questions Is highly curious Is mentally and physically involved Has wild, silly ideas Plays around, yet tests well Discusses in detail, elaborates Beyond the group Shows strong feelings & opinions Already knows 1-2 repetitions for mastery Constructs abstractions Prefers adults Draws inferences Initiates projects

Bright ChildGifted Learner Is receptive Copies accurately Enjoys school Absorbs information Technician Good at memorization Enjoys sequential presentation Is alert Is pleased with own learning Is intense Creates a new design Enjoys learning Manipulates information Inventor Good guesser Thrives on complexity Is keenly observant Is highly self-critical

GT Identification Process Tested in second grade using the CoGAT Ability Test and other metrics Depending on need, GT testing can be done at any time (K-12). Identification mostly happens in elementary and middle school District committee modified selection process last year Once identified as gifted in District 11, then always identified as gifted; giftedness does not go away

Why GT at High School? 18% of high school dropouts nationwide are gifted students US News and World Report, 8/83. More than IB, AP, Honors class options Unique academic and social/emotional needs

GT Programming at Palmer IB program AP/CU Succeed classes Honors classes College classes Curriculum modification Mentorships Job shadows Independent projects Clubs Study skills Goal planning Student advocacy

IB/AP/Honors Programs and GT While these programs offer advanced course work, and many GT students are enrolled in these programs for this reason, the GT program is separate. GT is a service for identified gifted students, offering students assistance (academic, social, emotional) for their unique gifted needs. What GT can provide is rather diverse – curriculum differentiation, study skills, mentorships, job shadowing, student advocacy, goal planning, etc. GT works collaboratively with other Palmer programs and activities.

Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) “a written record of gifted and talented programming utilized with each gifted child and considered in educational planning and decision making.” Colorado Department of Education,

Why ALPs? Colorado is one of the few states that mandate gifted education and programming. The ALP is the means by which the state monitors this mandate. The ALP serves as a portfolio, a repository of information documenting achievements and goals. The end result is a body of evidence covering years of schooling that students can use for post- graduate endeavors – often for college and scholarship applications.

The ALP Process Student completes online ALP form Gifted Resource Teacher (GRT) schedules a meeting with the student to review the ALP and to provide assistance in helping the student realize their goals, interests, and aspirations Follow-up

Individual ALPs The emphasis of an ALP should address student strengths May be a little extra work, but will directly benefit the student Collaboration with parents and teachers Not necessarily related to school work

ALP Players Student Parent(s) Teacher(s) Gifted Resource Teacher Community

Communication Web: Gifted-and-Talented.aspx Gifted-and-Talented.aspx Teacher Page: ms ms

Contact Michael Chamberlin Gifted Resource Teacher (GRT), Palmer (719) Room 222