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ITALY I.S.D. PHILOSOPHY OF GIFTED EDUCATION
The Italy Independent School District is committed to providing each of its students the opportunity to develop to his/her full potential. This commitment includes identifying and meeting the needs of gifted and/or talented students. Italy I.S.D. believes that gifted students need a qualitatively differentiated program that provides time for work with other gifted students, time for further development of leadership abilities, and time for work on creative self-directed projects. Through a multi-dimensional teaching approach, the program emphasizes learning processes involving both the cognitive and affective domains. The goal is to enable students to acquire the skills necessary to become intellectually and creatively productive adults capable of making significant contributions to the community, state, and nation.
STATE AND LOCAL DEFINITIONS The Texas State definition for gifted/talented is as follows: Gifted and talented students are those who excel consistently or who show the potential to excel in any one or combination of the following areas: These students require educational experiences beyond those normally provided by the regular program in order to realize their contribution to self and society. Gifted and talented children, for the purpose of education in IISD, are those identified by professionally qualified persons who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance. Italy I.S.D. will serve in its gifted program children capable of high performance including those with demonstrated achievement and/or potential ability in any of the following areas: general intellectual aptitude, specific academic aptitude, creative and productive thinking, and leadership ability. Students in the top five to eight percent of students enrolled in grades K-12 shall be identified through the use of multiple criteria and identified as the gifted population in the Italy I.S.D. These students are found in all races, socio-economic groups, geographical locales, and environments. The identification process for the gifted and talented population at Italy I.S.D. is planned and conducted by committees of professional educators. The committees consist of the following: principals, counselors, classroom teachers, and other administrative personnel. The committees have two primary purposes: to assimilate the data necessary to identify those students who merit further assessment and consideration in the identification process and to guarantee that each student nominated for the gifted program receives equal and fair treatment.GOALS FOR THE GIFTED/TALENTED PROGRAM Identification To identify students in grades K-12 who are gifted in general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, and productive thinking ability through the use of multiple and specific criteria. Program Organization Curriculum Development To develop differentiated curriculum for students in grades K-12 who are gifted or evidence potential advanced abilities in any one of the following content areas: reading, language arts, math, science, or social studies. Staff Development To provide awareness training in gifted education for all school personnel and in-depth in-service activities for those involved in program planning and implementation. Personnel who implement the G/T program must have 30 hours of training. To provide continuous in-service in gifted/talented education. Parent and Community Involvement To develop a plan for building understanding of the program for parents and community members. Evaluation, Revisions, and Adjustments To develop a comprehensive design to make any needed adjustments in program implementation and maintain its effectiveness. To develop and implement a comprehensive evaluation, revision, and adjustment design to determine program effectiveness and student progress and outcomes.
ITALY I.S.D. IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURES/ GIFTED AND TALENTED Criteria for nomination: Need any one area for nomination. Teacher nomination. Self-nomination (grades 4-11).Parent nomination. Community nomination. A copy of the appropriate nomination forms may be obtained in the principal’s office at each campus, the curriculum director’s office, or from the GT coordinator. For a student to be officially nominated for the gifted/talented program, he/she must be nominated by any one of the above named methods. The identification process is planned and conducted by a committee of professional educators on each of the district’s campuses. Each committee may consist of the gifted/talented coordinator, the campus principal, the counselor, a gifted/talented teacher, and a regular classroom teacher. A minimum of three local educators is required (i.e. gifted/talented coordinator, gifted/talented teacher and regular classroom teacher). Criteria for selection: For any students nominated by any one of the methods described in the nomination phase of the identification process, the gifted/talented coordinator or his/her designee will complete the student gifted and talented matrix. This student information matrix will be utilized in considering students for final selection and placement in the gifted/talented program. A qualifying student must have a score of 3 or above in the following 3 areas: Selection Procedures: Using the identification committee’s list of nominated students, the selection committee of each campus will select the top 5-8% of the students on each campus ( K-6 and 7-12) who meet the required criteria.Final selection for placement in the program is made by a committee of professional educators on each of the district’s campuses which determines and selects those students who meet the criteria for the gifted program. The members of each campus committee may consist of the following: the gifted/talented coordinator, the campus principal, the counselor, a regular classroom teacher, and a gifted/talented teacher. A minimum committee of three local educators is required for final selection (i.e., gifted/talented coordinator, gifted/talented teacher, and regular classroom teacher). REVIEW PROCEDURES S tudents selected for the gifted program will be reviewed annually by the gifted/talented teachers and G/T committee. Students will continue in the program unless the gifted/talented committee has determined that the gifted program is not meeting the educational needs of the student based upon his/her performance within the program. At that time, the student will be reviewed according to the exit procedures outlined for the program.Each gifted and talented student will be reevaluated in the sixth grade prior to entering junior high and eighth grade prior to entering high school. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) will be given to each student in the sixth and eighth grade. The GT committee will consider the OLSAT and the GT portfolio when deciding if the student should remain in the gifted and talented education program. Students entering during the school year and students who are nominated after the initial identification of students has been made shall be considered for the gifted/talented program using the same criteria outlined in the nomination and screening process. The nominated students should be referred to the gifted/talented coordinator. EXIT PROCEDURES The gifted/talented committee makes the final decisions regarding exiting of students from the program for educational, psychological, and personal reasons after consultation with both students and parents. Such decisions are based on the following data: The parent of a gifted/talented student may request that his/her child be withdrawn or furloughed from the program at any time, and the child will be withdrawn or furloughed. Furloughs will be for a period of one year, then re-evaluated. However, parents are encouraged to use the district’s review process so that the best educational programs are provided for the student. At any time that a parent, a teacher, the G/T coordinator, or the principal thinks that a gifted student is not profiting fully from his/her educational program, a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the student’s placement in the program may be called. Before a student exits the program, a meeting of all persons involved must be held. Such a meeting to discuss the student's overall performance involves the parent, the teacher, the principal, and the G/T coordinator. In the event that three of the four agree that the program is not meeting the educational needs of the student, the student in question will be exited from the program for the gifted. A student who is exited or furloughed from the program may not be considered for re-entry into the program until one full academic year has elapsed. All review procedures will be made through the building principal and forwarded to the gifted/talented coordinator for action. TRANSFER STUDENTS Students who have been identified as gifted/talented in another school district will qualify for entrance into Italy I.S.D.’s program for the gifted and talented. The incoming student and his/her parents will receive an explanation via a conference of criteria for participation in the program as it compares to the previous district. If the parents think that their child may not meet Italy I.S.D.’s criteria and the student may have difficulty experiencing success in the district’s program, they may request that their child not be included in the program or that their child be screened using the criteria adopted by the Italy I.S.D. If the parents do not think that their child will have difficulty making the transition into the district’s program for the gifted and talented, the student will participate in the program on a probationary status of one six weeks. If a problem occurs within this six weeks period, the teacher, parents, and the building principal or gifted/talented coordinator will hold a conference to discuss the student’s progress. If no transitional problems occur within this period, the student shall be designated as a gifted student in the Italy I.S.D. Parental or teacher grievances regarding selection of students for the Gifted and Talented Education Program may be submitted in written form to the building principal. The principal will notify the selection committee. The committee will make arrangements for a conference with the person(s) submitting the grievance. If a consensus cannot be reached, an appeal may be made to the superintendent. EVALUATION Evaluation of the Gifted and Talented Education Program will be conducted yearly to PROCEDURE FOR EVALUATION Data will be collected from students, teachers, parents, counselors, and principals to assess the success in achieving the program goals and objectives.
PROCEDURE FOR EVALUATION T he Advisory Committee will analyze the collected data and make recommendations for progress revision.Revision of the program will be based on the following: PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Because education for the academically talented requires a strong partnership between parents and teachers, and cooperation with the community, the Gifted and Talented Education Program will promote the active involvement and support of parents and community through the following: PROTOTYPE The Italy Independent School District is committed to the idea of encouraging the best possible educational experience for each child. Assuring that each child reached his or her maximum potential is the purpose of every program implemented in our schools. As a part of that purpose, the district feels it is responsible to provide enriched curriculum that reinforces and extends the regular scholastic programs so that gifted and talented students can develop their potential to the highest degree. Differentiated educational activities beyond those normally offered in the regular school program would be offered in order that these students may realize their contribution to self and society. The prototype determines the setting and organization in which learning will take place and is itself determined by the nature and needs of the students selected for the program and by the resources and limitations of each campus. Mental ability is defined by some educational psychologists as being an indicator of rate or pace that an individual is capable of learning. Research has shown that students who achieve at a faster rate or pace need to be a part of a learning environment that allows for independent study, group work with peers who represent a heterogeneous population. Therefore the Gifted and Talented Education Program is one in which identified students will be scheduled into a Gifted and Talented language arts, math, social studies, and science class each day with specially trained teachers as specified. A student’s enrollment in the Gifted and Talented Education Program will supplant his/her enrollment in the regular language arts, math, social studies, and science programs.
In grades K-6 G/T students will receive expansion instruction in the regular classroom setting as well as pull out once a week to meet with G/T peers. The 7th – 12th grade students are served with independent projects, and Advanced Placement Classes. The four content areas of science, social studies, language arts, and math are covered.Identified students in grades K-12 who meet the criteria for participation in the Gifted and Talented Education Program will be taught by specially trained teachers in the academic areas.
CURRICULUM Curriculum consists of the content to be learned and the processes which make learning possible. Curriculum for the academically talented must be differentiated from that in the regular classroom and congruent with the characteristics of gifted children. Documentation of student mastery of the TEKS (Texas Essential Skills and Knowledge) is mandated by state rules relating to curriculum. The curriculum for the Gifted and Talented Education program will be based on the following guidelines. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GIFTED/TALENTED CHILD General characteristics of gifted/talented children: They often read widely, quickly, and intensely, and have large vocabularies. They commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice. They are frequently able to pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can draw inferences which other children have to have spelled out for them. They can sustain longer periods of concentration and attention when interested. Their interests are often both wildly eclectic and intensely focused. They are usually able to respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of their peers. Creative characteristics: They are fluent thinkers able to produce a large quantity of possibilities, consequences, or related ideas. They are flexible thinkers able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving. They are original thinkers seeking new unusual or unconventional associations and combinations among items of information. They also have an ability to see relationships among seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts. They are elaborative thinkers producing new steps, ideas, responses or other embellishments to a basic idea, situation, or problems. They show a willingness to entertain complexity and seem to thrive in problem situations. They are good guessers and can construct hypotheses or "what if" questions readily. They are often aware of their own impulsiveness and the irrationality within themselves and show emotional sensitivity. They often display intellectual playfulness, fantasize, and imagine readily. They can be less intellectually inhibited than their peers in expressing opinions and ideas and often exhibit spirited disagreement. Learning characteristics: Gifted and talented students often show keen powers of observation, exhibit a sense of the significant, and have an eye for important details. They often read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for people older than themselves. They take great pleasure in intellectual activity. They have well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesizing abilities. They display a questioning attitude and seek information for the sake of having it as much as for its instrumental value. They are often skeptical, critical, and evaluative. They are quick to spot inconsistencies. They often have a large storehouse of information regarding a variety of topics which they can recall quickly. They readily perceive similarities, differences, and anomalies. They often attack complicated material by separating it into components and analyzing it systematically.Behavioral characteristics: They are willing to examine the unusual and are highly inquisitive. They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or explore and are often very persistent. "I’d rather do it myself" is a common attitude. They enjoy learning new things and new ways of doing things. They are more independent and less subject to peer pressure than other children their age. They are able to be conforming or nonconforming as the situation demands. They have a highly developed moral and ethical sense. They are able to integrate opposing impulses, such as constructive and destructive behavior. They often exhibit daydreaming behavior. They may seek to conceal their abilities so as not to "stick out". They often have a well-developed sense of self and a realistic idea about their capabilities and potential. |
