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Gifted Philosophy
Every person deserves an education which is appropriate for his/her learning needs and which allows him/her to develop that potential to the greatest extent possible. Society needs capable leaders and productive citizens who will solve societal problems and create a new and better environment. It is to these ends that gifted education addresses itself.
The gifted education program exists to identify and provide programming for students identified as having high potential or ability in one or more of the following areas: specific academic ability, general intellectual ability, leadership, creativity, and visual or performing arts.
Gifted Goals
The goals of the gifted education program are to:
- build a broad based, inclusive program,
- support the development of curricula that emphasize problem solving, reasoning, integrating and communicating knowledge,
- meet the needs of students in classrooms as well as through special programming which will provide a variety of authentic materials and experiences and will give students opportunities to construct and use their knowledge effectively and imaginatively,
- provide information, resources, and strategies to assist teachers in identifying, instructing, and meeting cognitive and affective needs of gifted learners,
- maintain ongoing needs assessment so that needs are met but services are not duplicated,
- provide students with high potential or ability opportunities for growth through a wide variety of options; provide audience beyond classroom teacher,
- coordinate with the guidance counselor, a program in which small groups of gifted students meet to address their affective needs (i.e., acceptance from peers, self-esteem, handling failure and criticism).
(Adopted: February 1993)
Staffing
The district employs one teacher at Stormonth Elementary and one teacher at Bayside Middle School to support the Gifted Education Program. Each teacher spends approximately 50% of their time serving the needs of gifted students.
Enrichment
Enrichment includes activities, processes, and/or teaching and learning strategies, such as classroom interest centers, field trips, special group projects, guest speakers, unusual demonstrations, and the like. In a very broad sense, enrichment is anything that a teacher does to capitalize upon and extend students' interests and their understanding of curriculum related skills and concepts. The activities, processes and events are purposefully selected with specific objectives in mind.
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