Programming

While the gifted and talented program identifies needs and provides the necessary guidance, advocacy and programming oversight, it is the job of each school and of the district as a whole to provide every reasonable opportunity possible to meet identified needs.

At present, no more than 5% of our students are identified as gifted and talented in the areas of General Intellectual Ability and/or Specific Academic Aptitude. As stated in Chapter 104.04, we recognize that these students require all of the following:

• to move at their own rate, regardless of chronological age or grade placement;
  

• diverse experiences, including a variety of instructional strategies and materials;
  

• specialized curricula that are advanced, conceptually complex and carefully differentiated, to be provided in lieu of regular curricula;
  

• instructional settings appropriate to their changing needs as they progress through the grades;
  

• and for the highly gifted, additional modifications as appropriate.

Recognizing the need for each school and grade span to address these needs as best fits its nature, we offer the following program matrix (view as PDF) to summarize programming goals, objectives and activities as they respond to each of these student needs.

In addition to identifying students and providing the necessary guidance and advocacy to ensure that needs are met, the gifted and talented program staff also conducts limited staff development to help regular classroom teachers and others recognize and meet the particular needs of gifted students. At present, consistent direct teaching is provided only in the area of middle school math or in the rare instance where no other resource can be found.

Click here for program matrix (PDF)