Academics - Gifted Education Program
Feel free to contact Northeast Elementary’s Gifted and Talented Facilitator, Mrs. Sunni Gibbons at sgibbons@dcsdk12.org with any questions you may have.
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What does Gifted Programming look like at Northeast Elementary?
At Northeast, we value and support the depth and complexity of knowledge, not just what grade level a concept may be. Gifted students are put into Cluster Groups with other gifted students for peer connections. Each grade level has a classroom/classrooms in which students are clustered. All students in our building read and write at their highest independent level and sometimes additional grouping is needed in the area of mathematics. We use a variety of strategies to meet our students' needs in our building, some of these are: EAGLE Time Groups in different subject areas, Flexible Grouping within the classroom in Reading and Math, Content Acceleration, Independent Study, Project Based Learning, Curriculum Compacting, and Blended Learning. Gifted students also meet with the Gifted Education Facilitator, Sunni Gibbons, to develop their Advanced Learning Plan Academic and Affective Needs Goals and Mrs. Gibbons helps to support students with the learning skills needed to be successful in the classroom. We use a variety of Gifted and Talented curriculum as well to help extend and enrichment students in various academic and social emotional areas: Jacob's Ladder, College of William and Mary, Zaccaro Math, Mindset Mathematics, Mark Hess Social and Emotional Gifted Curriculum, and more.
What is the Gifted and Talented Identification Process?
In order to begin the identification process parent(s) AND student must complete the Northeast Gifted and Talented Referral Form in order to provide background information regarding your child's strengths, interests, abilities and passions, as well as giving consent for the Gifted and Talented Facilitator to begin testing, observing your child and gathering qualitative and quantitative data. Once this form is submitted our school's Gifted and Talented Facilitator (Sunni Gibbons) will reach out regarding next steps.
What is an ALP (Advanced Learning Plan)?
At Northeast Elementary, we create Advanced Learning Plans (ALP) for students that have gone through a gifted identification process and qualify. The ALP is written by the Gifted and Talented Facilitator (Sunni Gibbons) in collaboration with classroom teachers, students and parents. The ALP formalizes the differentiation that the classroom teacher does for the students in their identified area(s) as well as supporting the student with developing their affective needs goals.
What is the role of the Gifted and Talented Facilitator?
The role of the Gifted and Talented Facilitator is to coordinate the identification process as well as support in writing the ALP. If a parent is interested in applying for the Discovery Program, the facilitator can help with that process as well. The facilitator also collaborates with teachers in writing and progress monitoring student academic and affective needs goals, gathering support materials for classroom instruction, analyzing data and adjusting plans as needed.
What will this look like at Sagewood Middle School?
Sagewood has many options for different levels of learning. Teachers will recommend based on their knowledge of the student and the choices that are offered. Parent and student input is taken as well.
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