Welcome to the Excel Program at O.P. Earle School Theme : REACH ! Third-Fifth Grades

What Does Being Gifted and Talented Mean? The U.S. Department of Education defines Gifted and Talented as: "Children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment."

District One Gifted and Talented Program Mission Statement “The mission of gifted education in Spartanburg School District One is to maximize the potential of gifted and talented learners by providing programs and services which match their unique characteristics and needs.”

How Did My Child Qualify for the Excel Program? If your child has scored between the 93 rd to 98 th percentile (depending on age) on a Norm Referenced Achievement Test (i.e. MAPS or PASS tests) he or she can be tested for giftedness with the STAR or the TCS/2 tests.

Your child reached a high enough percentile in two of the three following dimensions 1. Dimension A (Reasoning Abilities) -CogAT, Naglieri or TCS/2 2. Dimension B (Academic Achievement) -MAP or PASS 3. Dimension C (Intellectual Academic) -STAR or GPA

Gifted Students Are Unique Because They Are Very observant Great intellectual curiosity Absorb information rapidly Excellent memory Long attention span compared to other same-age children Excellent reasoning and problem solving skills Intense interests

Characteristics, continued: Unusual and/or vivid imagination Learn quickly and with less practice and repetition Usually intrinsically motivated to learn (star charts and stickers don't work well to motivate them) Enjoy learning new things Enjoy intellectual activity Interested in philosophical and social issues Very sensitive, emotionally and even physically

How Will Excel Be Different? Students will have more of a say in what kind of activities are done in class. Activities will be more hands-on. The class will be more student-led and teacher will act more as the facilitator of the class. Lessons will satisfy kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learners. All activities will be done in class-no homework! Lessons will correlate with what is being taught in their general classroom, but will expand and will encourage higher order thinking skills.

Grades Will Reflect: Independent Skills: – Time Management, Organization, Use of Resources, and Self Motivation Creative Skills: – Divergent Thinking, Originality, Expressiveness, and Elaboration Cooperative Learning: – Maintains a Positive Attitude and an Open Mind, Shows Cooperation, and is Responsible

Keep on the Lookout For… EXCEL field trips-each grade takes one or two field trips. For example, 3 rd grade goes to Swofford Career Center; 4 th grade goes to Clemson University; 5 th grade goes to the Biltmore House.

Thank you! Any questions or comments?

State Standards Gifted Students will be able to: Use critical and creative thinking in solving problems. Transfer advanced knowledge and skills. Read complex texts independently. Use argumentative writing.