+ GT Parent Orientation Night A general overview of the program

+ GT Resource Staff at Pointers Run Jessica Brown (full-time) 4 th grade GT math 1 st, 3 rd and 4 th grade Curriculum Extension Units 4 th and 5 th Instructional Seminars Kindergarten Talent Development Danelle Houck (full-time) 5 th grade GT math 1 st, 2 nd and 5 th grade Curriculum Extension Units 2 nd and 3 rd Instructional Seminars Kindergarten Talent Development Primary Math support Amy Cargiulo (half-time) 4 th and 5 th grade GT math 5 th grade Instructional Seminar

The mission of the Howard County Gifted and Talented Education Program is to recognize and develop talent in advanced-level students.

+ The GT Program Education Goals: 1. Accelerate the achievement of students who participate in the G/T Education Program. 2. Increase successful participation of underrepresented populations of students in G/T Education Program offerings. 3. Develop a highly qualified professional staff. 4. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for G/T Education Program communication and community involvement.

+ GT Mathematics The GT Mathematics program is available only in 4 th and 5 th grade Curriculum is enriched & accelerated by as much as two years Focus is on problem solving and application of mathematical skills Daily mathematics instruction by the G/T Resource Teacher (1 hour 15 minutes/day) Testing required for students to attain an ability measure as one criteria for determining placement

+ CogAT For all students in grades 3 and 5 Testing window: end of November – early December Measures learned reasoning abilities developed through in and out-of-school experiences Verbal reasoning Quantitative reasoning Non-verbal reasoning

+ Cognitive Abilities Verbal Ability – Best predictor of academic success Quantitative Ability – “number sense” ability to see relationship of numbers Nonverbal Ability – Best predictor of how fast a student learns

+ CogAT Measures Important Reasoning Skills Making Inferences Detecting Similarities and Differences Comprehending Problem Situations Forming Concepts Classifying and categorizing objects, events and other stimuli Using past experiences in novel problem

+ Curriculum Extension Units Interdisciplinary advanced-level content, reading, writing, & thinking skills Multiple criteria used for the selection process Above grade level readers Interest in subject Talent Spotting Lesson Report card grades Teacher observation Work habits

+ Curriculum Extension Units 1 st grade (held in Spring) Children Like Me The Art of Language 2 nd grade (year-round) Are We There Yet? We Can Dig It Water Words 3 rd grade (year-round) Weather Bridges 4 th grade (year-round) Treasure the Chesapeake Ancient Civilizations 5 th grade (year round) Politics of Persuasion Making Waves Leadership

+ Instructional Seminars Designed to develop advanced-level skills in an area of interest for students Offerings vary based on the needs of the students and grade- level teams Each unit requires weekly instruction with the G/T Resource Teacher Students self-select based on their interest in the topic

+ Instructional Seminars 2 nd grade Challenge Book Club Problem Solving 3 rd grade Weatherbug BirdSlueths AGL Math 4 th grade Ciphers and Secret Codes Green School 5 th grade Stock Market Game Green School Inventioneers

+ Questions? Schedule a conference with the G/T Resource Teacher at your school. For district information, consult the HCPSS G/T brochure & website. For national information on gifted education, consult the NAGC website.