Gifted and Talented Education They’re Not Just Gifted On Thursdays!

NISD Core Beliefs We believe that… kids come first. continuous improvement is critical for success of the Northwest Independent School District. the success of each student is the shared responsibility of students, families, schools and communities. environment influences learning.

District GATES Mission Statement –The mission of the Northwest I.S.D. GATES program is to develop the unique potential of each K-12 identified student so that he/she will be a positive influence in society.

GOAL STATEMENTS To provide differentiated educational services promoting critical and creative thinking skills. To engage students in an academically challenging and motivating program. To identify and implement best practices in teaching gifted students. To support the needs of highly able students by providing training for teachers.

District Curriculum Philosophy Statement At Northwest I.S.D., the education of identified gifted students is based on the following four areas of emphasis: 1.Basic Skills 2.Enrichment Activities 3.Thought Processes 4.Personal Development

Basic Skills A differentiated curriculum coordinated with the subjects of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The arts are recognized as essential to an understanding and appreciation of cultures. Instruction is facilitated by continuous monitoring of achievement with the opportunity to accelerate in area(s) of strength.

Enrichment Activities Involvement in a wide variety of topics through the use of : –resource persons –technology –written and/or visual media Students are assisted with individual and group investigations of real problems and areas of interest that emphasize research, direct involvement, and/or development of a product or service.

Thought Processes Critical thinking skills: taught through activities such as “Code Crackers” and grid logic Creativity: taught through activities such as written and visual products for units of study Problem solving strategies: taught through such activities as “Creative Problem Solving”

Personal Development Self-esteem, independence, social skills, leaderships, and dealing with one’s giftedness form the focus of the affective curriculum. Activities that promote curiosity, risk- taking and imagination create a bridge between feeling and thinking. Students learn communication skills, organization of time and materials, responsibility for tasks, and adaptation to changing situations.

GATES Developing students’ abilities to think critically, communicate effectively, reason, solve problems, value diversity, seek alternatives, and learn ways to find answers to questions.

Defining Giftedness General Intellectual Ability Specific Academic Aptitude Creative or Productive Thinkers Leadership Ability Visual or Performing Arts

Frequent Characteristics of GT Children Unusually large vocabulary; speaks, problem solves in unusual ways, and physically develops significantly early Complex sentence structures Greater comprehension of language nuances Longer attention span, persistence Intensity of feelings and actions; wide range of emotional highs and lows Wide range of interests Strong curiosity; limitless questions Like to experiment; put ideas or things together in unusual ways (“Thinking Outside the Box” or “What box?”)

Frequent Characteristics of GT Children Learn basic skills quickly and with less practice than peers Largely self-taught reading & writing skills as preschoolers Unusually good memory; retain information Unusual sense of humor (sometimes dark); may use puns and sarcasm Like to organize people and things (often compulsively), and devise complex games Imaginary playmates (as preschoolers)

The High Achiever vs. The Gifted Learner vs. The Creative Learner

NISD Qualifications –Minimum of 3 Criteria for Quantitative Data CogAT and/or Naglieri, and ITBS –Minimum of 2 Criteria for Qualitative Data KOI, GATES, Slocumb/Payne, NISD Parent Checklist

The Hazards of Not Meeting The Needs of Our Gifted Students…

Bottom line… We will make sure that gifted children’s needs are being addressed EVERY DAY. We will make sure that appropriate lessons (differentiated, tiered, compacted, engaging) are provided. We will challenge our gifted students with love, dignity, and respect. We will honor and cherish their differences, from their classmates & from each other. We will NOT have a “One Size Fits All” program

GATES Program Serve your GT children through a weekly pull out program –Minimum standard per week and Conceptual Lens: K – 60 min Wonders 1 – 60 min Patterns 2 – 90 min Structure 3 – 120 min Relationships 4 – 150 min Systems 5 – 150 min Change / Culture

GT Specialist Position In addition to regularly scheduled classes, we assist classroom teachers in planning lesson extensions, compacting, and differentiating lessons for GT students Communicate with parents regarding progress, emotional well-being, and social progress through GATES progress reports sent home every six-weeks.

Duke University TIP Information will be sent home in January. Qualifications for th Grade: –3 rd Grade Math TAKS score at least 2560 –3 rd Grade Reading TAKS score at least 2616 Qualifications for th Grade: –4 th Grade Math TAKS score at least 2537 –4 th Grade Reading TAKS score at least 2497 –4 th Grade Writing TAKS score at least 2760

Websites for Gifted Resources teristics.htm

Questions, answers, concerns…

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