1. A Plan for the Gifted Services and Talent Development Program
Plainview-Elgin-Millville Community Schools

2. Overview Development/Advisory Committee How Do We Pay for This?
Why Do We Need This?
What Does It Mean?
Who Is It For?
When Does This Happen?

3. Development/Advisory Committee
Committee members:
Gary Kuphal, Superintendent
Jake Donze, Curriculum Director
Angie Matiash, 7-8 representative
Julie Buehler, G/T Specialist and 4-6 representative
Stacy Montgomery, PreK-3 representative
Tracy Olson Moran, G/T Program coordinator and high school representative
Committee history
Past year: Research
Past four months: Plan Development

4. How Do We Pay for This?
The district has received $21,675 this year in funding specifically marked for gifted and talented education.
$8, of this money is currently spent on teacher salaries; for the teacher who provides service and the gifted/talented coordinator.
This is reserved fund money. The carry over from this year ($13, ) will help support our program next year.
Additional money will be needed from staff development (another reserved fund) to provide staff training and curriculum writing time.

5. Why Do We Need This? Needs Assessment Results:
We are not meeting the intellectual needs of our brightest students.
School District Mission Statement: Empowering All Learners for Life
We are compelled by our obligation to the appropriate education of all our students.

6. What Does It Mean? The program has two parts:
Gifted Services: direct services in the classroom for identified students
Giftedness is a biologically-rooted concept and serves as a label for a high level of intelligence. It indicates an advanced and accelerated development of functions within the brain.
Talent Development: opportunities open all to all students to develop their talents
Talent Development involves the deliberate and planned effort to provide all children with a responsive learning environment so that all of their talents and abilities will have the opportunity to develop at maximum levels.

7. Gifted Services
Talent Development
Differentiation
Additional teacher and parent resources as necessary
Case File Planning and Implementation
Clustering
Reading and Math Readiness
Grouping Across Grade Levels
Transition Planning
Talent Scouts (K-2)
Fee-based After-School Program
Foreign Language Partial Immersion Program (K-8)
Extra-curricular activities such as: Destination Imagination, future Problem Solvers, Junior Great Books, Knowledge Bowl, Math League, Speech Team, School Play, Solo and Ensemble Contests
Young Scholars Academy I, II and
Summer Academy (requires teacher recommendation)
Foreign Language Full Immersion Program (9-12)

8. Who Is It For?
Identification Process
1. We create a nomination pool of students with high potential and /or performance, which is as inclusive as possible. To be included in the nomination pool, students must have at least four of the following, dependent on the area of giftedness:
one teacher evaluation
one parent evaluation
NWEA reading score at least two grade levels above current grade level
NWEA math score at least two grade levels above current grade level
MCA reading score at least two grade levels above current grade level
MCA math score at least two grade levels above current grade level
Successmaker testing results at least two grade levels above current grade level
Student portfolio of work
Student audition
Anecdotal piece by additional teacher or community leader

9. 2. We collect information on each pool member to determine his/her strengths, weaknesses, and educational needs (secondary screening). To be included in the program, members of the nomination pool must complete a/an:
Student self-evaluation
Kranz Talent Identification Instrument
Slosson Intelligence Test
Interview with g/t program coordinator
The selection committee utilizes all data and then determines which students are in the program.
We allow students to appeal placement/selection decisions via a review by a separate appeals committee.
Students in the program will be reassessed every two years for changes in their performance, using the four secondary screening criteria and current teacher evaluations.
Non-selected pool members are eligible to reapply annually during the identification cycle.

10. When Does This Happen?
School Year General staff development and parent communication
2. Develop program
3. Staff recruitment
4. Identify students for program   
Summer Teacher training for program
2. Curriculum development for K-2 program
School Year Implement program for identified students
2. Continue talent development
3. Continue staff development
Summer Continue teacher training for program

11. Questions, Comments, Ideas
Discussion
Questions, Comments, Ideas