1. George Watts Montessori Elementary
Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Services in Durham Public Schools September 19, 2013
Cynthia M. Webb, M. Ed.
AIG Facilitator,
George Watts Montessori Elementary

2. Watts’ AIG Team Members
Patti Crum
Ilene Magrogan
Cynthia Webb
David Cook
Cathy Carinder
Melissa Parfitt
Meneca Davis
Mike Rogers
Felicia McGill
Insert School name.
List the AIG Committee members and their positions and include the AIG Facilitator and AIG teachers addresses.

3. AIG Plan 2013-2016 Goals for DPS and George Watts Montessori Elementary
Communication
Rigor/Relevance
Cultivating Potential
Professional Learning
Scholastic Programs
Consistency
Insert your school name on the line.
Our AIG plan for will focus on the following overarching goals with everything we do. While each part is separately very important, it will not allow success of the AIG program as a district whole without consistency. Consistency must be evident in everything we do.
Our goals are:
Communication- carry the message about AIG to ensure partnerships with parents and the school staff as a whole.
Rigor-Relevance- commit to the delivery of rigor through instruction for our gifted and advanced students. We know that rigor and relevance together will contribute to the highest thinking possible for our students.
Cultivating potential- just as one would cultivate, foster, nurture, and encourage a leader, we will do so in our students with a focus on our youngest learners, K-3
Professional learning- this is how we contribute to the learning of our professionals who serve AIG as well as support the collaboration between professionals on behalf of our students
Scholastic programs- create opportunities for experiences such as clubs, enrichment time, leading to teams of students who are collaborating (a 21st century skill) for a common goal – perhaps on a competitive team like the ones you have met throughout the year.

4. NC AIG Program Standards
Standard 1: Student Identification
Standard 2: Differentiated Curriculum & Instruction
Standard 3: Personnel and Professional Development
Standard 4: Comprehensive Programming within Total School Community
Standard 5: Partnerships
Standard 6: Program Accountability
This is a reminder that though AIG doesn’t have its own separate standards for curriculum, each AIG program in districts across North Carolina and OUR schools across DPS has Standards to which they must align. There are practices within each for which we have a plan to achieve and exceed the standard.

5. Standard 1: Student Identification at Our School:
Who should I contact to nominate a student? Contact the AIG Facilitator, Cynthia Webb.
What happens once I contact the Facilitator? A nomination form will be given and a permission to collect data will be completed by the parent.
What data will be collected? Once the nomination form is turned in and the parent gives permission, the following data will be collected: subject performance, work samples, achievement, school aptitude (not an IQ assessment)
Put name of the facilitator.
Some Highlights in our plan addressing Standard 1 involve:
Increased communication about identification, services, and opportunities using a variety of tools
Identification pathways which are better aligned with the Statute Article 9B which requires us to identify students as Intellectually Gifted, Academically Gifted, and Academically and Intellectually Gifted
Analyzing our data,

6. What are the differences?
What happens once data is collected? Watts’ AIG Team meets to review data and determine identification/service options. A student can be Intellectually Gifted (IG), Academically Gifted (AG), or Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) or Does Not Qualify for Services.
What are the differences?
(IG) = 97th percentile on a nationally-normed aptitude assessment.
(AG) = 90th percentile or above on nationally-normed achievement assessment AND an EOG score at 85th percentile or above OR class grade at 90%/Level 4
(AIG) = 90th percentile or above on 2 of the 3 following criteria: nationally-normed achievement and/or aptitude assessment and/or EOG at 85 percentile or above or class grade at 90%/Level 4
Does not qualify=the criteria is not met
*Students identified prior to the school year will be grandfathered in based on qualifications at the time of eligibility.
Put your school name in the blank.

7. Once the student is identified for services, what happens
Once the student is identified for services, what happens? Based on the data gathered, the AIG Team will match service options to the student’s needs, and a Differentiated Education Plan (DEP) will be developed. The parents will be invited to a conference at which permission to place and the DEP will be reviewed and signed. The DEP will be reviewed annually.

8. Standard 2: Differentiated Curriculum & Instruction at Our School
How will the curriculum look for an AIG student at Watts?
Differentiated instruction that supports daily rigor and relevance happens naturally in Montessori classrooms. Classroom teachers are empowered through Montessori training and/or the support of the AIG certified teachers to address the needs of students who are ready for accelerated works and are presented with materials and extensions to the Montessori curriculum. These extensions to the Montessori curriculum dig deeper into topics and provide students with opportunities to look at works in different ways (especially in math). Montessori curriculum also lends itself to differentiated literature circles and reading groups that are based on student reading levels. AIG Team members collaborate with all teachers in order to meet the needs of students.
Curriculum materials that are not Montessori specific materials, but are supported by the district for advanced academics are used within the Montessori framework in order to provide enrichment and acceleration while working on Common Core Content Standards designated for each grade level (ex. USTARS-Plus, Junior Great Books, Mentoring Mathematical Minds, etc.). Work plans are created based on the student’s ability and readiness for advanced works.
Insert school name.
Describe your curriculum and how it is rigorous and relevant. Then list how students are served at your school and the teacher who will serve them. Examples: K-1 U-STARS in a heterogeneous class setting enrichment pullout twice a week pullout for reading and/or math. Standard 2 highlights include:
Lesson plan resources that have been written at the state level as well as Work that has begun with a curriculum writing team in the district- working on extensions to Units provided by the content specialists, concept-based units, and differentiation toolkits for all teachers
An awareness of a new state board policy that we will bring to you in the fall
And continuing the work that has already begun thanks to the Strategic Plan to increase enrichment opportunities K-12
This is where our rigorous and scholastic programs are highlighted and the road to serving our AIG students who are AIG all day, every day, not just certain parts of their day.

9. 3: Personnel Roles and Responsibilities at Our School
Who are the AIG teachers and the Facilitator at Watts and how do you contact them?
Cynthia Webb Ilene Magrogan*
David Cook Meneca Davis
Mike Rogers
Felicia McGill* Cathy Carinder
Lauren Vejvoda*
*In the certification process
Insert school name.
List the people and their responsibilities at your school.
In Standard 3 we have highlighted the job description of our AIG Facilitators and Advanced Academic Area Facilitators so that colleagues, administrators, and parents are well aware of their roles and responsibilities which will help us lead the AIG program and advocate for gifted and advanced learners.
There is so much to know about gifted learners such as their characteristics- academic and social emotional needs, methods and models for serving these students, and differentiated instruction which will in the end help all students in our schools. We work to provide professional learning for teachers, counselors, facilitators, and administrators that is ongoing and differentiated, just as we would have for our students.

10. 4: Comprehensive Programming at Our School
How will we increase communication methods regarding services, opportunities, and transitions?
At Watts we provide whole group instruction as well as instruction in cluster groups based on ongoing formative and cumulative assessment results. Student led conferences allow students, teachers, and parents to discuss classroom performance on standards as well as modified content.
Through weekly PLCs, participation on school-based committees, and professional development opportunities, all teachers have conversations about student needs and vertically plan for alignment and differentiation.
The AIG Team and (future) AIG Advisory Committee will provide quarterly updates/data to stakeholders.
It is important that you contact a member of the AIG Team if you have questions, concerns, or ideas. Teachers and parents are a team that supports students, which means we need to communicate with each other.
Insert school name.
Insert how you will communicate
Standard 4 speaks to total school and district programming for AIG, which involves several things I have already mentioned and make for a strong program that has a focus on meeting the needs of the students. To do this, we may have specialists who can lead the way, but we certainly need to do this as a team, just as we do for ALL students in our schools.

11. What enrichment opportunities are available at Watts before, during, and after school?
During School: Spelling Bee, Art contest for State Fair, Evening of Entertainment, Math Superstars, Connected Math, Junior Great Books, Group/Individual Investigations, USTARS Plus, Creative Arts Magazine
After School: Battle of the Books, Game Club, district/state level Spelling Bee/Art Contest/Evening of Entertainment, Odyssey of the Mind
Which opportunities need parental involvement or need parent volunteers to lead the groups at our school?
Parental support is encouraged across all enrichment opportunities.
Fill in school name.
List the opportunities at your school and describe what they are.
Describe what parents can do to help/be involved.

12. 6: Program Accountability at Our School
How can you help with the district and school program accountability? Parents can have a voice in improving our AIG program by participating in surveys, focus groups, expos, and Kitchen Table Conversations. The Advanced Academic website will post when these events are planned and our school will send out information by way of the students.
Participate on Watts’ AIG Team and/or AIG Advisory Committee as well as the district’s AIG Advisory Council.
You can always contact the AIG Facilitator at our school.
Standard 6 - how will we know if our AIG program is working? That our AIG plan has us heading in the right direction? There are partnerships here as well, resulting in information and feedback that will be vital to the strength of the program.

13. Great Resources for You…
DPS Advanced Academics-
Durham PAGE -
Duke Talent Identification Program
NC Association of Gifted and Talented –
National Association of Gifted Children –
Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted –
Montessori Education-

14. Examples

15. Questions?
Put your school website and be sure to post it.
To review this information during the school year, go to