Park Hill School District

Gifted Education

Department

HANDBOOK

2013-2014

Building Successful Futures ∙ Each Student ∙ Every Day

Park Hill Gifted Education Staff

Dr. Jennifer Corum, Gifted Coordinator

Director of Curriculum

Debbie Anderson *Renner

Hawthorn &Union Chapel

Leanne Cox *English Landing (1st

-3rd

)

Prairie Point & Chinn

Union Chapel & Southeast &

Graden (HAP)

Jen Muchow *Southeast

Graden

Lisa Thomsen *Line Creek

Tiffany Ridge & Chinn

Leslie West *English Landing (4th

and 5th

)

Prairie Point

*Indicates host schools

Mission

The overall mission of the Park Hill School District is to

provide a meaningful education in a safe, caring

environment to prepare each student for success in life.

The BRIDGES program offers additional opportunities for

gifted and talented students.

Program Goals

Gifted students will achieve at high academic levels.

Gifted staff will provide a robust, technology enhanced

and challenging curriculum.

Gifted Education

“Where Thinking is Critical”

The purpose of the Park Hill Gifted Program is to

recognize and provide for the unique academic

and affective needs of exceptional children, so

they will become effective, creative producers in

society and in their personal lives.

BRIGHT CHILD GIFTED LEARNER

Knows the answers Asks the questions

Is interested Is highly curious

Is attentive Is mentally & physically involved

Has good ideas Has wild, silly ideas

Works hard Plays around, yet tests well

Answers the questions Discusses in detail

Top group Beyond the group

Listens with interest Shows strong feelings/opinions

Learns with ease Already knows

6-8 repetitions for mastery 1-2 repetitions for mastery

Understands ideas Constructs abstractions

Enjoys peers Prefers adults

Grasps the meaning Draws inferences

Completes assignments Initiates projects

Is receptive Is intense

Copies accurately Creates a new design

Enjoys school Enjoys learning

Absorbs information Manipulates information

Technician Inventor

Good memorizer Good guesser

Enjoys straight-forward, sequential presentations Thrives on complexity

Is alert Is keenly observant

Is pleased with own learning Is highly self-critical

Characteristics of Gifted Learners

All children may exhibit special talents and/or traits; however, gifted

learners possess characteristics that are developed to a much greater

extent than other students of the same age, background, and

experience. Gifted learners require instructional modifications in order

to address their exceptionalities. Some common characteristics of

gifted learners are:

Learns easily

Intellectual curiosity

Advanced vocabulary

Keen sense of humor

High standards for self

Curious and inquisitive

Excellent memory

Senses injustice

Frequently uses similes, metaphors, and analogies in

conversation

Reads avidly and absorbs books well beyond his or her years

Shows insight to arithmetical problems that require careful

reasoning and grasps mathematical concepts readily.

Core Beliefs About Gifted Children Gifted children are unique and are as different from one another as they are from the population as a whole.

Gifted children are not a homogeneous group. Gifted children may have strengths in one or more areas. Gifted children may not be “straight-A” students. Gifted children may evidence uneven development in intellectual, emotional,

and physical domains. Gifted children have potential that is extraordinary and idiosyncratic.

Gifted children exist in all cultural groups, within all economic levels, among populations with other special needs, and in all areas of human endeavor.

Gifted children may be twice exceptional, having gifts as well as disabilities. Gifted children evidence different characteristics depending on their cultural,

educational and economic backgrounds.

Gifted children learn differently and require special educational experiences in order to grow academically and achieve their highest potential.

Gifted children need a firm foundation of knowledge and skills upon which to build content expertise.

Gifted children need instruction tailored to their unique abilities, interests, and learning styles.

Gifted children need academically challenging curriculum that is both accelerated and enriched.

Gifted children need to explore many fields of study, to “fall in love” with ideas, and to study subjects in depth.

Gifted children need to engage in learning that requires persistence and task commitment.

Gifted children need the opportunity to use and develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Gifted children, because of heightened intellectual and social-emotional intensities, need support and encouragement from individuals who recognize, validate, and nurture their giftedness.

Gifted children are a special needs population and can be “at risk.” Gifted children benefit from the expertise of both classroom teachers and

specially trained gifted education teachers. Gifted children benefit from contacts with intellectual peers and mentors. Gifted children benefit from parents who help them achieve meaningful

social, emotional, and academic goals. Gifted children are children first and need to be respected for who they are.

Bridges Identification Procedures

Park Hill School District Testing Process UNIVERSAL SCREENING: Achievement Testing Grades 1st-6th in the spring of each year

Terra Nova Assessments Stanford 9 or 10 Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) Comprehensive Test of Achievement

EVALUATION: Students may be given the SAGES-2 and WISC.

SAGES-2: This is a reasoning test. Students use pictures

and shapes to make analogies. The SAGES is administered

in a small group setting.

WISC-4: This full-scale IQ test is administered individually.

PLACEMENT: In compliance with state guidelines, students must receive 95% on three (3) of the Terra Nova assessments Total Communication Arts, Total Math, Total Science or Total Social Studies)

Park Hill Testing Timeline and Communication

ACHIEVEMENT TEST:

Students will take achievement test in the spring of each year.

IQ: Students who qualify for further testing will be given an IQ test.

Parents will be notified of IQ test results by letter.

PLACEMENT: Students who qualify will be placed in the program either for Fall or January placement. Students who do not qualify have the opportunity to be tested one additional time after

a year if their scores are between 120-124 on the WISC-IV.

State of Missouri - In 1973, the State Board of Education was authorized by the Missouri legislature (H.B. 474) to establish standards for special programs for gifted students. As defined in Section 162.675 RSMo, gifted children are “those who exhibit precocious development of mental capacity and learning potential as determined by competent profession evaluation to the extent that continued education growth and stimulation could best be served by an academic environment beyond that offered through a standard grade level curriculum.”

Bridges Testing Procedures

Screening Cycle for Entrance

All students in the Park Hill School District have the opportunity to be screened for gifted education services. Upon completion of spring achievement testing, any student who has qualifying scores (see gifted placement flowchart), is identified for further testing. As students’ progress through the placement criteria, they may qualify for the program. If placement is recommended, entrance to the program will be in either August or January of the current school year, depending on the timing of testing and the results. Please note that students, who are new to the Park Hill School District and have met all of our program’s placement criteria, will be eligible to enter the program immediately.

Elementary students qualifying for gifted education services will attend classes one day a week in a pull-out program. At the elementary level, the Bridges program provides services to qualifying students in grades 2-5 at designated host sites with specific feeder schools being assigned to each location.

Middle school gifted students attend Bridges each day in replacement of their Middle School reading course. Reading standards and skills are infused in the gifted curriculum.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer from another gifted program will be considered for placement according to the Park Hill gifted program criteria. Only achievement scores from the past two years can be used. The student will be given needed tests during the testing cycles either in the summer or fall.

Appeals Procedure

Parents who feel their child’s screening test scores were invalid may appeal the testing by filling out the Bridges Appeals Form and turning it into the elementary gifted coordinator. The decision on whether to give an alternate test will be made by a committee comprised of the Director of Curriculum Instruction and the Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services.

Withdrawal from Program

If at any point during the gifted student’s educational placement the student is removed

from the program due to student and/or parental request, a meeting will be held with the

involved gifted staff members, appropriate school officials, and parents. If it is

determined that withdrawal from the program is in the student’s best interest, the

appropriate form must be completed by the student’s parent or guardian.

Students and/or parents requesting re-entrance to the gifted program at a later date,

following a withdrawal, must complete the appropriate form, and will only enter at the

times specified by the screening cycle (August or January).

Curriculum and Grading

Gifted Curriculum

Curriculum in Park Hill’s gifted program is developed to meet the specific learning needs of gifted students. These needs vary from student to student but generally include the ability to learn quickly and with fewer repetitions.

The conceptual model for designing this kind of curriculum, developed by gifted program staff, is based on research and best practice recommendations in the field of gifted education. Each unit of study is written to align goals and assessments to each other, to the district’s Core Conceptual Objectives, to the Missouri State Standards and to the NETS.

The development of differentiated curriculum answers these questions:

(1) What content do you want the students to know? (2) What skills or processes should the students master? (3) How should the students demonstrate understanding of the content and mastery of the skills through the products they create?

Gifted Reporting Topics

Problem Solving

Thinking Skills

English Language Arts

Research

Affective Needs/Personal Development

Creativity

Communication/Collaboration

Grading

Students enrolled in the Park Hill Gifted Program will be assigned grades as they are in the regular classroom. Sets of scoring guides for each reporting topic have been developed by the gifted education staff members. These reporting topics have been aligned with the curriculum that was designed and written to meet the specific educational needs of the gifted. Students will be given a score for each reporting topic based on their level of performance, and will be indicated by a 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, 1.0. As in the regular classroom, a 3.0 is the expectation for all students, in all reporting areas, by the end of the academic year.

Bridges Day “Best Practice” Guidelines

In order to address the needs of students involved in the Park Hill Gifted program, and to maximize their educational experiences, we ask that the following guidelines be respected at the elementary school level.

Tests/Classroom Work

When possible, please avoid administering tests on students’ Bridges day. With regard

to daily work and assignments, students should only be required to make up work that is

necessary for an on-going project or to better understand a complex concept. Most

classroom work should be waived.

Special Events

When possible, please avoid scheduling special events on students’ Bridges day. This

may include field trips, assemblies, room parties, special instructional performance

videos and guest speakers, etc. If a conflict is inevitable, the gifted classroom teacher

should be notified as soon as possible. Also, students and families should be given the

option of having their child attend Bridges or remain in their regular classroom for the

special event.

New Content

Instruction at the home schools/classrooms continues as usual on students’ Bridges day.

However, any new concepts that are introduced in the gifted students’ absence should

be provided to them when they return to class. The students should not be expected to

obtain the information on their own.

High Ability Program (HAP)

What is H.A.P.? The High Ability Program (HAP) offers select 1st grade students the opportunity to experience intellectual challenges and a love for learning. Our program goal is to develop students who are independent, confident, and motivated lifelong learners.

How was my child selected to be tested for HAP? There are two criteria which determine eligibility for screening. Children must possess:

A Star Early Literacy or Star Reading score at or above the 90%.

Specific qualities of high achieving students as noted on the behaviors checklist. (see High Ability Program Questionnaire)

What test will my child be given? Your child will be given the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, or NNAT. This 30 minute pencil/paper test is group administered by one of our HAP facilitators. It is puzzle based and requires no reading. When will I get the test results? We will notify you of the Naglieri test results. At that time, you will know whether or not your child’s score meets the requirement to participate in the High Ability Program. If my child qualifies, what does that mean? Students will meet with a HAP facilitator once per week for one academic period per week in their own buildings. A curriculum has been designed to promote higher–level thinking, introduce problem–solving strategies and encourage creativity.

Park Hill Bridges

Documents

Bridges Parent Appeal Document

Student Name: __________________________________

Resident School: _________________________________

Grade Level: ________

Parent Name: ___________________________________

Parent Address:

____________________________________________________

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Parent Contact Phone Numbers (Home & Cell):

(C) _________________ (H) ____________________

Parent Email: _________________________________

Date: ____________________________

Brief Description of Appeal: (Return to counselor)

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