GT+Memo+5+Gifted+and+Talented+Services


 * Gifted and Talented Memo 5: Gifted and Talented Services **

2/7/2011

To: Parents and Guardians

From: Michelle Miller, Gifted and Talented Specialist, Denver Public Schools __Elementary and Middle School Building Level Gifted Programs__

Every building in the district is responsible for meeting the needs of its gifted and talented students. These students typically represent approximately the top 5-10% of students in the building. **Each elementary and middle school develops its own plan for meeting the needs of these students.**

GT services **may** include:

· __Clustering of students for instruction__: grouping GT students with their intellectual peers for instructional purposes is a best practice in GT education and has been shown to increase student achievement and foster social/emotional development

· __A GT specialist co-teaching with the classroom teacher__: the GT specialist would work to co-plan and model lessons that focus on best practices of GT instruction

· __Pull-out programs__: programs may include enrichment activities in math, science social studies, and/or language arts, Jr. Great Books, William and Mary units, preparation for special programs, etc.

· __Acceleration__: depending on student need a child may be accelerated within a content area or across a grade level

· __Curriculum compacting__: students are pretested to determine previously mastered concepts so that the curriculum can be compacted to omit such mastered concepts and make time for enrichment opportunities

· __The services of a GT resource specialist to assist the classroom teacher__: the GT specialist will provide resources, training, and lesson development to assist the classroom teacher in meeting the needs of GT students

· __Opportunities for enrichment across the curriculum__: may include extensions of curricular concepts and/or individual passion areas

· __GT department sponsored special programs such as__: Shakespeare Festival, Destination Imagination, The Young Author’s Conference, Spelling/Semantics Bee, Brain Bowl, Mathletics, National History Day, etc.

· __Independent study__: students work independently to research and explore a topic

· __Technology supported learning__: students use computers, Internet, digital media, etc. to explore concepts and enhance learning experiences