Gifted Program

Mission & Vision Programming Overview

Gifted Education programming includes a range and variety of options to address student needs. Programming is adaptable to the resources within our district and may be delivered within the student's regular classroom, in classrooms at other schools and/or in special classes. Programming is linked to identified student strengths, with options and strategies matched to the identified academic and effective needs of students.  Programming options for gifted students fall within the four categories shown below. Each identifies programming strategies that may be used to meet students needs.

The mission of our gifted programming is to provide identified students with rigorous, engaging and challenging educational opportunities which are responsive to their individual strengths and needs so that they will achieve academic and personal growth commensurate with their abilities.

Gifted Identification

To be identified as gifted, the Colorado Department of Education requires a body of evidence. This typically includes:

• Cognitive/intelligence tests
• Achievement tests (e.g., STAR, CMAS)
• Behavior observation scales

Students need to score in the 95th percentile or higher on these standardized assessments to qualify for gifted identification.

Family Decision

When a student qualifies for gifted identification, families can decide whether or not to proceed. Gifted identification provides:

• Additional support from the school’s gifted coach
• Goal-setting through an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP)
• Differentiated academic content
• Cluster grouping with other gifted students

Some families may choose not to pursue gifted identification if they feel their child isn’t emotionally ready. For example, some children may place undue pressure on themselves because of the "gifted" label.

Recognizing Gifted Traits

In reality, there is no characteristic shared by all gifted individuals. However, gifted students are often intensely driven in their interests, have the ability to learn new information quicker than others, and can be frustrated by their own asynchronous development.

Please see this excellent resource for a more detailed description: Twelve Traits of Giftedness, A Non-biased Profile

Gifted Services

Once identified, the school’s gifted coach creates an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP). This legal document outlines the student’s strengths, interests, and goals. Together, the student and gifted coach develop at least one academic and one social-emotional goal. Parents are encouraged to collaborate to pursue rigorous and challenging pathways of academics and extracurriculars.

We focus on strengths because:

• Students are more likely to engage and give their best effort when working in areas of interest.
• These are often the areas where students need the most challenge.

The gifted coach meets regularly with the student to plan, monitor, and reflect on their ALP goals throughout the year. Families will receive communication from the gifted coach as the goal is written and monitored. The gifted coach is also available to support students, families, and teachers in regard to the unique needs of gifted students.

Differentiation: Adjustments to materials, teaching methods, or pacing ensure all students learn at the right level. For example, if a student demonstrates mastery of a concept through pretesting or classwork, teachers may provide different work—not extra work—at an appropriate level of challenge.

Cluster Grouping: Up to 8 gifted students are placed in the same classroom. These are not separate gifted classes, and students may not always work together. However, this setup allows teachers to better target differentiation for their needs.