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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.

 

How Do I Know if My Child is Gifted?


Gifted students are those children and youth whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishments are so outstanding that they require special provisions to meet their educational needs, both in academic and social/emotional realms. Gifted students have abilities and/or talents that lie well outside the norms of the typical learner and, therefore, require significant modifications to the pacing, depth and complexity of curriculum and instruction. (Colorado Department of Education) Many gifted students are also high achievers; however, many are not. High achievers are not always gifted students. Here’s just a few characteristics of high achievers, gifted learners and creative thinkers.

High Achiever

• Works hard to achieve

• Is attentive

• Learns with ease

• Is accurate and complete

• Is highly alert and observant

Gifted Learner

• Knows without working hard

• Is selectively mentally engaged

• Already Knows

• Is original and continually developing

• Anticipates and relates observations

Creative Thinker

• Plays with ideas and concepts

• Daydreams; may seem off task

• Questions: What if?...

• Is original and continually developing

• Is intuitive

Contact Us

Cathy Amsbaugh
Gifted Coordinator, K-5     
Dillon Valley Elementary & Silverthorne Elementary
cathy.amsbaugh@summitk12.org