Gifted and Talented Education Programming Options
Programming Options For Services in Oklahoma Public Schools
Appropriate programming for gifted and talented students will include many options of curricular modification which are designed to meet the assessed needs of the students. Each programming option must provide challenging educational experiences for these students.
Many of the programming opportunities described here may be appropriate for able learners who have not been identified as gifted and talented according to the district policy.
Enrichment
Enrichment in the Regular Classroom: Experiences provided in regular classrooms that are supplemental to the established curriculum and which are purposefully planned with the needs, interests and capabilities of particular students in mind. Appropriate enrichment experiences are NOT a repetition of material.
Seminars/Convocations: Special short-term sessions where students focus on one area of study.
Mentorships: A program which pairs individual students with someone who has advanced skills and experiences in a particular discipline and can serve as a guide, advisor, counselor and role model.
Summer Enrichment Programs: Enrichment classes or courses offered during the summer months.
Saturday Enrichment Programs: Enrichment classes or courses offered on Saturday.
Creative/Academic Competitions: Organized opportunities for students to enter local, regional, state or national contests in a variety of areas.
Differentiated Curriculum: Curriculum designed to meet the needs of high ability students and differentiated according to content, process and product.
Learning Centers: A designated area or portable center designed to enrich and/or accelerate students' interests in a given content area.
"Great Books" and "Junior Great Books": Discussions of great literature led by an adult discussion leader using a prepared question guide.
Special Classes
Honors, Differentiated or Enriched Classes: Included differentiated curriculum and accelerated content designed for able students. These classes need not be limited to identified gifted students.
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses: College-level courses provided at the secondary level for which students may receive college credit by examination (administered by the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board). These classes need not be limited to identified gifted students.
Independent Study: Individually contracted in-depth study of a topic; also a course or unit of study taken through an individual arrangement.
Enrichment Classes: A group organized from one or more classrooms which meets on a regular basis to provide experiences beyond the established curriculum.
Interest Groups: Any group organized from one or more classrooms on the basis of interest in a topic; usually short term in duration.
Correspondence Courses: High school courses taken by correspondence through an approved university.
Resource Room: A class for students released from their regular classroom on a scheduled basis to work with a teacher trained in the education of the gifted.
Flexible Pacing (Types)
Continuous Progress: The content and pacing of curriculum and instruction are matched to students' abilities and needs. Students move ahead on the basis of mastery.
Acceleration: Administrative practices designed to allow students to progress through the curriculum and/or grade levels at a rate faster than the average.
Proficiency Based Promotion: Elementary or secondary students advancing one or more levels in a curriculum area by demonstrating proficiency at the 90 percent level on a designated assessment.
Concurrent Enrollment: Qualified students taking college courses concurrently while in high school.
Dual Enrollment: Qualified students taking middle level or high school courses while at the elementary level or high school courses while at the middle level.
Flexible Pacing (Ways to implement)
Cluster Grouping: Any classroom with a group of identified able learners purposefully organized to provide planned differentiated instruction most of the time.
Cross-Grade Grouping: Opportunity for student to work in an advanced grade-level setting with one or more students sharing a similar readiness for the learning task and performance expectations.
Instructional Groups: Any group of identified able learners organized to provide planned differentiated instruction in a curriculum area.
Individualization of Instruction: Instruction for an individual student focused on the specific educational needs of that student.
Dual Enrollment: A system designed to adapt the regular curriculum to meet the needs of above average students by either eliminating previously mastered work or streamlining work that may be mastered at a faster pace. The time gained may be used to provide students with appropriate enrichment and/or acceleration experiences.
Special Schools
International Baccalaureate (IB): A rigorous comprehensive program that enhances and extends the quality of the 11th and 12th grade course offerings. The internationally recognized IB curriculum provides students with a comprehensive background in English, foreign language, the social studies, physical and life sciences, mathematics, and the arts.
Special Schools: Specialized schools for high ability students, usually with a specific focus, e.g., performing arts and/or science (magnet schools or schools within schools).
Other Services
Guidance and Counseling: Planned activities, sessions and policies that assist gifted and talented students in planning their academic careers in school and after high school, and that also address the specific social-emotional needs of the gifted including underachievement.
Ongoing Assessment: Students' abilities and needs are continually assessed through both formal and informal means designed to discover and nurture talent. The results are used as the basis for individual educational planning.
Duke Talent Search: Conducted by Duke University to identify academically talented youth and inform them about their abilities and academic option.
