Gifted Learners
Policies and Procedures for Gifted Students
With a spectrum of learners, Vida Charter School also intends to provide services to students who are identified as gifted and talented. Vida Charter School will comply with Chapter 16 of Pennsylvania Code 22 for Special Education for Gifted Students and adhere to all of the outlined policies and procedures. Our gifted education program will provide individualized programming that addresses the gifted learners’ needs for acceleration and/or enrichment.
In keeping with Chapter 16, Vida Charter School will inform its members of services available to gifted students. Teachers or parents who believe that a student is gifted will refer that student for a Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE). The GMDE will comply with the notice and consent requirements set forth in Sections 16.61 and 16.62. Parents/guardians will also be notified at least 10 school days prior to conducting a GMDE.
The GMDE will be completed by the Gifted Multidisciplinary Team (GMDT) and will include sufficient information to make a determination as to whether a student is gifted and in need of specially designed education. The GMDE may include, but is not limited to, ability tests, nationally normed and validated achievement assessments, individualized achievement assessments, class work samples, curriculum based assessments, cumulative review tests, performance based skills as demonstrated in portfolios, products, projects, competitions, or other demonstration of skills, teacher observations, noteworthy achievements, and parental input. No one test or measure is sufficient to determine giftedness, and the evaluation and testing literature recognizes that there is a margin for error in any standardized testing. Following its evaluation, the GMDT will prepare a Gifted Written Report (GWR), including recommendations as to whether a student is gifted and in need of specially designed instruction. The GWR will become the basis for the Gifted Individual Education Program (GIEP) team’s determination as to whether the student is gifted and in need of specially designed instruction. Vida Charter School will appoint a Gifted Individualized Education Program (GIEP) team to review the GMDT recommendations. If the GIEP team determines that a student is gifted, it will develop a GIEP for that student. This program may result in the adaptation or modification of the general curriculum, including compacting learning experiences, accelerating the student, or placing the student in more than one grade level. Specially designed instruction may also have an impact on instructional environments, methods, and materials.
If a student is determined to be both gifted and eligible for special education, the procedures for Chapters 14 and 34 take precedence, including procedures for screening, evaluation, IEPs, and procedural safeguards.
Vida Charter School staff will employ the following strategies to engage gifted/talented and/or academically advanced students:
· Create independent project opportunities to extend thinking beyond the scope of the curriculum. This time can be used to help advanced students develop their creativity by allowing them to explore a special area of interest related to the topic being studied.
· Involve gifted and high achieving students in tutoring of younger students in order to build confidence, encourage productivity, and increase ownership of learning (for self and others) within the Vida community.
· Use vertical enrichment activities, which are assignments that go above and beyond what is covered in the regular classroom.
· Find a mentor who is willing to work with the student in an area of interest. These could be parents or community volunteers.
· Incorporate Multiple Intelligences (Gardner) into classroom activities. Multiple intelligences include linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intra-personal intelligences.
· Set up learning centers in classrooms so that students can work at their own speed.
· Create increased opportunity to implement critical thinking skills
· Project-based learning for Science and Social Studies under an engaged learning model will help provide enrichment opportunities for academically talented children by providing them opportunities to create and investigate.
