Dallastown Area School District
Gifted Education Plan
The Dallastown Area School District
Program for the education of gifted students is designed to meet the
needs of students exhibiting outstanding intellectual and creative
ability. Opportunities for acceleration or enrichment, or both, are
provided to students who are gifted in compliance with the regulations
set forth in Chapter 16 of 22 Pa Code.
Vision/Mission Statement
Dallastown Area School District’s motto is “Dedication to
Excellence.” We strive for excellence in all of our programming,
including the gifted program. We believe that all students benefit from
instruction that challenges them to reach meaningful academic goals. Our
mission is to identify gifted students through established criteria set
forth by the state of Pennsylvania and to develop appropriate programs
to meet their individual academic and social/emotional needs.
Philosophy
All students benefit from differentiation of instruction in the
classroom setting. Our belief is that we offer strong, relevant staff
development programs that promote instructional staff members’ knowledge
about gifted students’ academic and social/emotional needs, strategies
for differentiation in the classroom, and a district-wide focus on
multiple intelligences and higher-order thinking skills.
We believe that gifted programs and the Gifted Individual Education
Plans that support each gifted student’s progress should be based on the
aptitude, achievement, and academic needs of these students. We utilize
multiple criteria to identify students for the gifted program from all
cultural and socio-economic backgrounds within the Guidelines of Title 22 CODE of PA, Chapter 16: Special Education for Gifted Students.
We believe that the learning environment in DASD schools should be
one in which students are given ample opportunity to develop critical
thinking and problem solving skills, productive interpersonal and social
skills, and instructional activities which will enhance and stimulate
each gifted student’s growth and potential, addressing both strengths
and needs of students.
We also believe that teachers of the gifted work together with their colleagues and identified students as a learning team.
Goals
Our goals for the district’s Strategic Plan are listed below:
Identification:
To examine and revise, if necessary, the
guidelines and strategies used for identification of gifted students,
especially for those from underrepresented populations.
Delivery of Services:
In cooperation with each school and its
faculty, the teachers of the gifted will strive to enhance gifted
education opportunities and programming through parent information
sessions, special speakers, seminars, and independent studies for
students.
Curriculum Development:
To structure the program in a more
comprehensive, sequential manner so that the elementary, middle school,
and high school programs coordinate with each other, while building upon individual student’s interests, talents, and gifts.
Staff Development:
To promote multiple intelligences,
emotional intelligence, differentiation of instruction, and effective
strategies for teaching gifted students as staff development topics.
Parent and Community Involvement:
To educate parents and members of the
community concerning the unique academic, social and emotional needs of
the gifted student population.
Screening and Evaluation Process
The screening and evaluation
process begins with professional development to ensure teachers’
competency in recognizing the characteristics of gifted students as an
informal screening. Referrals for formal screening may be initiated by
teachers or parents on the basis of observations and/or school
achievement. The individual making the referral completes a checklist of
characteristics of students with gifted ability. Referrals are forwarded
to the building principal who completes an initial screening request
form. The screening request form is forwarded to the gifted education
teacher to initiate
the formal screening process.
Procedure for Referring Students Thought to be Gifted
A referral for gifted evaluation is made
by a classroom teacher or parent / guardian. Should the teacher make a
referral, they will go through the screening request process as
established by the district. Should a parent / guardian wish for
testing, a letter must be sent to the building principal requesting that
the child go through the screening process.
Upon referral, the Dallastown Area School District uses a multi-step screening and evaluation
process to identify students thought to be gifted. This process takes into account evidence
of achievement, intellectual ability and aptitude, and the judgments of school personnel
and others familiar with the capabilities and needs of the student.
Additional information is gathered for those students that are continuing with the
screening process. This information may include but is not limited to test data, the most
recent report card, portfolio assessments, classroom observations, and/or curriculum
based assessments. Upon review of the
aforementioned multiple criteria, the gifted teacher uses the screening
matrix to determine whether or not a SAGES (Screening Evaluation of
Gifted Elementary Students) evaluation is recommended. Parents are
notified of the results.
The SAGES evaluation is used to determine
if a child is a candidate for further evaluation. A “Permission to
Evaluate” form is sent home by the school psychologist. The permission
form must be signed by parents prior to the beginning of the evaluation
process. The school psychologist reviews the child's educational needs
and strengths as shown by educational performance levels, assessment
results, classroom observations, and parent information. In addition,
the psychologist will conduct an individual assessment of the child’s
intellectual abilities and gifted traits.
The members of the Gifted Multidisciplinary Team (GMDT), a team of educational
professionals and the parents, will review the Gifted Written Report (GWR). The GWR,
written by the school psychologist, includes all of the information contributed by the
team members as well as a recommendation regarding eligibility for gifted services and
need for specially designed instruction.
If a child is recognized as needing specially designed instruction, a Gifted Individual
Education Plan (GIEP) will be written. The GIEP contains a statement of the child’s
present levels of educational
performance, the child’s strengths and needs, and annual goals. These
goals identify areas which go above and beyond the regular education
program. The GIEP may also contain support services and specially
designed instruction, based on the child’s needs and abilities. The GIEP
must be reviewed annually however it may be reviewed more often if
requested by a GIEP team member.
Upon completion of writing the GIEP, a Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA),
which identifies the educational program and placement of the child, is written. The
district must have a NORA signed by the parents indicating their approval prior to the
child’s placement in a gifted program.
Screening Procedures
The identification of gifted students is a
continuous process in DASD. We strive to identify students from various
cultural and socio-economic backgrounds in grades K-12.
The first process is to create a broad
pool of candidates who are reviewed for gifted eligibility. Any of the
following sources may place students in the “screening pool”:
- Referrals from
Professional educators, parents, or guardians
Student advocates
Agency referrals
Information about the referral process may also be found on individual school’s web sites.
- Review of student work
Student portfolios are regularly reviewed
by classroom teachers, support personnel, and administrators for
evidence of a student’s readiness for advanced learning experiences.
- Standardized Test Data
Norm-referenced achievement test scores
at the 90 percentile or above, and or norm-referenced aptitude test
score data at the 125th standard score or above.
- Transfer Students
Students who have been identified as
gifted in another school district within the commonwealth will have
their transferred GIEP implemented as written or revised/updated as
needed. Students who have been identified as gifted in another state’s
school district will be evaluated for the program under the PA
regulations to establish eligibility prior to development of a GIEP and
provisions of services contained in it.
- Students who are in the top 10% of both ability and achievement scores on data disaggregated by cultural group are added to the pool.
Multiple Criteria for Screening
- Parent High Potential Scale
- Teacher High Potential Scale
- Report Card Grades (indicating continuous high achievement)
- Students products, portfolios, performance indicators
- Record of in-class observations
- Appropriate rating scales, checklists, questionnaires (Renzulli – GES2)
- Individual or group achievement and aptitude tests
- SAGES (Screening Assessment of Gifted Elementary Students)
- Scholastic File information for the student
Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP)
A GIEP is developed for all
students identified as mentally gifted as determined by the gifted
multidisciplinary evaluation. A GIEP team is appointed to review the
recommendations resulting from the gifted multidisciplinary evaluation.
Parents of the gifted student are offered the opportunity to be present
at the GIEP meeting. Each GIEP includes, as required in Section 16.32 of
22 Pa Code the following:
- a statement of the student’s present levels of educational performance
- a statement of annual goals and
short-term learning outcomes which are responsive to the learning needs
identified in the evaluation report
- a statement of the specially designed instruction and support services to be provided to the student
- projected dates for initiation and anticipated duration of gifted education
- appropriate objective criteria,
assessment procedures and timelines for determining, on at least an
annual basis, whether the goals and learning outcomes are being achieved
- The names and positions of GIEP team participants and the date of the meeting.
Educational Placement
The Dallastown Area School District provides
opportunities for gifted students to participate in acceleration or
enrichment, or both, as appropriate for the student’s needs. District
programs go beyond the program that the student would receive as part of
a general education.
Personnel and Program Elements
A gifted education teacher and classroom
teachers meet the acceleration or enrichment, or both, needs of
identified gifted students at the elementary level. At the middle
school, one gifted education teacher and classroom teachers work
directly with mentally gifted students to provide studies in special
interests, general curriculum enrichment as well as acceleration as
appropriate for each individual student. Classroom teachers provide
opportunities for acceleration or enrichment, or both at the high school
level. In addition to personnel resources, facility and instructional
resources are budgeted annually in support of the district program for
the education of gifted students.
Differences of the Gifted Learner and the Bright Child
Bright Child
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Gifted Learner
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Knows the answer
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Ask the questions
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Is interested
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Is highly curious
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Is attentive
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Is mentally and physically involved
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Has good ideas
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Has extremely creative, original ideas
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Works hard
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“Plays around”, yet tests well
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Answers the questions
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Discusses in detail, elaborates
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Top group
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Beyond the group
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Listens with interest
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Shows strong feelings and opinions
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Learns with ease
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Already knows
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6-8 repetitions of mastery
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1-2 repetitions for mastery
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Understands ideas
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Constructs abstractions
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Enjoys peers
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Prefers adults
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Grasps the meaning
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,
Draws inferences
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Completes assignments
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Initiates projects
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Is receptive
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Is intense
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Copies accurately
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Creates a new design
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Enjoys school
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Enjoys learning
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Absorbs information
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Manipulates information
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Technician
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Inventor
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Good “memorizer”
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Good guesser
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Is pleased with own learning
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Is highly self-critical
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WEB RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
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National Association for Gifted Children
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American Association for Gifted Children
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Suite 550
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http://www.aagc.org
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1707 L Street, NW
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Washington, DC 20036
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Gifted Children Monthly
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202-785-4268
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http://www.gifted-children.com
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http://www.nagc.org
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SAMI – Science and Math Institutes
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National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
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http://www.sami.lanl.gov
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The University of Connecticut
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362 Fairfield Road, U-7
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National History Museum
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Starrs, CT 06269
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http://www.amnh.org
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203-486-4826
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http://www.gifted.uconn.edu
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Bureau of Special Education
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Shirley Curl, Special Education Adviser for Gifted
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Pennsylvania Department of Education
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333 Market Street
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Harrisburg, PA 17126
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717-783-6881
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C-MITES (Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students)
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Dr. Ann Shoplik
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412-268-1629
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[email protected]
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