High Achieving Students

Also see the Gifted & Talented Program information.

Differentiation
The staff at Shepardson believes in helping each child reach his/her potential, regardless of where he/she is starting. To ensure that all students are being challenged, teachers use differentiated instruction to address students’ individual learning needs and styles. Differentiation requires us to adjust the teaching strategies, learning activities, assessments, and expected levels of performance. Because we believe that all students have a right to belong in the classroom, as in the real world, we strive to find ways to meet these varied needs. Therefore, expectations and instruction are based upon what students already know and are ready to learn. Differentiation techniques used at Shepardson include:

• Tiered Assignments
  Teachers use different levels of activities to explore the same content but at different levels of complexity.

• Curriculum Compacting/Acceleration
  In order to eliminate repetition of previously mastered curriculum, Shepardson upgrades the challenge level of the regular curriculum and provides time for appropriate enrichment and/or acceleration activities while ensuring mastery of basic skills. Pretests are used to identify skill needs and those who are ready to go beyond grade level curriculum.

• High Expectations
  Scoring rubrics are adjusted to match student’s capabilities. Higher grade level rubrics are used for high achievers.

• Flexible Grouping
  Students are grouped temporarily according to skill, interest, and/or instructional purpose.

• Learning Centers
  Stations are developed to provide content enrichment and skill development. High achieving students are expected to learn from the enrichment levels.

• Independent Studies
  Agreements are made between teacher and student that allow learners to work independently on a unit of study.

• Project Based Learning
  Students learn through problem solving or by addressing issues from multiple disciplines that are facing the real world. The tasks and higher level skills are more complex and often result in multiple solutions. Students are highly engaged in the process since they often can select their own strategies and approaches. Sometimes they set their goals, identify their own area of interest as they control their own learning. Often they must work cooperatively with peers through the exploration and the demonstration of their learning. High levels of thinking are critical for this level of performance.

• Enrichment
  As part of the Response to Intervention model being implemented throughout Poudre School District, time is set aside each day for enrichment and intervention. High achieving and gifted students are given the opportunity to further enrich and deepen their learning by being pulled out of the classroom for smaller group instruction and enrichment activities.

• Use of technology
  At Shepardson, we believe that technology is a tool to enhance learning. We know that the use of technology helps students stay engaged in learning and gives them vital 21st century skills. Students are given the opportunity to work with some of the latest technology in the classroom, media center, computer labs, and smaller pull-out enrichment instruction.

• STEM and Inquiry Based Instruction
  At Shepardson, we envision teaching curriculum aligned with academic and National Science Education Standards that promote 21st century skills and integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) along with a strong focus on wellness and the arts. This inquiry based approach to instruction challenges students to use higher level thinking and naturally promotes extensions of learning.