Gifted & Talented
To jump to Shepardson's Gifted & Talented classroom pages, click here.
Gifted children is defined as those persons between the ages of five and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special provisions to meet their educational needs. Gifted student include gifted student with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic and ethnic, cultural populations. We understand that gifted children often have unique academic and social/emotional needs and must be provided with additional programming and support to help them reach their fullest potential.
Gifted and Talented Identification
Per district, state, and national guidelines, gifted and talented students are identified using a body of evidence, including achievement scores, ability scores, behavioral characteristics, and performance indicators. We realize that gifted students are not simply high-achieving students, but have unique needs. In addition to serving our high-achieving gifted students, we also strive to address the needs of gifted underachievers and support them in reaching their potential. Click here to visit the PSD GT website.
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Standards
At Shepardson, we strive to align our gifted education programming with the Gifted Program Standards set forth by the NAGC. Those standards can be accessed by clicking here.
How we challenge our High Achieving and Gifted Students at Shepardson…
Differentiation- The staff at Shepardson believes in helping each child to reach his/her potential, regardless of where he/she is starting. To ensure that all students are being challenged, teachers use differentiated instruction, adjusting the teaching strategies and learning activities to address students’ individual learning needs and styles. 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.
High Expectations- Scoring rubrics are adjusted to match student’s capabilities.
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.
Independent Studies- Agreements are made between teacher and student that allow learners to work independently on a unit of study.
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. Students that need extra time and focus on mastering certain skills are given support during this time. 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 can be used 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. For more information on the STEM curriculum at Shepardson, click here.
Advanced Learning Plans
Teachers work with parents to develop an Advanced Learning Plan for each student that is identified as “Gifted and Talented.” The ALP is a strength-based planning guide for curriculum, instruction, and assessment and social/emotional development. Click here for more information.
Whole child/ Socio-Emotional Development
At Shepardson, we believe in the importance of nurturing the development of the whole child. Unfortunately, in traditional gifted programming, the socio-emotional needs of gifted children are not always addressed. We see this affective guidance as an important and integral part of gifted education. The counselor provides affective guidance in the classrooms on a regular basis, as well as meeting with gifted students on an individually and in small groups as needed. For more information, click here.
Counseling and Guidance for Parents and Students
Through individual and small group meetings with gifted students and/or their parents, counseling and guidance services are provided to meet the unique needs of gifted learners, especially in regard to their socio-emotional development and strengths-based career guidance.
Trainings for staff
The staff at Shepardson attends trainings every year on differentiated instruction and tools for meeting the needs of all students, including gifted learners.
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