Gifted Program Administrative Handbook - Jackson County Schools

JCSS - Administrative Procedures for Gifted Education, Page 5Program DescriptionThe overall aim of the Jackson County School System Gifted Education Program is to providefor the extension of learning opportunities, the development of individual potential, the enhancement ofstudent self-esteem, and advancement toward becoming an independent learner beyond the experiencesof the regular classroom. The program provides a differentiated curriculum based on the assessed needsof the students and focuses on fostering general cognition, learning skills, research and reference skills,communication, and metacognition. For students who have met eligibility guidelines for placement inthe gifted program and have parent consent to participate in the program, services of at least 5 hours perweek or the yearly equivalent, of gifted services will be provided.Program Description - Elementary LevelAt the elementary level, the program centers on fostering general cognition, learning skills,communication, and meta-cognition. In order to address these areas, JCSS offers a variety of services tothe gifted students. Several delivery models are used. The ‘enrichment resource’ model is the one mostprevalent at the Elementary level. Our teachers have developed units of study in the four core contentareas of Reading, Math, Social Studies and Science. These units are tied to the Grade level standards.Teachers of Gifted students assess students with an addendum to our Standards Based Report Card. Ourteachers of the Gifted are not the content area teachers. We also use a ‘collaborative’ model fordelivering gifted services in the upper elementary grades. This model is used for the areas of Mathand/or Reading. We also use the ‘cluster’ model when we have a general education teacher who is alsogifted certified. In addition, the State has approved an Advanced Content model for Elementary Schoolswhich Jackson County will begin to implement in several schools.Program Description - Middle School LevelThe middle school program continues to develop the competencies addressed at the elementarylevel and helps students apply these skills to specific academic areas and includes more of the referenceand research skills. A variety of services is offered to the middle school gifted students. Mostcommon is the Advanced Content Model for Math and English/Language Arts. In addition, some of ourMiddle schools have an extended learning time, when some ‘enrichment’ type resource services areprovided to students. Our teachers have developed the curriculum for our Advanced Content classes andhave developed rubrics and common assessments for demonstrating mastery in the content. The clustermodel is also used in some classrooms to extend the curriculum for our gifted learners.