Gifted Education

PUSD Gifted and Talented Program (GATE)

Louise Clark, Teacher Coordinator
louise.clark@prescottschools.com

GATE teachers are certified in elementary education and have a gifted endorsement.

“All school districts shall provide to gifted pupils special education commensurate with their academic abilities and potentials.” -Arizona Law Mandate

Benefits of Gifted Education

  • Challenges children to reach their potential
  • Promotes academic rigor
  • Helps develop and maintain an interest in school
  • Improves creativity and problem solving abilities
  •  Broadens experiences and horizons
  • Creates a positive atmosphere for learning
  • Provides appropriate pacing
  • Allows for association with children of similar interests and abilities
  • Expands and focuses goal-setting and career expectations
  • Encourages active participation in class
  • Provides a context for application of classroom learning to real life problem solving
  • Scholarships to summer programs for participating students

Goals

  •  To provide each identified gifted student with an appropriate program commensurate with his/her potential
  •  To challenge students to operate at higher cognitive levels
  • To focus on abstract concepts and advanced thought in each discipline
  • To develop and demonstrate skills in methods of inquiry and research
  • To provide opportunities for students to clarify their own goals and to pursue their own academic interests
  •  To develop independent, intuitive, discriminating, and creative learning processes
  • To integrate all elements of the academic disciplines and curricula for the gifted student in such a manner that the student will recognize these interrelationships

General Needs of the Gifted and Talented

  • Time and opportunity to learn more than is offered in the standard curriculum
  • Training and practice in planning, completing, and evaluating  personal independent projects
  • Time and opportunity to share ideas and projects with others of similar ability or interest
  • Help in understanding the physical intensity that often accompanies their emotions, learning styles, and interests
  • Opportunities to ask questions: questions with answers, and questions with no answers–only viewpoints

Program Description

KINDERGARTEN
- Whole class enrichment lessons

GRADES 1-2
- Weekly pull-out lessons:  logic, problem solving, research, creative writing

GRADES 3-5
- Weekly pull-out classes: thematic units with an integrated curriculum emphasizing higher level thinking skills, creativity, problem solving, and opportunities for advanced learning and independent study

- 2-4 full-day seminars per grade per year, enhancing the thematic units

- Weekly Math Olympics pull-out classes

GRADE 6
- Prescott Mile High Middle School – Honors Math and English

- Granite Mountain Middle School – Gifted enrichment classes

GRADES 7-8
- Honors English
- Pre algebra and algebra

GRADES 9-12
- Honors classes, advanced placement classes, dual credit high school/college classes, academic competitions

Screening Procedure

  • Students must score at least 97% on a state adopted gifted measurement to qualify for the program.
  • Grades 1-2 Teacher referral and achievement tests. Students are not officially identified as gifted at this age.
  • Grades 3-8 Referral for assessment by classroom teachers, parents, or students.
  • Grades 9-12 Academic subject test score and teacher referral.

Placement Assessments

  • Cognitive Abilities Test, Assessment Matrices
  • Students who do not qualify may be reassessed after a minimum of one year. Students moving into the district may qualify with scores from state adopted assessments taken within the previous two years.

 Characteristics of Gifted Children

  • Excellent memory
  • Persistent, goal directed behavior
  • Verbal proficiency; large vocabulary, breadth of information in advanced areas
  • Questioning attitude; intellectual curiosity, consistency, logic
  • Ability to abstract, conceptualize, analyze, synthesize, problem solve
  • Evaluates self and others, including adults; critical thinking
  • Sensitive, intuitive, empathetic; tends to take on grown-up concerns
  • Diversity of interests; many hobbies and activities
  • High energy; alert, eager for new challenges
  • Independent; preference for individualized work, self-reliant
  • Rapid learning; easy recall of factual information
  • Zany sense of humor