Meeting the Needs of High Potential Students: Policies, Procedures, and Practices

1. What Needs to Be in Place for High-Level Learning--Meeting the Needs of High Potential StudentsWith Appropriate Policies, Procedures, and Practices!Jan W. Lanhamjlanham@nelson.k12.ky.usNelson County Schools

2. Kentucky’s Gifted Regulation Requires that: • Schools provide articulated services for students K-12 in the areas of: General Intellectual Ability, Specific Academic Aptitude, Leadership, Creativity, and Visual/Performing Arts. • Students are formally identified in grades 4-12; and selected for the Talent Pool in grades K-3. • Schools serve students through multiple service delivery options. • Schools group students for instruction.

3. Kentucky’s Gifted Regulation Requires Identification and Service of Student in 5 Areas: • General Intellectual • Specific Academic Aptitude • Leadership • Creativity • Visual and Performing Arts

4. These Services shall be provided through:Multiple Service Delivery Options&Grouping

5. Fundamentals of Gifted Services: Multiple service delivery options used Grouping is used to deliver services based on student needs, interests, and abilities. • flexible grouping • cluster grouping • cooperative grouping • Special Counseling services • Leadership training

6. Gifted Assurances Board has approved: • Policies and procedures which address each requirement in 704 KAR 3:285, the administrative regulation for programs for the gifted and talented, and related KRS. • Policies and procedures for the identification and diagnosis of gifted characteristics, behaviors, and talent and determination of eligibility for services, primary through grade twelve. • Procedure to obtain information related to the interests, needs, and abilities of an identified student from her/his parent or guardian • Annual program evaluation process. • Process to report progress of child related to the gifted student services plan at least once each semester. • Articulated primary through grade twelve multiple service delivery options. • Provides a comprehensive framework or course of study for children and youth, primary through grade twelve, who are diagnosed as possessing gifted characteristics, behaviors and talent and is based on a district or school’s curricula.

7. District must: • Use state funds for gifted education specifically for direct services to students who are gifted and talented. Seventy-five (75) percent of the district’s gifted education allocation is used to employ properly certified personnel to provide direct instructional services. • Designate a gifted education coordinator to oversee the district gifted education operation, serve as liaison between the district and the state, ensure internal compliance with state statutes and administrative regulations, administer and revise the gifted education program budget. • Employ properly certified personnel to administer and teach in the program. • Establish a district wide grievance procedure through which a parent, guardian or student may resolve a concern regarding the appropriate and adequate provision of talent pool services or services addressed in a formally identified student’s gifted and talented student services plan.

8. Board assures that schools have: • Differentiated, replaced, supplemented, or modified curricula to facilitate high level attainment of learning goals and assists students identified as gifted and talented to further develop their individual interests, needs, and abilities. • Direct services to students identified as demonstrating gifted and talented behaviors and characteristics provided by professionally qualified and certified personnel.

9. Service Options/Differentiation • Flexible skills grouping • Cluster grouping • Enrichment • Resource/pull out • Acceleration—topical, subject, grade level • Dual enrollment/Early enrollment • Mentorships • Special Counseling Services • Independent Study

10. Why Differentiate? Because children differ!! High Stakes Accountability Requires that: No child is left behind. Skill mastery and skill gaps are diagnosed and addressed. All students progress.

11. 18 types of acceleration: • Continuous progress • Self-paced instruction • Subject matter acceleration • Combined classes • Curriculum compacting • Telescoping curriculum • Early admission to kindergarten • Early admission to first grade • Mentoring

12. Credit by examination • Correspondence courses/virtual high school • Concurrent/dual enrollment • Advanced placement • Grade skipping • Extra curricular programs • Early graduation • Early entrance—middle school, high school, college • Acceleration in college

13. School Level Policies, Procedures, and Practices: • Expectation of continuous progress for all/preassessment • Expectation of rigorous curriculum for all • Expectation of appropriate interventions for all/differentiation • Expectation of use of instructional best practice • Removal of barriers—pacing, scheduling, resources, age/grade barriers, technology access • Acceleration options • KVHS access/off level coursework • Credit Access/Credit recovery • Assessment practices • Performance assessment vs. seat time • Protection from Discrimination/Harassment (student and adult) • Response to Intervention Procedures

14. Ask About: • Board Assurances • Related Board Procedures • Policies, Procedures, and Practices at the school level • Response to Intervention (RTI) procedures • “Non-gifted” policies, procedures, practices that are barriers to access to continuous progress and appropriate instruction