2010 Gifted Advisory Committee Recommendations

  1. Send a beginning of year letter to parents of students entering 4th grade and 6th grade to explain how students are still being served, but through in-class differentiation rather than the pull-out model more commonly used K-3.
  2. Send a quarterly update highlighting the differentiated assignments provided in each subject to celebrate what classroom teachers are doing above and beyond the required SOL content.
  3. Continue the “invisibility” of the program to students, but increase its visibility to parents.
  4. Improve consistency of message about differentiation from classroom teachers and the gifted education coordinator.
  5. Continue gifted education program web site, but make use of e-mail reminders and progress reports to encourage parents to use it more.
  6. Provide opportunities for “face-to-face” contact between gifted coordinator and interested parents on a quarterly basis.
  7. Continue the use of narrative feedback added to gifted education progress reports this year.
  8. Gifted Advisory Committee members should make more direct invitations to increase parent volunteer support to add more science and creative writing programming.