Gifted Cluster-Group Model

We are proud to provide gifted education services at every single school site at BESD through the gifted cluster-group model.  In this model, all of the students in each grade level who need gifted services are grouped together into one classroom as a cluster of gifted learners. The rest of the students in the classroom consist of grade-level peers thereby providing flexible grouping opportunities based on interests and readiness.

This model of gifted education affords our students the opportunity to receive gifted services all day, in every content area, as appropriate for each child. Teachers of the gifted cluster-group classroom have specific training in how to teach gifted students in the regular classroom and provide opportunities for differentiation, acceleration, and real-world application to these students.  

This page contains links to resources that have been vetted by BESD's Gifted Education Advisory Team, which consists of BESD teachers and leaders who are gifted-enthusiasts. These resources are designed to be used along with the ideas and tools in the book, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Winebrenner.

Self-Contained Middle School Program: Learning Unlimited

Steven R. Jasinski Elementary School houses BESD's gifted magnet middle school program for grades 6-8 called "Learning Unlimited."

The components of this program are:

• interdisciplinary units of study for ELA, Science, and Social Studies.

• Enrichment Hour (Choice Activities, Genius Hour, and G.U.I.L.D.S.: Gifted Individuals Learning Diverse Skills)

• accelerated mathematics.