Bear Canyon Elementary
Gifted Education
Please contact Megan Bruce at mpbruce@dcsdk12.org or 303-387-6489 to learn more about Bear Canyon Elementary's Gifted Identification process and programming for Gifted students.
Gifted Updates
Important Information: Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) - 2nd Grade Universal Screening
Universal Screening
Based on feedback from families and the Colorado Department of Education, we are making improvements to our Universal Screening process. Beginning the spring of 2020, DCSD will transition from the “paper pencil” CogAT to the online version. The online assessment platform provides for easier administration, faster results, and access to the directions in multiple languages other than English. (NOTE: Language options for the Spring 2020 Testing Window are in process.) In addition, we are changing our Universal Screening grade from 3rd grade to 2nd grade as recommended by state and national guidance.
As part of this process, ALL students in Grade 2 will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT 8) the weeks of February 10-28, 2020. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.
If your child is in 2nd grade and took the CogAT in September of 2019, you have the option to opt your child out of this testing window. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with information about this process.
Gifted Identification Referral Testing
DCSD will NOT have a second Referral Testing Window this school year (2019 - 2020). The next testing window will be in the fall of the 2020 - 2021 school year.
If your child is in a grade other than 2nd, and you believe he/she needs evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, and you have not done so already, please initiate the Gifted Identification Referral Process by completing the referral form linked HERE.
NOTE: Completing this referral form WILL NOT initiate the CogAT assessment.
Upon receipt of this form the Gifted Education Facilitator will be connect with you to discuss next steps in the process.
Bear Canyon Parent Information Sessions - Gifted Identification and Programming
Are you interested in learning more about how the Gifted Identification process works at Bear Canyon? Are you curious about the programming offered to our Gifted learners? Join our Gifted Facilitator, Megan Bruce, on January 29 for an informative session where she’ll share traits of Gifted learners, the process for Identification, as well as the planning and programming that support our identified Gifted students.
Three sessions will be offered and will be held at Bear Canyon on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 (9:00-10:00 a.m., 2:15-3:15 p.m. and 6:00-7:00 p.m.). Please share your intent to attend HERE. Should you have any questions, please reach out to Megan at mpbruce@dcsdk12.org.
3rd - 5th Grade Gifted Book Studies
Gifted students in grades 3-5 at Bear Canyon are invited to join in an optional book study to discover more about themselves as gifted learners. Students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will be reading The Survival Guide for Gifted Kids: For Ages 10 & Under (Revised & Updated 3rd Edition) by Judy Galbraith. Students will complete the reading on their own time and every couple of weeks, we will have lunch meetings together and discuss specific sections of the book. On our meeting days, students will go to recess with their classmates, as they normally do. When it comes time to eat lunch, we will join together to eat lunch and discuss the reading.
Students who are interested in participating will want to have a copy of the book prior to our first meeting on February 13, as we will be discussing the first two chapters (28 pages) during our first time together. Please see the list of meeting dates and chapters we’ll discuss below:
Meeting Dates:
February 13 - Chapter 1 (What it Means to Be Gifted) & Chapter 2 (Life as a Gifted Kid: What’s It Really Like)
February 27 - Chapter 3 (YMIGT) & Chapter 4 (GT Programs: What Works, What Doesn’t and What You Can Do About It)
March 12 - Chapter 5 (When School Bores You Out of Your Brain) & Chapter 6 (Perfectionism & Other Pains in the Brain)
March 26 - Chapter 7 (Social Smarts) & Chapter 8 (Family Frustrations, Family Fun)
April 16 - Chapter 9 (Great Brain Power) & Chapter 10 (Freedom to Be GT)
The book is available for purchase through Amazon, at Barnes and Noble and other book stores. Your child is also welcome to borrow one of Bear Canyon’s copies.
If your child is interested in participating, please let me know by filling out this short form by January 31, 2020.
6th Grade Gifted Book Study
Gifted students in 6th grade at Bear Canyon are invited to join in an optional book study to help gifted students discover more about themselves and their giftedness. Students in 6th grade will be working through The Gifted Kids Workbook by Heather Boorman. Students will complete the reading and activities in the workbook on their own time and every couple of weeks, we will have lunch meetings together and discuss specific sections of the book. On our meeting days, students will go to recess with their classmates, as they normally do. When it comes time to eat lunch, we will join together to eat lunch and discuss the selection for that meeting.
Students who are interested in participating will want to have a copy of the book prior to our first meeting on February 13, as we will be discussing the first section during our first time together. Please see the list of meeting dates and sections we’ll discuss below:
Meeting Dates:
February 13 - Section 1 (Understanding Giftedness)
February 27 - Section 2 (Enjoying the Intensities of Giftedness)
March 12 - Section 3 (Healing the Common Struggles of Being Gifted)
March 26 - Section 4 (Improving Friendships and Social Connections)
April 16 - Section 5 (Choosing Your Identity)
The book is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other book stores. Your child is also welcome to use one of Bear Canyon’s copies.
If your child is interested in participating, please let me know by filling out this short form by January 31, 2020.