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What is the FPS philosophy about Gifted/Talented Education?
The Fayetteville School District has a long history of commitment to excellence. Part of that commitment entails helping every student meet his/her potential. Providing for the needs of gifted and talented students is a consequence of that goal. The Fayetteville School District recognizes and supports the concept of a differentiated curriculum for students placed in the gifted and talented program.
What are the Arkansas state requirements for Gifted/Talented Education?
Arkansas Act 445 of the Quality Education Act includes the provision that all districts must provide a program for gifted and talented students. The Arkansas Department of Education program Approval Standards state that the curriculum for the gifted must differ not only in degree but in kind. It must be in place of rather than in addition to required classroom work. Students should not be penalized for being identified as gifted by being given extra work. Teachers should be sensitive to student's interests and talents in planning activities.
How are students placed in the Gifted/Talented Program?
A comprehensive procedures guide for the referral, identification and placement of students is utilized. Identification is an ongoing process with referrals accepted from staff, peers, parents, community, and students. Subjective and objective measures which assess both cognitive and non-cognitive areas are used to evaluate student need for services. Each school has a School-Based Committee which reviews the case-study data collected and makes recommendations for student placement based upon student need. Students moving in from other districts or states will be reevaluated using the placement criteria of the Fayetteville program. Procedures used in the identification process are non-discriminatory with respect to race, cultural or economic background, religion, national origin, sex, or handicapping condition.
What are the instructional options for students placed in the program?
The elementary, middle school, and junior high instructional model is a resource pull-out program in which the curriculum is differentiated. Instruction is student-centered, involves student choices, and is quicker-paced, emphasizing creativity, problem-solving, and higher-level thinking skills. Mastery of a topic of study is not solely the objective, but rather a depth in thinking, breadth and depth of activities, personal interpretation, personal challenge and concepts at higher levels of abstraction or complexity. The curriculum is meant to be interesting as well as to provide creative experiences with challenging projects and quality production. Students are to work on developing responsibility for their own learning and growth.
College Board Advanced Placement courses are offered in English, math, science, social studies, computer science, art, music theory, and foreign language at the high school; a counseling component is also available.
What are additional instructional options?
Honors courses in some areas at junior and senior high
Acceleration is an option for those students who need a change in grade placement
What indicators may describe students needing program services?
The student may:
Be unusually curious and/or persistent
Have an unusually large vocabulary for age
Display long-term recall of much information
Demonstrate intense concentration
Learn to read on their own
Possess keen sense of humor
Show unusual independence for age
Be creative & imaginative beyond age mates
Tend to be a perfectionist
Sustain interest in one or more fields of knowledge over years
Have self-directed interests
Easily master intellectual skills
Be interested in and concerned about community/world problems.
Often be self-critical and overly sensitive
Continually question the status quo
Apply learning from one situation to another
Solve problems in a unique manner
Have different behavior style
Enjoy reading about a wide range of topics
Reason abstractly
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