Maine Gateways
MSAD # 75
Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell
About Us
MSAD 75’s core commitments to gifted and talented students and their families are to:
Provide curriculum at an appropriate level of challenge.
Provide time to work with intellectual peers.
Give opportunities to work individually at a challenging level in an area of interest.
Offer information and guidance regarding opportunities within and beyond the school day.
Peter Stevens
Gifted and Talented Support Services Advanced Math Teacher, Grades 6-8, Mt. Ararat Middle School
email: stevensp@link75.org
Colleen Crowe
Paraprofessional III Gifted and Talented Support Services, Grades 3-5, Schools: Bowdoin Central, Bowdoinham Community, Harpswell Community, Williams-Cone Elementary, Woodside Elementary
email: crowec@link75.org
ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
The gifted and talented program at MSAD 75 is committed to ensuring that all g/t identified students receive appropriate support. We also provide high-level resources for all students and consult with teachers to help them differentiate instruction within the classroom. We emphasize critical and creative thinking skills as essential elements in producing evidence of learning.
Elementary School (Grade Span K-2) Students in grades K-2 are not formally identified for gifted and talented services. The focus at these levels is on identifying needs rather than students. Gifted and talented staff work collaboratively with teachers to recognize gifted behaviors in the regular classroom. While needs are identified and differentiated for at these levels, students are
not. Screening for formal gifted and talented identification begins at the 3rd grade level.
Elementary School (Grade Span 3-5) At these grade levels, classroom teachers provide for the unique learning needs of identified students in consultation with our gifted and talented staff. Gifted and talented staff are available to work collaboratively with teachers to differentiate learning opportunities as needed and to ensure identified students make adequate yearly progress. Gifted and talented staff also work with students and parents to help identify the central strengths, needs, and interests of each child, and to then provide both guidance and advocacy to connect each child with appropriate learning opportunities. For more information: K-5 Program.
Middle School (Grade Span 6-8) At Mt. Ararat Middle School, teachers provide for the unique learning needs of identified students in consultation with our gifted and talented staff. Gifted and talented staff work collaboratively with teachers to differentiate learning opportunities as needed and to ensure identified students make adequate yearly progress. Gifted and talented staff also works with students and parents to help identify the central strengths, needs, and interests of each child, and to then provide both guidance and advocacy to connect each child with appropriate learning opportunities. For more information: 6-8 Program
High School Consultation Model
At Mt. Ararat High School our students are offered collaborative consultation services through MSAD 75 Gateways Support Services, as requested.
Teachers work to address the needs of identified 9th through 12th grade students by offering advanced specialized curricula and self-paced individual study when possible. In addition to Advanced Placement Courses, there are many opportunities for classes and activities, connections with local colleges, and online instruction. Students can participate in a number of clubs, teams, and groups in their area of interest and expertise. (Please see course descriptions in the MAHS handbook.)
Consultation services are provided by a gifted and talented consulting teacher who is a certified gifted endorsed teacher with experience in the field of gifted education. For more information: 9-12 Program.
MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
Goals
Goals for the Gateways G/T Program
To work with students to help identify their central strengths, needs, and interests, providing both guidance and advocacy to connect the student with appropriate opportunities.
To monitor student progress and unique needs through meetings with students and/or their teachers.
To assist classroom teachers who work with gifted students to provide suggestions for modifications to ensure greater student success when requested.
To answer questions and supply information and resources related to the unique needs of gifted learners.
To work with students, families, and teachers as requested to help identify student central strengths, needs, and interests and to provide guidance and/or advocacy to connect the student with appropriate opportunities.
Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model
Our students learn best when they are offered opportunities to explore general concepts and receive additional, targeted instruction around that concept. We see students thrive when they become involved in investigations of "real problems" with an authentic audience.
For example:
Writing a chapter of a book to publish, creating a solution to a science challenge, and presenting the solution to a class or audience,
Constructing a project and competing with other students.
Writing a children's book about a topic and reading it to younger students in the elementary schools.
Preparing, proposing, and presenting a solution to a town problem to the town council.
Research tells us that students in programs like Gateways have special learning needs regarding their learning environments. These students flourish when they have:
Opportunities to work with students of different abilities. This happens in the regular classroom in large and small groups.
Opportunities to work with students of like abilities. This happens when we meet with identified students (and sometimes our other strong academic ability students) weekly.
Opportunities to work alone (or with a partner) on a challenging product or project of high interest with a trained teacher’s support. This happens during our inquiry sessions - and sometimes projects or products are carried into the classroom, school, or other “real world arena” when students share their work with an audience. (We call these “Passion Projects”).
During our Identification process, our Selection Committee also discovers other students who fall in the 7-12% "strong academic ability” range. Because our elementary schools are so small, we often include these students with our 5-7% identified Gateways students for our inquiry sessions. With classroom teacher recommendation and parent agreement these students “flow in and out", joining some (or sometimes all) sessions during the year. We have found this to be beneficial to both groups of students during elementary years. It provides opportunities for richer discussion with a small group of peers, social communication, teamwork skills, and an enriched learning experience for all. Please check out our identification slideshow on our Parent Resources page for more detailed information about our identification process!
How are math placements determined when students begin MAMS?
Description GRADE 6 Advanced Math Gateways Students and others.pdfENGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH CHALLENGE THAT INSPIRES