Advanced Learning Plans (ALP) are currently developed for gifted students from K-9th grade according to student’s strength area(s), interests, and instructional and affective needs. These ALPs are reviewed and updated on a yearly basis by GATE Facilitators, who consult with the gifted student, the gifted student’s teachers and the gifted student’s parents. The ALP contains vital information, including a student profile that details the student’s interests and strengths as well as information about the “Body of Evidence” and identified areas of giftedness.

The ALP tracks previous academic achievement and affective goals, how they were measured, and whether or not they were met; the ALP also identifies current academic achievement and affective goals and how they will be measured. Academic Achievement goals are aligned to standards in the student’s strength area(s); Affective goals reflect the development of personal, social, communication, leadership, and/or cultural competency goals of each student. Goals are written and aligned with tiered classroom instruction and allow for differentiated, personalized instruction as much as possible; the GATE Facilitator provides supplemental and intensive programming as well as gifted instructional strategies, such as flexible grouping, Depth of Knowledge, Continuum of Complexity and the Depth and Complexity Framework. The ALP also includes specific accommodations to be followed for state testing.

Beginning in 2017-2018, ALP reviews begin in the fall with updating Academic and Affective goals; throughout the year, GATE Facilitators progress monitor these goals and modify as needed. At the end of the academic year, ALPs are reviewed once again to assess adequate yearly growth and goal successes. We have a new ALP Template in Google Sheets that allows GATE Facilitators to share draft versions of the ALP with students, who are active participants in the writing of their goals, interests and strengths. Google Sheets allows for collaboration with teachers, parents and administrators and makes the ALP a truly living document. When an ALP has been finalized, it is exported into a PDF file that we upload into Infinite Campus as part of the student’s cumulative record.

At the secondary level, we begin discussing career/postsecondary goals for secondary Gifted students as part of the ALP goal. ALPs are considered in planning for postsecondary readiness and help to guide meaningful career conversations as secondary students begin selecting courses in high school.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, 9th grade students will have a formal ALP integrated with their ICAP that is reviewed and updated on a yearly basis, and will include an affective goal along with an academic goal and a career/postsecondary goal. In each successive academic year, we will continue this process by adding another grade level so that by the 2020-2021 academic year, every high school student has an ALP/ICAP to guide their programming and career/postsecondary planning.

Parents, teachers, and students are all notified about ALP development and all three are asked for input to help create the ALP; parents, teachers and students are also involved in progress monitoring the ALP, and GATE Facilitators are available at least twice per year to review the ALP with parents during conferences. Classroom teachers, in addition to being asked for input before ALPs are created and to assist in writing measurable ALP goals.

Parents are strongly encouraged to be part of the ALP process and are invited to do so by their student's GATE Facilitator.