Standard 3: Differentiated Curriculum

Standard Three: Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction

The LEA employs challenging, rigorous, and relevant curriculum and instruction K-12 to accommodate a range of academic, intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted learners.

North Carolina Academically or Intellectually Gifted Program Standards

At International School at Gregory, the curriculum may be extended, enriched, and/or accelerated to meet the needs of children performing above grade level. Classroom teachers work closely with the Gifted Education Specialist to ensure that content, process, product and learning environment are meaningfully differentiated and appropriately challenging. In order to best meet each student’s individual needs, service delivery is multi-faceted and flexible. A few delivery options include, but are not limited to team teaching, cluster grouping, subject grouping, resource units, resource class, cross-grade grouping, anchor activities, curriculum compacting, learning centers, tiered assignments, computer based instruction, independent study, choice boards, interest inventories, research, project based learning, flipped classroom, utilizing Thinking Maps, and independent learning contracts.

K-2 Nurturing Program

The K-2 Nurturing Program has the Gifted Education Specialist teaching 15 whole-class lessons to all students in Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades throughout the school year. Utilizing the "PETS" curriculum, K-2 students work through lessons on Multiple Intelligence, Convergent and Divergent Thinking, Spatial Reasoning, Evaluative Thinking, Creativity, and Inventive Thinking. When these lessons are completed, small groups may be pulled by the Gifted Education Specialist. K-3 students also are taught analogy lessons at their level.

Third Grade AIG

All third grade students participate in the nurturing program for the first semester of the year. When students are identified for AIG services, then students are pulled into AIG resource classes.

  • Resources to be used include but are not limited to Jacob's Ladder, Junior Great Books, Word Masters, Problem Solver, Socratic Seminars, Interact Simulations and various academic competitions.

Fourth and Fifth Grade AIG

Students identified for the AIG Program are pulled into groups by the Gifted Education Specialist every day for 30 minutes, 2 days for reading, 2 days for math, and 1 day for intellectual.

  • Resources to be used include but are not limited to: Jacob's Ladder, Junior Great Books, Word Masters, Problem Solver, Socratic Seminars, Interact Simulations and various academic competitions.

Middle School AIG

Students at IS@G are cluster grouped with like peers within the math and language arts classrooms. The gifted education specialist works collaboratively with teachers to plan and differentiate instruction for students. We use the push-in model, which means that the gifted education specialist goes into the classroom to assist the teachers and students. Co-teaching, mini-lessons, enrichment activities, and other means of differentiating are used, as needed. Students in middle school are also pulled 30 minutes each week to participate in a social/emotional curriculum.


Gifted students are AIG all day, every day. In order to meet theses students’ needs, collaboration among all staff is essential when developing appropriate curriculum and instruction. Practices can be used that differentiate content, process or product and can be evidenced in a variety of ways including: interest inventories, research, project based learning, flipped classroom, utilizing Thinking Maps to facilitate student learning, small group instruction, tiered assignments, independent learning contracts, simulations and compacting curriculum.




In compliance with Federal law, including Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, New Hanover County Schools administers all state-operated educational programs, employment activities, and admissions without discrimination because of disability, race, religion, national, or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, or gender except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law.