According to the Texas State Plan for Gifted Education, service design for gifted learners is a flexible system of viable service options providing a research-based learning continuum that is developed and consistently implemented throughout the district to meet the needs and reinforce the strengths and interests of gifted/talented students.
It is recommended that gifted learners be grouped together for instruction in the four core content areas, at both the elementary and secondary levels.
1st Grade: 90 minutes
2nd Grade: 90 minutes
3rd Grade: 150 minutes
4th Grade: 180 minutes
5th Grade: 180 minutes
In addition to services through the GATES class, students are also served in the regular classroom through differentiation (content, process, product) in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies by a teacher with his/her 30 GT Hours and the annual 6 Hour Update.
At Northwest ISD, the education of identified gifted learners is based on the following areas:
Problem Solving & Critical Thinking: The student uses a variety of approaches to solve problems; develops thoughtful questions; plans, organizes, implements, evaluates, and presents solutions. Students demonstrate skills of complex thinking; see relationships; examine facts and variables; make deductions based on logical reasoning.
Creative Thinking: The student uses divergent thinking; sees things in new and different ways. The student shows fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration in generating and presenting ideas.
Research Skills: The student asks open-ended research questions and develops a plan for answering them; gathers information from relevant sources; clarifies research questions and evaluates/synthesizes collected information; purposefully organizes and presents ideas/conclusions.
Communication Skills: The student communicates effectively; listens actively; participates effectively in a group.
Through the curriculum and various learning opportunities, students will develop into independent learners. The student will learn to organize his/her time and work and use a variety of resources. Students who receive gifted services will learn to set high standards of quality and complete self-directed learning. Students will also develop innovative products and performances.
Elementary
Units for each grade level are designed with the four GT standards as well as the TEKS, National Association for Gifted Children Student Outcomes, and Texas College and Career Readiness Standards.
Decisions as to the area of further content exploration for the topic should be made with the students’ academic strengths and weaknesses in mind, as well as their interest areas. Curriculum will also address social & emotional needs of gifted learners.
Parents of elementary gifted and talented students receive both student self-evaluations and progress reports that provide feedback on the four gifted and talented curriculum areas: problem solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, research skills, and communication skills.
1st and 2nd grade GATES students will receive a progress report every 12 weeks. In 3rd - 5th grade, rubrics will be sent home with each project’s completion. Progress reports will be sent home at the end of each semester.