Services

Process

To differentiate programming for the Talented and Gifted students at Springville Community School District, the following program practices are in place.

1. Students whose needs are not met in the regular classroom go through screening and are identified. Their area(s) of strength are specified to best meet their individual needs.
2. An interview is scheduled with each student to discuss interests, concerns, and how school is progressing. In this interview, a student’s academic, social, and emotional needs are discussed as needed.
3. An action plan titled Gifted Student Service Plan is made for how to best meet the educational needs of the identified student. This includes decisions based on the best services for that student (individualized instruction, subject acceleration, etc.), as well as amount of time per service and method of evaluation. The student is also given a choice to be “inactive” if they do not want to participate. Parents, administration, and staff will sign this service plan, and be given a copy.
4. The TAG Coordinator/Teacher works collaboratively with the classroom teacher as much as possible to coordinate planning and provide support by making resources available.
5. Starting in 6th grade, students in the TAG program are eligible to take online courses through Iowa Online AP Academy and APEX Learning.
6. TAG participants in 9th and 10th grade are eligible to take Kirkwood classes. All 11th and 12th graders are eligible to take Kirkwood classes.

Student Needs

Before we know what services to offer, we need to know more about our students. Please see the bottom of this webpage for attached documents.

Betts-Neihart Gifted Learner Profiles: Students answer questions one-on-one to show how they interact with their classroom environment and everyday learning challenges and triumphs.

Positives and Negatives of Being Gifted: Students identify themselves through the "positive" and "negative" qualities of being gifted. These qualities were determined to be one or the other through traditional classroom procedure and expectations.

Gifted Student Services Offered

• Classroom Differentiation: All Springville teachers are professionals, and have been trained in differentiation (click for various practices of differentiation). Advanced students are given work that is on their level, and is appropriately challenging.
• Individualized Instruction: Students meet with the TAG Coordinator for individualized instruction in order to challenge students in their strength areas and set goals to improve upon weaker areas. Students are constantly working on a variety of skills and subjects that fit their needs and their interests.
• Grouping in Regular Classroom: Most commonly practiced in reading and math, students are split into small groups with similarly-abled students working on appropriately challenging work. With our reading curriculum, Journeys, small group reading is a time set aside with leveled readers, and leveled activities.
• Subject Acceleration: Some students prove that they are beyond in-classroom work in a certain subject. This is only considered and acted upon with students who show giftedness in a subject area which is beyond the curriculum and rigor of that grade level. To determine readiness, test scores are considered, and a the TAG committee meets with the parents to go over the Iowa Acceleration Scale.
• Whole-Grade Acceleration: Though very rare, Springville School District is open to transitioning students into the next grade level. This is only considered and acted upon with students who show consistent proficiency and giftedness in all areas beyond the curriculum and rigor of that grade level. To determine readiness, test scores are considered, and a the TAG committee meets with the parents to go over the Iowa Acceleration Scale.
• Independent Study: Students at any level match up with an educator in the student's field of interest. The educator becomes a mentor for the student in an independent project. Work is assessed using a specific rubric with guidelines set up before work begins.
• Online Classes (6-12): Students in middle and high school have the opportunity to take online classes through the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa.
• Kirkwood Courses (9-12): Students in high school are eligible for Kirkwood classes, which would later count for college credit.
• Extra-curricular Activities: Tech Club is an after-school opportunity for TAG students to meet together and work with robots, computer programs, STEAM challenges, and much more.

Goal Setting

Each student makes a long-term goal for the quarter, and goals for the week. With collaboration from the general education teacher, the TAG Coordinator can facilitate and support more personal and appropriate goals for that student.

At the Elementary level, students keep their goal sheet in their TAG folder and review it each week. During individual meetings, goals are reviewed and strategies are sometimes improved and adjusted. This "Goal Setting Log" is easy to access for the students, and easy to copy at end of the quarter for reporting back to parents and staff. Please see the end of this webpage for the "Goal Setting Log".

At the Secondary level, students have a Google Doc that outlines their goals. During individual meetings, goals are reviewed and strategies are sometimes improved and adjusted. The Google Doc is easy to access, impossible to lose, and fast to print off at the end of the quarter for reporting back to parents and staff.

Enrichment Tubs

Students who are in need of enrichment in the classroom have the opportunity to work on enriched activities from the TAG Coordinator-provided enrichment tub. Every student needs to be challenged appropriately, and therefore, the enrichment tubs are open to any student who needs enrichment.

Work is specifically chosen for each class in order to keep the enrichment work applicable to current lessons and units. All work is Common CORE focused.

Files Used in Services and Communication: