What is the Gifted Program?

The Gifted Program provides instruction and programming opportunities for students identified as gifted according to the TDSB Special Education Plan. This program is classified under the area of Special Education Intensive Support Programs. Students gain access to this level of support based on recommendations and decisions determined through an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting and process.

Just like students in other special education programs, students with a gifted exceptionality, also need to have optimized learning environments. Gifted programs provide students with opportunities to engage with their grade level curriculum, in different ways. Students also have a chance to move through curriculum content faster upon proving content mastery, but with greater depth and breadth. The program also allows for deeper consideration in a variety of subject areas for students with a range of programming strengths and needs.

Gifted Program at Duke

The Gifted Programming at Duke is intended to meet a variety of student strengths and needs as special education learners.

The gifted program offers both independent and collaborative inquiry based learning for all students. Students have the opportunity to work amongst like-minded peers, with depth and breadth of exploration. With teacher guidance and support, students will have the opportunity to interact and engage with their peers in ways that enrich their experiences. Curriculum topics are often learned and understood through group discussions, debate and hands on explorations or interactive learning tasks. With teacher support, students are encouraged to challenge themselves to go beyond required curriculum in their learning. Students can connect with their teachers and peers on digital platforms such as Brightspace and/or Google Classroom, throughout the year. We are very excited to provide programming for up to 150 students (6 classes of 25 students), with the Gifted Exceptionality this year .

Students share their thoughts about the Gifted 7/8 program