Services for Primary Students (Grades K-2)

How does Washington Township Meet the Needs of our Talented and Gifted Learners at the Primary Level?

The Washington Township elementary schools implement school-wide cluster grouping in grades K-2.  Cluster grouping within a heterogeneous class teams gifted/high ability students as one group in a classroom to facilitate the implementation of differentiated instruction. 

Flexible Enrichment Services for Primary Students (K-2)

Kindergarten

Prior to start of kindergarten, or within our preschool program, students are pre-assessed to determine each student’s ability in the following areas: letter/sound recognition, concepts of print, sight vocabulary, writing, and mathematics. In addition, the Reading Specialist completes this grade level pre-assessment during the first few days of school for late entrants. Students are placed using this data into instructional groups within each kindergarten classroom.  Kindergarten students receive small group instruction at the beginning of the school year by the classroom teacher, paraprofessionals, interventionists, and/or the Reading Specialist. In addition to the benefit of small group instruction, benchmarking, formative assessment, and data meetings serve the purpose of providing a functional assessment of the children, which enables the classroom teachers to understand and target the strengths and needs of individual children.  After the first nine weeks of the school year, each classroom teacher completes a checklist for each of his/her students that identifies characteristics of gifted learners. The results of these multiple measures are analyzed and used to identify indicators of giftedness in our kindergarten students.

After having analyzed the student data and checklists, teachers differentiate instruction in literacy and mathematics to challenge the gifted students as well as support the struggling students.  In addition, the Reading Specialist models periodic small group, differentiated lessons in the classroom and provides ongoing consultation with the classroom teacher to ensure and support appropriate instruction for the advanced/gifted child.   As needed, the school media specialist selects and provides high interest, level-appropriate reading options and materials from the library, borrowing resources from the elementary schools, as appropriate. 

The gifted/talented teacher of the student’s home school serves as a resource at the request of the classroom teacher. The gifted/talented teacher meets with the classroom teacher to identify and/or provide resources that ensure appropriate depth and rigor for the gifted/high-ability students through a consultative model, and the gifted/talented teacher provides support to small flexible groups, as applicable. In addition, other specialists provide instruction in art, music, and physical education.

Grade 1

Students entering first grade are placed in instructional groups according to the total school-wide cluster grouping model based upon kindergarten data.   From September through October, students are assessed with iReady in Reading and Mathematics.  The classroom teacher meets the needs of high-ability/gifted children through differentiated instruction. In addition to the benefit of small group instruction, benchmarking, formative assessment, and data meetings serve the purpose of providing a functional assessment, which enables the classroom teachers to understand and target the strengths and needs of individual children.   The gifted/talented teacher meets with the classroom teacher to identify and/or provide resources that ensure appropriate depth and rigor for the gifted/high-ability students through a consultative model, and the gifted/talented teacher provides support to small flexible groups, as applicable. In addition, other specialists provide instruction in art, music, and physical education.

Grade  2

Students entering second grade are placed in instructional groups according to the total school-wide cluster grouping model based upon first grade data.   Students are assessed with iReady in Reading and Mathematics early in the year.  Students are administered the OLSAT group ability test as a future indicator.  The classroom teacher meets the needs of high-ability/gifted children through differentiated instruction.  In addition to the benefit of small group instruction, benchmarking, formative assessment, and data meetings serve the purpose of providing a functional assessment, which enables the classroom teachers to understand and target the strengths and needs of individual children.   The gifted/talented teacher meets with the classroom teacher to identify and/or provide resources that ensure appropriate depth and rigor for the gifted/high-ability students through a consultative model, and the gifted/talented teacher provides support to small flexible groups, as applicable.  In addition, other specialists provide instruction in art, music, and physical education.