General
We believe that the education for the gifted must foster achievement, enhance aptitude, and nurture creativity in order to help each child realize his or her potential as a learner. Instruction must be designed and paced to challenge each learner at the appropriate level and to stimulate complex thinking and problem solving.
Identification
The Academically Advanced Program (TAAP), FCCPS’s program for gifted (GT) learners, will be achievement based and inclusive. The goal of identification is to find those students whose achievement indicates that they can benefit from an instructional program differentiated for gifted students. The division will endeavor to provide additional opportunities for identification, as appropriate, for students from groups that are historically under-represented and for students who may have strengths not measured by standard metrics.
Multiple forms of assessment are intended to increase the validity and reliability of the selection process. Indications of a student’s need for differentiated services for gifted learners will be obtained through use of the following:
- Standardized measures
- Data gathered by the classroom teachers and / or counselors
- Data gathered by specialists in gifted education
- Data gathered from parents and / or the student
- Portfolios or work samples (as appropriate)
- Interviews (as appropriate)
Services
Gifted services for students will serve the goal of helping each student reach the proficiency level of which he or she is capable in the identified core area of instruction. The goal is for each student to become an independent investigator and to develop and/or sharpen critical thinking, reasoning, and higher-level thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).
Materials and instruction will provide challenging and stimulating learning opportunities at a level commensurate with each student’s potential and demonstrated achievement. The scope and sequence of instruction will be designed to provide mastery beyond essential content and add depth of understanding at appropriate levels of complexity. Instruction will proceed at a pace appropriate for gifted learners.
