Gifted Program Scope and Sequence Flagstaff Unified School District #1 3285 E. Sparrow Drive Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Marcia H. Lescault, Gifted Coordinator mlescault@fusd1.org Spring 2013
Program Design What is your district s definition of a gifted student and gifted education? To qualify as a gifted student, the Flagstaff Unified School District accepts a score of 94% using a state approved test in any of the three qualifying areas; verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal. An alternative process which is a provisional placement, considers the following criteria: AIMS scores, Stanford 10 scores, academic performance, and general school success. The Flagstaff Unified School District abides by the state and federal gifted definitions noted below. The state of Arizona s definition: Gifted child means a child who is of lawful school age, who due to superior intellect or advanced learning ability, or both, is not afforded an opportunity for otherwise attainable progress and development in regular classroom instruction and who needs special instruction, or special ancillary services, or both to achieve at levels commensurate with his/her intellect and ability. Federal Definition (Javits 1988): The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who : 1. Give evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic or leadership capacity or in specific academic fields; and who 2. Require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully.
Program Design Describe the philosophy and goals for your gifted program The governing board and staff of Flagstaff Unified School District are committed to the encouragement of excellence and optimal talent development among gifted students. To do so, FUSD is committed to providing an array of services to support the varying academic, social and emotional needs of these students. The diversity of individuals and cultures will be honored and integrated into curricular content. Educational programs are designed to use differentiated instructional strategies which will include but are not limited to the use of acceleration, complexity, depth, tiered instruction, hands-on in class learning, creativity, projects, and independent study. Learning environments will incorporate activities to help students develop the following traits and skills: independence, openness to new ideas, innovation, exploration, self monitoring, creativity, planning and decision-making and other executive thinking processes. Provisions will be made for gifted students to facilitate successful interaction with gifted peers. Articulation of services will be provided to connect program options sequentially from one grade to the next. The FUSD Gifted Coordinator will provide teacher support through district workshops and school based sessions to assist teachers in developing an understanding of the unique needs of gifted students. Support will also include consultation with teachers, upon request, as well as providing materials to facilitate critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as modeling the use of differentiation strategies. The Gifted Coordinator will maintain and update the district gifted department website.
Program Design How do you group and deliver services to your K 2 grade students? Children in grades K 2 will receive gifted services in several ways: through inclusion, during the daily RTI (Response to Intervention) period, flexible grouping, cross grade grouping, and multi-age classes according to the gifted student s need. Several magnet school programs are available to those students interested in arts/music and Spanish or Navajo language. Based on the gifted student s needs, the following instructional strategies will include: differentiated instruction, flexible pacing, content acceleration, tiered lesson planning, and an individual student plan when needed. Processes include critical and creative thinking skills, discovery learning, open-ended problem solving, faster pacing, and choice of learning activities which will be incorporated into the content of the Arizona Academic Standards. Highly/exceptionally gifted students may enroll in a higher grade should the school, district curriculum coordinator and family decide that this is in the best interests of the child. The highly/exceptionally gifted student, his/her parent or guardian, district and school personnel will then agree to a formal plan which may include both in-school and out-of-school options selected to enhance development of advanced intellectual abilities as well as physical and social skills.
Program Design How do you group and deliver services to your 3 5 grade students? Children in grades 3 5 will receive gifted services in several ways: through inclusion, during the daily RTI (Response to Intervention) period, flexible grouping, cross grade grouping, and multi-age classes according to the gifted student s need. Several magnet school programs are also available to those students interested in the arts and science as well as dual languages English/Spanish or English/Navajo. Based on the gifted student s needs, the following instructional strategies will include: differentiated instruction, flexible pacing, content acceleration, tiered lesson planning, and an individual student plan when needed. Processes include critical and creative thinking skills, discovery learning, open-ended problem solving, faster pacing, and choice of learning activities which will be incorporated into the content of the Arizona Academic Standards. Highly/exceptionally gifted students may enroll in a higher grade should the school, district curriculum coordinator and family decide that this is in the best interests of the child. The highly/exceptionally gifted student, his/her parent or guardian, district and school personnel will then agree to a formal plan which may include both in-school and out-of-school options selected to enhance development of advanced intellectual abilities as well as physical and social skills.
Program Design How do you group and deliver services to your 6 8 grade students? Middle school students are grouped in grade level classes with other gifted students for English and Mathematics. Honors courses are available in Science and Social Studies. The curriculum is designed to meet or exceed the performance objectives at the proficiency level in the Arizona Academic Standards. In addition to the groupings noted, FUSD also provides several academy programs which focus on student interests and strengths in either the verbal, quantitative, and/or nonverbal areas. These academy programs continue to foster executive thinking skills (decision-making, planning, forecasting, monitoring), metacognition, community problem solving, open-ended questioning, varied group interaction, greater variety and evidence of reasoning). Sinagua Middle School features the MITe program (Institute of Technology and Engineering). This is a STEM program built on MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, and TECHNOLOGY for students with interests and high aptitudes in these areas. Mount Elden Middle School has an Honors Pre-AP Academy (7 th & 8 th grades) and the Pre- AP Academy Preparatory House (6 th grade). Mount Elden Middle School also has the Alpine Leadership Academy (an expeditionary learning program) and while not considered a gifted program supports the interests and aptitudes of the non-verbal qualified gifted student with leadership skills and community interests.
Program Design How do you group and deliver services to your 9 12 grade students? High School gifted students have the option to enroll in honors courses, advanced placement courses, participate in dual enrollment courses (high school and college course credit earned during high school classes), or be a part of the CAVIAT programs (junior and senior students obtain high school and college credit while attending Coconino Community College). Along with the course options noted above, Coconino High School also provides the continuation of the Sinagua Middle School program (MITe) through advanced courses in Technology and Engineering (CIT Coconino Institute of Technology).
Program Design Describe how you integrate your program standards with the Arizona State Standards at each grade level? FUSD aligns its academic program with the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core is available and used for grades K-12 where enrichment can be accessed and easily manipulated increasing the level of complexity according to the needs of the student (as an example Reading Literature 1.RL.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text to 4RL.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text). How do you involve parents in your program? TAG (talented and gifted) Brochure District Gifted website Back to school night Parent conferences Parent volunteers PTO and PTA meetings at individual school sites Odyssey of the Mind
Curriculum and Instruction How do you differentiate instruction (pace and pedagogy) to K-2 students? Please list several sample activities to illustrate your description. District trainings in differentiated instruction are provided during professional development days. These trainings continue to be available to each school site. The District Gifted Instructional Specialist collaborates with teachers working with gifted students during RTI time. Students who qualify will be provided daily opportunities in their classroom for enrichment. Curriculum is differentiated through the following activities/approaches: Use of AIMS-WEB to assist in forming flexible grouping or acceleration Teacher collaboration in the design of learning activities and management plans for small group investigations, projects, or independent studies Construct rules, procedures, and practices to regulate interactions in a learning community or interest group Analyze situations, define problems, and synthesize possible solutions Focus on communicating effectively with an audience and peers in a social environment Construct knowledge through a variety of interactions with peers using cognitive tools and/or objects Question existing knowledge, mores, values, and traditions as a means to understand, adopt, improve, or supplant them
Curriculum and Instruction How do you differentiate instruction (pace and pedagogy) to 3-5 students? Please list several sample activities to illustrate your description. District trainings in differentiated instruction are provided during professional development days. These trainings continue to be available to each school site. The District Gifted Instructional Specialist collaborates with teachers working with gifted students during RTI time. Students who qualify will be provided daily opportunities in their classroom for enrichment. Curriculum is differentiated through the following activities/approaches: Use of AIMS-WEB to assist in forming flexible grouping or acceleration Teacher collaboration in the design of learning activities and management plans for small group investigations, projects, or independent studies Construct rules, procedures, and practices to regulate interactions in a learning community or interest group Analyze situations, define problems, and synthesize possible solutions Focus on communicating effectively with an audience and peers in a social environment Construct knowledge through a variety of interactions with peers using cognitive tools and/or objects Question existing knowledge, mores, values, and traditions as a means to understand, adopt, improve, or supplant them
Curriculum and Instruction How do you differentiate instruction (pace and pedagogy) to 6-8 students? Please list several sample activities to illustrate your description. District trainings in differentiated instruction are provided during professional development days. These trainings continue to be available to each school site. Students who qualify will be provided daily opportunities in their classroom for enrichment. Curriculum is differentiated through the following activities/approaches: Use District approved assessments in forming math grouping Gifted students are placed in their four core classes where the majority of students are indentified gifted Teacher collaboration in the design of learning activities in which they incorporate differentiated instruction, curriculum compacting, and tiered assignments Acceleration opportunities are provided through extended literature, novel studies, data analysis and math word problems Construct rules, procedures, and practices to regulate interactions in a learning community or interest group Analyze situations, define problems, and synthesize possible solutions Focus on communicating effectively with an audience and peers in a social environment Construct knowledge through a variety of interactions with peers using cognitive tools and/or objects Question existing knowledge, mores, values, and traditions as a means to understand, adopt, improve, or supplant them
Curriculum and Instruction How do you differentiate instruction (pace and pedagogy) to 9-12 students? Please list several sample activities to illustrate your description. District trainings in differentiated instruction are provided during professional development days. These trainings continue to be available to each school site. Students who qualify will be provided daily opportunities in their classroom for enrichment. Honors courses Advanced placement courses Dual enrollment courses (high school and college course credit earned during high school classes). CTE (Career and Technical Education) has expanded its dual enrollment courses to core subjects including math, science, and language arts CAVIAT programs (junior and senior students obtain high school and college credit while attending Coconino Community College). Coconino High School provides the continuation of the Sinagua Middle School STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program (MITe) through advanced courses in Technology and Engineering (CIT Coconino Institute of Technology). The premise and promise of CIT is encapsulated in the current STEM movement. CocoNuts Robotics student organization (genesis of this group is CIT) High school counselors support the needs of the gifted students through interviews and interest surveys Other courses music, art, drama, foreign languages
Curriculum and Instruction What curricular materials do you use for grades K-2? Be specific FUSD #1 K-2 curriculum aligned to Common Core standards Houghton Mifflin Reading Envision Math Social Studies Alive Foss Science Kits All textbooks and materials are utilized with differentiation What curricular materials do you use for grades 3-5? Be specific FUSD #1 3-5 curriculum aligned to Common Core standards Houghton Mifflin Reading Envision Math Social Studies Alive (Grades 3 & 5) 4 th Grade Arizona Story by Arizona Historical Society Foss Science Kits All textbooks and materials are utilized with differentiation What curricular materials do you use for grades 6-8? Be specific FUSD #1 6-8 curriculum aligned to Common Core standards Envision Math All textbooks and materials are utilized with differentiation What curricular materials do you use for grades 9-12? Be specific FUSD #1 9 12 curriculum aligned to Common Core standards FUSD #1 adopted text books for science and social studies All textbooks and materials are utilized with differentiation
Identification Describe how your referral process for identification involves parents and staff Early identification is essential for the intellectual and emotional health of gifted children because it enables early intervention. Referral forms are available at each school site and found under the program section - gifted - on the district website www.fusd1.org. FUSD #1 registered students may be referred for gifted testing by parents, guardians, teachers, community members or a student may nominate themselves. Students who score at or above the 95 th percentile on any section of a standardized academic achievement test may be nominated for gifted testing. Students that transfer in from another school district are provided a form at the time of registration that allows them to indicate whether they have previously received gifted services and this document is forwarded to the District Gifted Department. Parents are notified in writing of the student s eligibility based on Arizona approved tests and given referral for testing information if appropriate. An alternative process which is a provisional placement, considers the following criteria: AIMS scores, Stanford 10 scores, academic performance, and general school success.
Identification Describe your process for the identification of K-12 gifted students, including how your process addresses the variety of student environmental backgrounds. Referrals for testing are accepted from parents, students, teachers and administrators. All referred students are tested and students can be referred and retested once every two years. Use of the Raven s test for ELL students. An alternative process which is a provisional placement, considers the following criteria: AIMS scores, Stanford 10 scores, academic performance, and general school success. Please list all the testing instruments and data points you use for gifted student identification and explain why you chose these instruments. Cognitive Abilities Test form 6 (CogAT) is a normed referenced test for the population under examination (group administered). However, Form 6 is being phased out over the next few years by the Riverside Publishing Company. During the 2012 2013 school year, the Cognitive Abilities Test form 7 will be administered to all second grade students and other grades will be added as district testing materials need to be replenished. Accommodations will be made for students with IEP s and 504 identification. Ravens Non-verbal test, a norm referenced test, is administered to ELL students (individually administered).
Identification How do you inform parents and staff of your referral and identification process? FUSD #1 Website (www.fusd1.org) - Gifted Program Gifted Brochure Individual School Parent Informational meetings Individual School Staff meetings Once eligibility is determined, how do you inform parents of the decision and then handle an appeal of that decision? Formal placement forms are sent home that include test scores as well as a general explanation of these scores. On the placement form parents are invited to call the District Gifted office should they have further questions concerning the scores. The placement form also includes a parent signature consent line to allow eligible students to receive services. Once a student qualifies and is enrolled for gifted services, notification is given to the personnel at the student s school of attendance; the principal, school counselors, appropriate classroom teachers, and elementary school RTI teachers working with the student. Parents are referred to the District Gifted Coordinator if they wish to appeal the test scores and a meeting can be scheduled.
Social and Emotional Development How do you provide for the unique affective needs of your gifted students K-5? Provide teachers and school counselors with information from Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Organization to include consultation and/or trainings RTI enrichment groupings Teachers create learning environments designed to encourage interaction, provide experiential learning, promote cognitive growth, as well as develop learner autonomy Teachers guide learners in the acquisition of skills needed to process information, solve problems, and create products Odyssey of the Mind problem solving exercises How do you provide for the unique affective needs of your gifted students 6-8? Provide teachers and school counselors with information from Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Organization to include consultation and/or trainings Students grouped in Gifted and Honors classes focused on gifted learning needs Teachers create learning environments designed to encourage interaction, provide experiential learning, promote cognitive growth, as well as develop learner autonomy Teachers guide learners in the acquisition of skills needed to process information, solve problems, and create products Odyssey of the Mind problem solving exercises
Social and Emotional Development How do you provide for the unique affective needs of your gifted students 9-12? Provide teachers and school counselors with information from Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Organization to include consultation and/or trainings Placement in Honors, AP, Dual Enrollment, or CAVIAT programs Teachers create learning environments designed to encourage interaction, provide experiential learning, promote cognitive growth, as well as develop learner autonomy Teachers guide learners in the acquisition of skills needed to process information, solve problems, and create products Develop gifted student groups to share experiences through school counseling offices What specific orientation activities do you provide for parents and teachers regarding gifted affective needs? Provide teachers and school counselors with information from Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Organization to include consultation and/or trainings Have literature available at each school site about the unique needs of gifted students Use individual school PTO/PTA nights as a forum for discussing gifted students needs
Social and Emotional Development How do you monitor, identify and provide assistance to at risk gifted students? Referral process created for all students, parents, and teachers involving school counseling services Provide counseling services on an as needed basis Develop alternative approaches for students to earn credit Competency testing in core subjects to allow students to move-on Dual enrollment and/or CAVIAT program offered through local community college Chronic Illness plans Homebound services Academic contracts (counseling office) Behavior contracts (school psychologist) School psychologists develop Threat assessments Develop partnerships with local community organizations
Professional Development How do you regularly provide opportunities for regular classroom teachers and gifted teachers to receive specialized training about working with gifted students? Staff workshops, professional learning community meetings Collaborate with RTI enrichment teachers providing materials and/or assisting in the development of materials as needed Teachers develop personal professional growth plans through Career Ladder Common Core provides enrichment suggestions for classroom teachers Please list the titles of the training you conducted last year and those planned for the current year. Trainings are conducted at district approved workshops Problem Solving Exercises: Quick Challenges for Young Minds Project Based Instructional Learning Differentiated Lesson Planning Challenging Gifted Students in Middle School
Professional Development How have your training events targeted the needs of administrators? In-service has been provided to administrators on differentiating instruction and Common Core Standards Some school counselors and school psychologists have attended state training opportunities regarding the social and emotional needs of gifted learners ADE sponsored training on school improvement Describe the feedback received from post training evaluations. What did the participants say about the effectiveness? Trainings have been well received information useful Desire for more trainings tied to paid 301 time and school professional development
Parent and Community Involvement How do you make your program philosophy, goals and recruitment procedures available to all parents? FUSD #1 District Website (www.fusd1.org Programs & Services) District Gifted Brochure Parent/Teacher Conferences News Releases Yearly FUSD #1 program and school presentation day at the Flagstaff shopping mall How do you provide access to your scope and sequence for all parents? Parents are provided access through our internet link (www.fusd1.org Programs & Services). Describe how you incorporate parents into a support or advisory group. FUSD #1 s gifted service has been evolving over the past couple years with the 2011 2012 school year settling on incorporating enrichment support for gifted students in elementary schools during the daily RTI time along with lesson differentiation within the regular classroom. Secondary middle schools have added academy programs along with clustering gifted students together for core academic subjects. As students advance in grade level or competency they are afforded the opportunity to participate in dual enrollment and CAVIAT programs. This has been supported through listening to and having discussions with parents. Periodic meetings with gifted parents (set up based on individual school site requests) Personal interviews held either with the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, school administrative staff or the District Gifted Specialist.
Parent and Community Involvement How do you involve parents and the gifted community in the evaluation of your program? Parent surveys have been conducted in previous years along with district initiated elementary and secondary principal meetings to assess enrichment activities which include classroom differentiation and flex grouping at their school sites. This has helped the Gifted Program develop to where it is today.
Program Assessment What data sources do you use to assess your program s effectiveness? FUSD #1 uses the following data to assess the gifted program s effectiveness: AIMS and Stanford 10 test results AIMS WEB Teacher PLC (professional learning community) meetings Enrollment in AP/Honors classes Newly developing common and summative assessments based on Common Core Standards Describe how you use test data, both norms referenced and criterion referenced in your evaluation process. Gifted student scores are compared with the rest of the population as well as students class grades are compared to identification scores. The development of this process is on-going with teachers developing common and summative assessments. How do you use informal measures like surveys, open forums and teacher interviews to gather data? Program assessment is ongoing. Now that RTI is being used as enrichment time in the elementary schools, started in the 2011 2012 school year, regular collaboration time by the District Gifted Coordinator with elementary enrichment teachers will be established during the 2012 2013 school year to look at data. Secondary teachers use CT (Collaborative Team) time and (GDMs) Grade Level Data Meetings to their school s administration.
Program Assessment What are your key indicators that your program is positively affecting students? FUSD #1 s key indicators that the programs are positively affecting students: Student interest and excitement about the programs they are participating in Students attendance in the program few drop out Informal yet positive parent feedback Enrollment in AP/honors classes and Academies Describe the performance standards you have for all gifted students Gifted students will perform in the exceed category in the areas of giftedness they qualified in Gifted students will participate in various competitions (math competitions, chess clubs and in organizations such as Odyssey of the Mind) Gifted students will demonstrate leadership qualities and participate in school organizations and clubs
Budgeting What percentage of your supplemental allocation is used in the following categories: capital expenditures, direct student services, professional development and district coordination? Currently there is no supplemental allocation of monies from the State of Arizona for gifted education. The following allocation of monies to support the gifted program comes solely from FUSD #1 and is as follows: Capital expenditures 0.0% Direct student services 14.5% Professional Development 5.4% District Coordination 80.0% The District coordinator monitors, collaborates with and trains teachers working with gifted students. Several district workshops are offered yearly for teachers regarding gifted students. Teachers are paid to attend these workshops using 301 dollars. These workshops can be used towards gifted certification with the state. The District Coordinator is responsible for setting up and conducting these workshops with other qualified district teachers. The District Coordinator tests all students referred for gifted services. District coordination also includes secretarial assistance as support in keeping records, managing phone calls, documentation of qualified students, communicating with schools about gifted students, distributing materials as requested by the District Coordinator, and putting together workshop materials.
Budgeting Describe the structure of your gifted education staffing including the ratio of teaching staff to the number of identified gifted students. Elementary: The gifted program includes flex grouping of students within inclusion classes and/or grade levels, differentiated instruction within the classroom setting, and daily RTI enrichment time with like peers. Middle School: Students are grouped with other gifted students in core subject areas with access to Academy programs based on interest and aptitude. High School: AP courses, Honors courses, Dual enrollment, CAVIAT program access. To what extent does the district support the funding of our gifted program: Please elaborate: Be specific as to staff and financial resources FUSD #1 fully funds all aspects of the gifted program.
Glossary Compacting: Giving students full credit for what they know about an upcoming unit and/or providing advanced students opportunities to learn new material in a shorter time period than needed by classmates. Independent Study: Ongoing in-depth research on a topic of a student s own choosing Flexible Grouping: Grouping and regrouping students throughout the year according to readiness, interest, learning style, achievement level, activity preference, special needs. Tiered Assignments: Varying the level of complexity, depth, or novelty of a lesson so students can go beyond basic requirements of an assignment. Extension Menu: Learning Contract: A selection of topics from which a student can choose to pursue an independent study that extends the learning beyond already mastered content standards. A signed agreement between student and teacher regarding specific tasks to be done by the student
Questioning Strategies: Differentiation: (5 Elements of) Using high-level, open-ended questions meant to challenge thinking and learning. 1. Content: content that s connected to standards but not confined by them accelerated or extended 2. Process: through compacting, providing higher-level or critical thinking opportunities for ongoing research 3. Product: going beyond written tasks, allowing students to create artifacts, exhibitions or performances 4. Learning environment: students interact with others within and outside of the classroom, have flexible time limits, opportunities to work with mentors 5. Assessment: while still having to experience formal assessments with the rest of the class these students are allowed to document their mastery of content standards before material is taught to the rest of the class; when students are allowed to work more quickly than their classmates or moving through curriculum at a deeper level