Greendale Schools is committed to providing an educational program to meet the unique educational needs of advanced learners. Gifted programming is an ongoing process through which we develop the emerging strengths of each student in any of the five talent areas: general intellectual, specific academic, creativity, visual and performing arts, and leadership.
Gifted and Talented Program Goals
In accordance with this Mission Statement, the Gifted and Talented Program endeavors in the following:
- To foster an awareness in faculty, administrators, and the community of the potentials and talents that are present in students attending Greendale Public Schools.
- To identify potential and talents through a variety of means and to match students to learning opportunities that will meet those needs.
- To integrate the program for gifted students into daily lessons, to provide challenging, stimulating learning experiences in every classroom in the district.
- To provide differentiation through a variety of appropriate options within the regular classroom.
- To provide special group programming beyond the regular classroom including individualized services for students whose needs require them.
- To provide developmental guidance and counseling for gifted students.
- To provide all students access to a systematic and continuous K-12 program appropriate for their needs.
- To communicate with parents regarding opportunities available for their child in the Gifted and Talented Program, general identification procedures, Mission Statement, and goals.
- To provide ongoing parent involvement in their child’s educational program.
- To provide support to address the affective and cognitive needs of students, staff, administration, and parents involved with the Gifted and Talented Program.
Checklist of Characteristics for Areas of Giftedness
Gifted Area: General Intellectual Ability
Characteristics:
- Understands complex concepts
- Draws inferences between content areas
- Sees beyond the obvious
- Thrives on new or complex ideas
- Enjoys hypothesizing
- Intuitively knows before taught
- Uses an extensive vocabulary
- Does in-depth investigations
- Learns rapidly in comparison to peers
- 1-2 repetitions for mastery
- Manipulates information
Gifted Area: Specific Academic Ability
Characteristics:
- Strong memorization ability
- Advanced comprehension: 1-2 repetitions for mastery
- Intense interest in a specific academic area
- High academic capacity in special-interest area
- Pursues special interests with enthusiasm
- Operates at a higher level of abstraction than peers
- Asks poignant questions
- Discusses and elaborates in detail
Gifted Area: Creative Thinking
Characteristics:
- Independent and/or flexible thinker
- Exhibits original thinking in oral and/or written expression
- Generates many ideas to solve a given problem
- Possesses a keen sense of humor
- Creates and invents
- Intrigued by creative tasks
- Improvises and sees unique possibilities
- Risk taker
- Resists conformity
Gifted Area: Artistic (Visual/Performing Arts)
Characteristics:
- Communicates their vision in visual/performing arts
- Unusual ability for aesthetic expression
- Compelled to perform/produce
- Exhibits creative expression
- Desire for creating original product
- Keenly observant
- Continues experimentation with preferred medium
- Excels in demonstrating the visual/performing arts
Gifted Area: Leadership
Characteristics:
- Takes an active role in decision making
- High expectations for self and others
- Expresses self with confidence
- Foresees consequences and implications of decisions
- Follows through on a plan
- Appears to be well liked by peers
- Ideas expressed accepted by others
- Sought out by others to accomplish a task
Adapted from the National Association for Gifted Children
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