Gifted Education
The Montgomery Public Schools currently serves over 900 students in the Gifted Programs. Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform at or have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program. Children and youth possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. Gifted students may be found within any race, ethnicity, gender, economic class, or nationality. In addition, some students with disabilities may be gifted.
MPS is committed to an education program that recognizes individual differences for student sin grades K-12. Embodied in this commitment is a responsibility to intellectual and creatively gifted students in the traditional neighborhood schools to assist them in maximizing their potential.
The goals for gifted learners strive to provide opportunities for enriched experiences beyond traditional classroom academics. Students are provided opportunities for learning the skills underlying the thinking process, for experiencing an understanding for the world’s people and their relationships to each other, for exploring personal futures, and for the independent quest of knowledge in all areas of interest to the student.
The goals of the MPS gifted education program include:
- To provide training for all staff on the procedures for referring and identifying students for gifted services.
- To continue working towards racial equity in the gifted program.
- To continue conducting Child Find Activities
- To ensure that there are comparable services throughout the system.
- To work towards a true continuum of services for high-end learners.
- To provide curriculum for gifted learners that is concept and problem based.
REFERRALS
Each school establishes a team to receive and review referrals for gifted services. Each team should consist of at least three people, and members should includesomeone knowledgeable about the student and someone knowledgeable about gifted education.
EVALUATION
Each school establishes a team to receive and review referrals for gifted services. Each team should consist of at least three people, and members should include someone knowledgeable about the student and someone knowledgeable about gifted education.
ELIGIBILITY
Schools establish an Eligibility Determination Team (EDT) to implement procedures to determine eligibility of students for gifted services. Members must include someone knowledgeable about the student being assessed, someone knowledgeable about gifted students in general, and someone able to interpret the information gathered. There should be at least three members on the team.
By definition, there are two criteria under which a student is eligible for gifted services.
- Automatic eligibility. A student may be determined automatically eligible when the obtained full scale IQ score on an individually administered test of intelligence is two standard deviations above the mean or higher (i.e. a score of 130 on a test which has a standard deviation of 15).
- Matrix of Multiple Criteria. The matrix of multiple criteria is defined by the Alabama Administrative Code and addresses aptitude, performance, and characteristics. A composite score on the matrix determines eligibility.
SERVICE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Gifted students may receive services through a variety of service delivery options depending on the age of the student and the resources available to the school district. Services for students of the same grade level on different campuses must be comparable in quality and duration. This means that if third graders at one school receive 3 hours a week pullout services then third graders at all schools should receive 3 hours a week pullout services. The following are examples of appropriate services for various age groups.
In the Montgomery Public Schools, the following services are defined by the LEA Plan for Gifted:
Grades K-2: Consultative services from the gifted specialist provided in the regular classroom setting (e.g., extra materials, learning centers)
Grades 3-6: Traditional pullout services for 3-5 hours a week
NOTE: Services to grade 6 students depends on whether they are scheduled as middle school or elementary school students.
Grades 6-8: Advanced core curriculum classes provided by qualified regular or gifted educators. Electives in a variety of talent areas (art, music [choral and instrumental], technology, foreign languages) taught by qualified instructors.
Grades 9-12: Advanced core curriculum classes provided by qualified regular or gifted educators. Electives in a variety of talent areas (art, music [choral and instrumental], technology, foreign languages) taught by qualified instructors.