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                                       AACS as a Gifted & Talented School

AACS as a GT school : Over 13% of the school population is identified as either Gifted or High Potential. These students receive the opportunity to accelerate their learning through differentiated instruction, small group pull-out time and project-based learning.  Teachers and the GT coordinator work together to ensure that every student is learning something everyday

Gifted and Talented Development: Aurora Academy is dedicated to delivering scholars with opportunities that challenge them to a level appropriate with their academic and affective needs which enables us to nurture their diverse talents and abilities.

Curriculum: 

  • Differentiated strategies based on areas of giftedness included in the lesson design and execution.
  • Provide support in dealing with social and emotional issues
  • Help develop self-esteem and self-awareness
  • Opportunities for student to interact and structured conversations within the classroom
  • Align instruction and differentiation with National Association of Gifted Students standards
  • Uses weekly and quarterly assessments to guide future lessons and provide student feedback
  • Instruction that embeds meaning and context (National Literacy Panel, 2007)
  • Ongoing school-wide Professional Development for teachers and GT staff
  • Communication and collaboration with GT staff, Administration, and content area staff
  • GT staff presentations and resource sharing
  • Monitored by a gifted and talented certified or endorsed instructor.
  • Include differentiation strategies for 2all types of learners

  
Vision and Mission Statement: Aurora Academy Charter School is committed to an educational program that recognizes individual student differences, abilities, interests and needs.  We are committed to providing our GT students with a system of supports and programming that foster a safe learning environment where individual abilities and gifts can grow.  Our goal is to ensure that all students will be given the opportunities that will challenge them and provide creative thinking experiences through a system of support, programming, and advocacy. 

Meet our Gifted & Talented Coordinator: Amy Greenwood and I am the Gifted and Talented Coordinator here at Aurora Academy.  I am so excited to be working with such an amazing group of students, staff and parents. Feel free to contact me at agreenwood@auroraacademycharter.com.

Gifted & Talented

 

AACS Identification Process for Gifted and Talented Services 

Academic Identification Process:

  • Screener - All never been tested, second and sixth grader students will be tested for gifted and talented services by the end of the fall testing window - usually by November
  • Nominations by parents 
  • Nominations by teachers - nominations and teacher observation scale (SIGS)
  • Body of Evidence - Nationally normed test scored with an 84th - 99th percentile.  The gifted teacher tracks all student data in all subject areas and collects this to help form a body of evidence. Nationally normed tests include: CMAS,iReady, and Star 

Steps:

  1. Collect a body of evidence - Potential students are identified through a robust body of evidence including test scores, the use of parent and teacher scales for identifying gifted students including and use of ACCESS scores to help nominate ELL.  Students need at least 3 qualifying pieces of evidence to be identified.
  2. Review the body of evidence with the GT committee (usually the students’ teacher(s), GT coordinator, admin, counselors, and ELD staff, parents and student) 
  3. Make a final determination
    1. The results of this test will be used to help identify abilities and aptitudes in our students and can be used to make programming and curricular adjustments for all students.


Talent Area Identification Process: Visual Arts, Music, Psychomotor, Theater, Leadership, 

  • Students are screened for a talent area - usually thought teacher observation scale ratings (SIGS)
    • Music - screener for 4th grade  - teacher observation scale 
    • Psychomotor - screener for 5th grade?  - teacher observation scale 
    • Art - nomination - screener in progress - teacher observation scale 
    • Theater - nomination - no screener usually students that are interested in the play - teacher observation scale 
    • Leadership - nomination - no screener - teacher observation scale 
    • Nominations by parents and/or teachers 
  • If nominated: 
    • Develop talent in that area working with that specific teacher - usually for a few months to help with the nomination process
    • Go through an Nomination Process
      • Each process is different depending on the area of nomination
      • This process usually includes: an example of the talent (art portfolio, musical number, rehearsed play script, ect.), an interview with a professional in that talent area, and a final determination with a GT committee. 

After Nomination process: 

  • Parents will be notified within thirty calendar days of their child’s test results
  • If identified: 
    • Develop Advanced Learning Plans (ALP) for identified GT and goals for identified High Potential (HP) to work on throughout the year
    • Student will receive weekly instruction for Gifted Services in their area of giftedness and/or meet weekly with the GT coordinator
    • Parents will also be notified of their child’s goals within thirty calendar days
  • If a student is not identified, staff will continue to collect evidence and look for other ways to qualify that student.