AACS as a Gifted & Talented School
AACS as a GT school : Over 10% 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.
Identification process: We identify students through a variety of criteria with numerous data points:
- All second and seventh graders will be screened for gifted and talented services
- Identification process may include a review of test scores, and parent, teacher, or self-nomination
- A potential student needs to score at the 95th percentile or above on the Cognitive Test
- A potential student needs to have a combination of 3 other points in the categories of Criterion- or Norm-referenced Achievement Test, Norm-referenced Observation Scale, or Performance Evaluation
- 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
- Parents will be notified within thirty calendar days of their child’s test result
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.
