ACHIEVING STUDENT POTENTIAL IN REACHING and EXPANDING ACHIEVE IMAGINE MOTIVATE
Drawn by Lauren 6^th Grade Student at Lee’s Summit Elementary
Gifted Education Programs
Lee’s Summit School District
Lee’s Summit, Missouri Table of Contents: I. Is My Child Gifted? A. Characteristics B. Definition II. Philosophy/Beliefs III. Mission IV. Vision V. Curriculum Goals VI. Program History VII. Objectives VIII. General Gifted Information IX. Homework Policy X. K-3 AIM Selection Procedure XI. 4-6 ASPIRE Selection Procedure XII. Transfer Student Selection Procedure XIII. Conferences XIV. Gifted Department Website XV. Missouri School Improvement
	IS MY CHILD GIFTED?
	Gifted and talented children are by virtue of outstanding abilities those identified by professionally qualified persons as being capable of high performance. These children require differentiated educational programs and/or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and society.
	-U.S. Office of Educational Report to Congress
	Although gifted children come in all shapes and sizes, they typically share many common characteristics. Though the vast majority of children will display some of the following attributes, the gifted child tends to possess most, if not all of them.
	· Questions critically
	· Transfers learning to new situations
	· Learns rapidly and easily
	· Uses a large number of words easily and accurately
	· Shows curiosity and originality
	· Has the power of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis
	· Has a sense of humor
	· Is challenged by new ideas
	· Offers several solutions to the same problem
	· Shows ability to plan, organize, execute, and judge
	· Finds ways to extend ideas
	· Is sensitive to the feelings of others or to situations
	· Is persistent
	· Exercises responsibilities independently
	· Has a sense of fairness
	· Is imaginative
	-Nancy Johnson, gifted educator
	DEFINITION
	Primary students need enrichment or differentiated instruction demonstrates outstanding intellectual ability, reasoning ability, and creative thinking. To qualify for differentiated instruction in the gifted program, students must meet the criteria established by Lee's Summit R-7 School District.

PHILOSOPHY/BELIEFS

We believe gifted students need:

• to be identified at an early age.

• continual opportunity to interact with intellectual peers.

• a safe and nurturing environment, which encourages creativity, risk-taking and flexible thinking.

• opportunities for problem solving, higher order thinking skills, challenging activities and authentic learning experiences. Support and guidance as they recognize, accept, enhance and apply their gifts and talents.

• parent education and involvement.

ELEMENTARY

GIFTED PROGRAM MISSION

The elementary gifted program is respected as an integral component of the Lee's Summit R-7 School District’s gifted students' learning experience. We promote a multi-disciplinary environment that challenges gifted students to attain their maximum potential. We honor students' gifts and talents as contributions to the future of society.

ELEMENTARY

GIFTED PROGRAM VISION

Our mission is to create and provide challenging opportunities for Lee's Summit's identified elementary gifted students.

We believe gifted students need:

• continual opportunities to interact with their intellectual peers.

• an environment, that is emotionally nurturing and encourages creativity, risk-taking, and flexible thinking.

• higher order thinking skills, challenging activities, and authentic learning experiences as components of their curriculum.

• support and guidance to recognize, accept, and maximize their gifts and talents.

CURRICULUM GOALS

§ Higher order thinking skills

§ Organizational skills

§ Authentic learning experiences

§ Technology

§ Risk-taking

§ Communication

§ Task commitment

§ Creative thinking

§ Social development

§ Research

PROGRAM HISTORY

In 1978, a task force of parents, teachers, and administrators met to explore and develop a program to meet the needs of academically talented students in grades four through six of the Lee's Summit R-7 School District. The model that was decided upon provided an opportunity for intermediate students to complete individual research. The program was named Independent Studies or I.S.

During the 1985-86 school year, another task force was developed to review and update the I.S. program. As a result, new programming models were adopted, curriculum areas were extended, and additional goals were established to better meet the needs of intermediate R-7 students. These new concepts have been in place in the current A.S.P.I.R.E. (Achieving Student Potential In Reaching and Expanding) program since the 1986-1987 school year.

In 1999, recognizing the need to provide gifted services for students in the primary grades, a task force was developed to create a primary program. In 2002, the Lee’s Summit schools’ Board of Education decided to expand services for the gifted to include grades kindergarten, one, two, and three beginning in fall, 2002. Criteria, goals, and objectives specific to primary students were developed. A.I.M. (Achieve Imagine Motivate) serves as the primary component of the district's gifted program.

OBJECTIVES

Thinking Skills

· Develop creative thinking skills

· Develop critical thinking skills

· Develop problem solving skills

· Develop logical thinking skills

Social Development

· Enhances task commitment

· Works cooperatively with teachers and peers

· Organizes material and manages time

· Develops understanding of self as a gifted learner

Concept Development/Authentic Learning Experiences

· Understands the concepts taught

· Transfers knowledge among various areas of study

Communication Skills

· Communicates thoughts effectively in oral, visual, and/or written modes

Risk Taking

· Displays curiosity for learning

· Demonstrates a willingness to try new things

· Prefers to take leadership roles

· Risks failure; accepts and learns from failures

Research

· Uses technology effectively

· Judges the usefulness of information

· Finds information independently

GENERAL INFORMATION

The gifted program, grades K-8, serves student needs in a variety ways:

• Kindergarten - Grade 3 - Achieve Imagine Motivate (A.I.M.) students receive up to 2 1/2 hours of gifted instruction per week in a resource room. Kindergarten students receive gifted instruction second semester.

• Grades 4-6 - Achieving Student Potential In Reaching and Expanding (A.S.P.I.R.E.) students attend A.S.P.I.R.E classes in a resource room one morning and one afternoon per week for a total of five hours of instruction.

• Grades 7-8 - Acceleration Creativity Enrichment (A.C.E.) classes in the Middle School are self-contained with accelerated curriculum in subject areas. Students receive instruction in A.C.E. classes in one or more of the following: language arts, science, and social studies.

Additional programs available for high school students:

• Grades 9-12 - Advanced Placement (A. P.) and International Baccalaureate (I.B.)

HOMEWORK POLICY

As determined by the school district, the elementary gifted instructional time is considered a substitute for regular education class time. While the student is not required to make up the work missed, he/she must demonstrate understanding of the concepts presented. The classroom teacher has the responsibility to explain any new concepts. Gifted students have the responsibility to demonstrate understanding of the concepts presented, although NOT to complete ALL class work assigned, while the student was in gifted class. For example, in a daily math assignment given while the student is in a gifted classroom, the class may be given 20 problems to solve. The returning student may be asked to complete only five of those problems for the purpose of developing understanding of the concepts, as well as to provide the teacher assessment of that understanding. It is recommended that longer assignments be modified and timelines extended when the student misses class work time.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

A.I.M.

ACHIEVE IMAGINE MOTIVATE

EVALUATION PROCESS

All first grade students take the OLSAT, which is a group cognitive test. Students who score in the top 5% of the first grade will be tested for the AIM program. Students may be given the following tests: IQ, creativity, logic, parent checklist, teacher checklist. Scores are placed on a matrix and the top 2% will be placed in the program at the beginning of 2^nd grade.

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A.S.P.I.R.E.

ACHIEVING STUDENT POTENTIAL

IN REACHING & EXPANDING

INTERMEDIATE SCREENING PROCESS

Students in third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade are screened using the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (SAT 10)

EVALUATION PROCESS

Students are given the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), the Torrance Test of Creativity, and the Matrix Analogies Test. All available data is placed on the selection matrix: cognitive ability score, standardized achievement scores, creativity score, analogies score, teacher and parent checklists. The student's matrix score must be in the top 5% of the total population of 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade students in the district. Notification of student qualification for gifted services is mailed to the parents.

Transfer Student

A transfer student will be considered with his/her entire class on the re-evaluation schedule unless s/he has previously participated in another state approved gifted program.

When this occurs, the student's scores will be placed on the selection matrix according to the criteria of the Lee's Summit Gifted Program. If the total matrix score meets requirements, s/he will be placed in the program. If the total matrix score does not meet requirements, s/he will be considered with his/her entire class on the re-evaluation schedule when new standardized test data is available.

Parents are responsible for contacting the principal of the former school to forward pertinent testing data to the new principal, school secretary, or gifted teacher.

CONFERENCES

A conference to discuss a student's progress in the gifted program may be requested by the parent, gifted teacher, classroom teacher, student, or school principal at any time. Students may be asked to participate in this conference. If a decision to withdraw from the program is made at this time, the request should be made in writing by the party making the request.

LEE’S SUMMIT R-7

ELEMENTARY GIFTED SERVICES

WEB SITE

MISSOURI SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

Standard 7.2

GIFTED EDUCATION: The district identifies gifted and talented students at all grade levels and provides them differentiated instruction suitable for their levels of intellectual, physical, and social maturity.

• Written procedures are in place to systematically identify gifted and talented students in all grades.

• Gifted educational services are designed to provide identified students with instructional objectives and strategies that are appropriate to their identified needs and are provided on a continuing basis as these students progress through the grades.

In accordance with the provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended), Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, P.L. 93-112, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the regulations there under, it is the policy of the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District that no person shall, because of age, sex, race, disability, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity of the District, including the employment of staff personnel.

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