Dear Parents, Teachers, Students and Community Members

Dear Parents, Teachers, Students and Community Members:

The Menomonie School District provides quality education for ALL students by providing intervention and enrichment opportunities within each child’s school day.

This Handbook is designed to help parents, educators, and administrators provide Gifted and Talented students with opportunities to be both challenged and successful in their education.

The Gifted and Talented education program offers multiple levels of advanced enrichment opportunities for students identified as Gifted and Talented.

For people wondering what options are available for a student who may be Gifted and Talented, the first person to contact is the child’s classroom or homeroom teacher.

Other Gifted and Talented education program contacts:

Director of Student Services...... Tonia Kowieski715-233-3217

Menomonie School District G/T Coordinator..Mary Henry715-232-1673

Menomonie High School G/T Site Coordinator.David Munoz715.232.2609 x41003

Menomonie Middle School G/TCoordinators

Grade 6...... Amanda Harrison715-232-1673

Grade 7...... Chad Semling715-232-1673

Grade 8...... Brian Daniel715-232-1673

Downsville Elementary Principal...... Mary Henry715-664-8546

Knapp Elementary Principal...... Kristin Humphrey715-665-2131

Oaklawn Elementary Principal...... Lori Smith715-232-3798

River Heights Elementary School...... Peg Kolden715-232-3987

Wakanda Elementary School...... Susan Mommsen715-232-3898

Virtual School...... Kelly Hoyland715-232-2606

Advisory Board Members

Stacey Everson...... 715-232-1673

Amanda Foege...... 715-232-1673

Michael Husby...... 715-308-8218

Amy Leach...... 715-232-1642

Leni Marshall...... 715-309-8105

Tonia Kowieski...... 715-233-3217

Susan Mommsen...... 715.232.3898

Jennifer Smith...... 715-232-2606

Julie Weghorn………………………………………………………715-231-3950

Doug and Rachel Selchow………………………………………….715-235-3529

Michelle Klass………………………………………………………715-556-0722

At the classroom level, the school level, and the district level, your involvement in the Gifted and Talented education program is welcomed. Through the involvement of dedicated teachers, parents, and administrators, the School District of the Menomonie Area is committed to providing every child with every chance.
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Menomonie Area School District

Gifted and Talented Students’ Education Program Handbook

2015-2016

Table of Contents

Mission Statement3

Program Goals (to be developed by GT Advisory Board)4

Responsibilities5

GT Identification Process Flow Chart7

GT Identification Tools and Criteria

Intellectual8

Academic8

Creativity8

Leadership9

Artistic Talents9

Instruction and Support at Tier I, II, III10

Intervention Strategies13

Parent Involvement16

Program Evaluation17

Appendices

Appendix A: Gifted and Talented District Policy19

Appendix B: Early Entrance Policy20

Appendix C: Acceleration process/form22

Appendix D: Parent Checklist25

Appendix E: Teacher Checklist28

Appendix F: Definition of Gifted and Talented vs. High Potential 31

Appendix G: Gifted & Talented Suggested Procedures32

Appendix H: Intervention Strategies33

Appendix I: Differentiated Education Plan Form 35

Mission Statement for GT Education

The Menomonie Area School District recognizes and empowersdiverse learners’ exceptional abilities by challenging students to maximize their potential. In partnership with the community,andwith the guidance of highly qualified teachers, students are offered differentiated and enriched learningopportunities commensurate withtheir interests and abilitiesin an environment that is intellectually and academically rigorous, fosters creativity, develops leadershipand provides social/emotional support.

The Menomonie Area School District provides a variety of learning experiences to extend and enrich the development of students who demonstrate high potential and who are therefore in the Gifted and Talented (GT) education program. Support and opportunities are provided based on the principles that

all students have the right to an appropriate education
all students will have the opportunity to

communicate effectively

think critically, reflectively, creatively, and adaptively

seek, access and apply information

exhibit responsibility and global awareness

display ethical behavior

commit to continuous learning and self-understanding

develop and maintain personal wellness

Program Goals (in development)

This page intentionally left blank. This page will be inserted by the Advisory Committee and reviewed annually.
Responsibilities

Director of Student Services:

The Director of Student Services is responsible for oversight of the K-12 GT program:drafting, reviewing, and revising the GT handbook in consultation with the GT Advisory Board, and submitting the handbookfor approval by the Board of Education annually or as needed, but at least every 5 years; reporting annually to the Board of Education; facilitating the GT Advisory Board; delegating program duties to district staff; submitting the appropriate reports to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and providing administrative support for developing an appropriate program and activities.

GT Coordinator:

The GT Coordinatorprovides coordination and expertise to ensure systematic, continuous K-12 programming for the exceptional needs of GT students; assists classroom teachers in providing GT services such as differentiation, cluster grouping, compacting, project based activities, special event planning, cross-grade offerings, out-of-level offerings, college-level courses, and internships; establishes and promotes open communication with administration, staff and parents; develops, maintains and implements ongoing staff development options; participates in CESA 11 GT Network and GT Advisory Board meetings; conducts periodic program evaluations; implements identification procedures for GT students; remains current on research and development in GTeducation; develops lists of volunteer mentors, coaches, internship providers and tutors; assists with reviewing and revising the GT handbook; and develops and coordinates public relations efforts.

GT Facilitators:

The GT facilitator assists with identification of and programming forstudents; develops and implements the program at the building or grade level; providesteaching staff with information regarding each identified student, plans schedule options, creates GT opportunities, helps classroom teachers with differentiation, grouping, compacting, project based activities, special event planning, etc; creates Differentiated Education Plans (DEPs) in consultation with the student, the family, the classroom teacher, and the other members of the assessment and identification team; maintains open communication with parents, provides materials and information to help create an environment that provides options for GT students; and contributes to GT program evaluations.

Guidance Staff:

The school counselorsassist the GT Coordinator and Facilitators with coordinating GT services including the identification and planning process; provides counseling and guidance services to meet the personal, social, emotional, educational and career needs of GT students; consults with classroom teachers, GT Coordinator, GT Facilitator, administration and parents concerning the needs of students; participates in the GT program evaluation; and participates in GT-focused programming development.

Classroom Teacher:

The classroom teacher implements the necessary differentiation, grouping, compacting or acceleration necessary for each individual GT student; works with the GT Facilitator or GT Coordinator to develop appropriate programs for students; helps develop DEPs and implement the necessary curricular modifications as needed; assists in the identification of GT students; keeps parents informed and works with parents to design appropriate educational plans. Educational Support Staff assist the classroom teacher in carrying out the planned enrichment activities.

Building Administrator:

The building principalsupports the classroom instructor, GT Coordinator and GT Facilitator by providing the necessary professional development; in consultation with the GT Coordinator, GT Education Facilitators, and the Classroom Teachers, develops and reviews the district’s GT plan; provides scheduling flexibility appropriate to meet the needs of GT students; facilitates and supports efforts to establish and maintain communication with parents; assists the GT Coordinator and Facilitators in scheduling and implementing staff GT development activities; and evaluates and consults with certified staff on their effectiveness in meeting the needs of GT learners in their classrooms.

GT Advisory Board:

Meetings will occur two times per school year. The GT Advisory Board is chaired by the Director of Student Services, who is also responsible for recruiting enough members so that as many district schools as possible have parent and school staff representation. The Advisory Board will review the most current program evaluation; develop goals, meeting schedules, and agendas; and maintains minutes of the meetings and a rotation schedule for selection of new board members.

GT (SAT) Identification Process Flow Chart

Parent consent for testing is required beforethe staff will assess the student. Possible testing may include IQ testing and academic testing.

Note: One test alone does not provide sufficient data to make the determination of whether or not a student is gifted or talented. It is important to take all of the information, including teacher and parent checklists, work samples, test results, and screeners/classroom assessments into consideration. For this reason, a team meets to review the data and make the final determination. The team will consist of at least one classroom teacher, the GT Coordinator, a GT Facilitator (Middle School only) and an Administrator.

GT Identification Tools and Criteria

GT Identification Tools and Criteria

General Intellectual talents (a minimum of 3 criteria in one tier area required for identification)

Tier III

99th percentileon AIMS or STAR assessments
Acceptable IQ test score of 145 or higher
Nationally normed standardized test scores at 99th national percentile in two or more of the stated areas: Reading Composite, Math Composite, Language Composite, or Total Score
3+ years beyond peers indicated by local assessments other screeners
ACT scores 99th percentile

Tier II

98thpercentileon AIMS or STAR assessments
Acceptable IQ test score of 135 through 144
Nationally normed standardized test scores at 98th national percentile in two or more of the stated areas: Reading Composite, Math Composite, Language Composite, or Total Score
2-3 years beyond peers indicated by local assessments or other screeners
ACT scores 98th percentile

Tier I

97th percentileon AIMS or STAR assessments
Acceptable IQ test score of 130 through 134
Nationally normed standardized test scores at 97th national percentile in two or more of the stated areas: Reading Composite, Math Composite, Language Composite, or Total Score
1-2 years beyond peers indicated by local assessments or other screeners.
ACT scores 97th percentile

Specific Academic Area talents

Identification is the same as for the General Intellectual area, except that all analysis of the data should be conducted with the specific academic area in mind. For academic areas for which there are not specific screening tests available, the student will be assessed using local assessments (e.g., end-of-year exams, skill competency), and only one criteria is required.Tier III services will be provided if the student is determined to be in the 99th percentile or 3+ years beyond peers, Tier II services will be provided if student is determined to be in the 98th percentile or 2-3 years beyond peers, and Tier I services will be provided if student is determined to be in the 97th percentile or 1-2 years beyond peers.

Creativity talents

Two or more of the following tools will be used in the identification process:

Teacher/Parent/Peer/Self nomination
Projects
Products
IQ test scores
Portfolio

Tier III services will be provided if the student determined to be is in the 99th percentile or 3+ years beyond peers, Tier II services will be provided if student is determined to be in the 98th percentile or 2-3 years beyond peers, and Tier I services will be provided if student is determined to be in the 97th percentile or 1-2 years beyond peers.

Leadership talents

Two or more of the following tools will be used in the identification process:

Teacher/Parent/Peer/Self nomination
Evidence of outstanding leadership ability in school or community
General project
Service projects
IQ test scores
Portfolio

Artistic talents

Two or more of the following tools will be used in the identification process:

Teacher/Parent/Peer/Self nomination
Evidence of giftedness in student’s performance ability in school or community
Teacher checklists
Products
Projects
IQ test scores
Auditions
Portfolio

Tier I Intervention and Support

COMPONENT / INSTRUCTION
Curriculum /

Evidence-Based core curriculum and instructional materials in core subject areas

Instructional Organization /

Student will have a DEP
Large Group Instruction of Skills
Ongoing progress monitoring
Knowledge of the characteristics of GTlearners
Small differentiated group instruction for the acquisition and practice of skills (both higher level skills and remedial skills for twice exceptional learners)
Challenge activities as determined by progress monitoring data
Pre-assessments to prevent repetition and re-teaching of content students have already mastered. Students mastering the content move on to an advanced level or difficulty
GTLearners may move through the curriculum at a faster pace. Content can be deeper, more complex and more abstract than the general curriculum. This requires pre-assessment, differentiation and on-going assessment

Instructor /

Classroom Teacher or G/T Facilitator (elementary level)

Assessment /

Universal screeners (3 times per year) STAR
ACT, ACT Aspire

Time /

Core instruction provided daily

Setting /

General Education Classroom (with appropriate grouping for differentiation)

Support /

Home practice and support
Attention to affective needs
Encouragement of parent-school partnerships
Professional development for school personnel, especially regarding differentiation

Tier II Intervention and Support

COMPONENT / INSTRUCTION
Curriculum /

Evidence-Based core curriculum and instructional materials in core subject areas
Intervention materials and strategies that supplement Tier I

Instructional Organization /

Student will have a DEP
Homogenous groups, see grouping strategies
Compacting
Opportunities for subject acceleration

Instructor /

Classroom Teacher
GT Facilitator
Consultation from Reading Specialist, GT Coordinator, and reading and/or math coaches as needed

Assessment /

STAR
ACT, ACT Aspire

Time /

When students are compacted into different work they are pursuing an alternate assignment, activity or product while the rest of the class works on the regular curriculum work. They may be doing assignments that are more complex, and involve greater depth and/or breadth than the regular work. They may also be involved in a project that requires original research. Generally these assignments will require more time than the regular assignments
Student may be considered for subject-level acceleration

Setting /

General Education Classroom or other appropriate setting

Support /

Home practice and support
Before and After School Programs
Parent Training
Student Assistance Team
Professional development for school personnel

Tier III Intervention and Support

COMPONENT / INSTRUCTION
Curriculum /

Possible replacement of the core curriculum. Continue Tier I and possibly Tier II instruction when it matches the learning needs of the student (for example a student may need Tier 3 interventions/acceleration in Math, but find core curriculum in reading a good match)

Instructional Organization /

Student will have a DEP
Usually individual interventions, most often some form of acceleration.
The curriculum should differ significantly in pace, level and complexity from age-level peers.

Instructor /

Classroom teacher
Consultation from GT Coordinator, Reading Specialist, and reading and/or math coaches or others with areas of expertise

Assessment /

STAR

ACT, ACT Aspire

Time /

Part or all of the core curriculum for age peers may be replaced
Student may be considered for subject-level or full grade acceleration

Setting /

General Education Classroom or other appropriate setting. May be in more than one school or outside the school depending on acceleration or intervention.

Support /

Home practice and support.
Before and After School Programs.
Parent Training
Student Assistance Team
Professional development for school personnel, especially regarding options for acceleration.
Guidance Counselor support for social/emotional concerns
Mentoring

Intervention Strategies

The key principles of differentiated instruction are

Instruction has clear objectives with focused activities.
Assessment results are used to shape the future instructional decisions.
Students have multiple avenues to show mastery of essential content and skills and to demonstrate their learning.
Instructional pacing, depth and complexity are varied.
Student-centered instructional practices and materials are standards-based and grounded in research.

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction

Abstraction / Content that goes beyond surface detail and facts to underlying concepts, generalizations, and symbolism
Active Engagement / Instructional strategies that result in relevance and engagement for students.
Agendas / A personalized list of tasks that a particular student must complete in a specified time
Choice / Provide opportunities for choices and flexibility. Many GT students love the opportunity for choice and given an opportunity will construct their own differentiated choices.
Choice boards, Tic-tac-toe / Students make a work selection from a certain row or column. Teachers can provide for student learning needs while giving students choice.
Compacting / This strategy should be done at all levels to prevent repetition and re-teaching of content students have already mastered. To compact the teacher must pre-test students in the content to be presented. Students mastering, or nearly mastering the content, then move on to an advanced level of difficulty. According to research done by Dr. Karen Rogers, compacting has a .83 effect size, particularly when math and science content is compacted.
Conceptual discussions / High level discussions of themes, concepts, generalizations, issues, and problems, rather than a review of facts, terms and details.
Extensions / Offer relevant extension options for learners who need additional challenges.
Flexible Assessments / Offer different assessment options that allow students to demonstrate their mastery of new concepts, content, and skills.
Flexible tasks / Allowing students to structure their own projects and investigations according to their strengths and interests.
Flexible project deadlines / Students negotiate for more or less time to complete a learning experience and its matching product or assessment.
Grouping / Regular opportunities to work in whole groups, small groups, with a partner, or in an independent setting
Higher-order thinking skills / Questioning in discussion or providing activities based on processing that requires analysis, synthesis, evaluation, or other critical thinking skills.
Independent study / Students research a teacher or self chosen topic, developing either traditional or non-traditional products to demonstrate learning.
Jigsaw/Cooperative learning / Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece-each student’s part is essential for the full completion and full understanding of the final product.
Learning centers or stations / Activity stations that demonstrate awareness of different academic needs and learning style preferences.
Learning contracts / Students negotiate individually with teacher about what and how much will be learned and when product will be due; often connected with an individual or independent project-see Appendix A.
Learning programs / Computer programs or websites to meet learners’ needs.
Mini-lessons / Mini-lessons provide levels of scaffolding, support and challenge as needed for students of like ability/need.
Most difficult first / Students can demonstrate a mastery of a concept by completing the five most difficult problems with 85 percent accuracy. Students who demonstrate mastery do not need to practice any more.
Open-ended assignments / Providing students with tasks and work that do not have single right answers or outcomes. The tasks may have timelines and a sequence of activities to be accomplished, but outcomes will vary for each student
Orbital study
Pre-assessment / Independent investigations, generally of three to six weeks. They orbit or revolve around some facet of the curriculum. Students select their own topics for the orbital, and they work with guidance and coaching from the teacher to develop more expertise on the topic as well as learning the skills of an investigator.
Pre-assessment / An array of pre-assessment options can guide instruction. By regularly pre-assessing students, teachers can flexibly group students by ability and readiness levels. Pre-assessment is also essential for compacting.
Problem-based learning / A student-centered instructional strategy in which students collaboratively solve problems and reflect on their experiences. Learning is driven by challenging, open-ended problems. Students work in small collaborative groups. Teachers take on the role as "facilitators" of learning.
RAFT / Provides students choice in a writing assignment varying Role, Audience, Format, and Topic.
Subject integration “Theme-based” units / Uniting two or more disciplines and their content through a conceptual theme, such as "origins," "change" or "friendship."
Tiered assignments / Varied levels of tasks to ensure that students explore ideas and use skills at a level that builds on what they already know and encourages growth. All students explore the same essential ideas but work at different levels of depth and complexity.
Vary levels of complexity / Books and instructional materials at different levels of complexity allow students to study the same concepts but at levels of depth and complexity to fit their learning needs.
Vary pacing / Planning to accommodate varied pacing allowing students to move through content at a pace appropriate for their learning needs.
Vary tasks / Providing different homework options, journal prompts, and questions

Adapted from: The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, Carol Ann Tomlinson