District Policies & Information:
Program Plan
Details about our District's Gifted and Talented Program can be accessed via the links on the right. Additional information is below.
Philosophy
The Polson School District recognizes that each student brings to our schools unique intellectual and creative abilities and that the abilities of some students exceed those of the general population. We are dedicated to making the necessary accommodations for these exceptional students.
Definition
The Polson School District defines “gifted and talented children” as those who exhibit marked exceptional abilities in the areas of intellect, creativity, leadership, and thinking skills. They have a higher performance capability and require differentiated and/or accelerated curricula to meet their unique learning needs and abilities.
Goals
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To exercise the mind at the upper reasoning levels.
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To provide enrichment and pull-out opportunities for gifted students to explore and strengthen their unique talents and interests.
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To provide opportunities for acceptance of the unique qualities and unusual academic passions of gifted students.
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To aid in developing each child’s strengths to their greater potential.
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To provide assistance to teachers for making in-classroom accommodations for gifted students.
Objectives
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Identify gifted students.
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Enhance academic skills through a variety of approaches.
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Enrich beyond the basic skills.
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Exercise critical and creative thinking.
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Aid in coping with perfectionism, underachievement, procrastination, high expectations, and other social and emotional issues gifted children often encounter.
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Provide opportunities for meeting and working with like-minded students and mentors.
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Provide an accepting climate for each child’s unique self and interests.
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Provide individualized guidance as needed.
Teacher Preparation
Teachers in the Polson district are obligated to meet a wide variety of learning needs within a single classroom setting. In order to assist with this challenge, the district is committed to providing them opportunities for training in how to better meet the academic and learning needs of their students. Teacher preparation for meeting the needs of gifted students includes:
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Sending teachers to the Montana AGATE conference each April.
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Sending teachers or a representative to the EduFest Gifted & Talented conference in Boise, Idaho, each July.
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Sending teachers to other professional development offerings in Gifted Education.
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Purchasing resource materials for classroom teachers and the GT specialist.
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Maintaining a professional library of relevant books, magazines, and other materials.
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Offering formal or informal inservice opportunities within the district.
Support Services
The Polson district provides a variety of support services for all students. These services are available for gifted and high-ability students on an as-needed basis. The support services provided include school counselors, school psychologists, resource room, gifted education classes, GT specialist assistance, Alta-Care, and after-school programs.
Parent Involvement
The involvement of parents in the education of their children is of great importance to that student’s future success. In order to more fully involve and inform the parents of the district’s gifted and high-ability learners, the Gifted & Talented program will:
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Provide parents of gifted students with information regarding GT program options.
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Maintain a resource library of relevant materials, books, and magazines for the parents of gifted students.
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Invite parents to serve as volunteer mentors, Destination Imagination coaches, or other potential roles.
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Provide parents with a newsletter containing information about gifted students, the Polson gifted program, and other relevant topics.
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Work towards creating in the future a parent group for the parents of gifted and high-ability students.
District Policies & Information:
Definitions
The Polson School District defines “gifted and talented children” as those who exhibit marked exceptional abilities in the areas of intellect, creativity, leadership, and thinking skills. They have a higher performance capability and require differentiated and/or accelerated curricula to meet their unique learning needs and abilities.
Additional definitions of giftedness can be found from other organizations. A few examples are below.
The National Association for Gifted Children defines giftedness in the following way:
"A gifted person is someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more areas of expression.
NAGC goes further to say that
Some of these abilities are very general and can affect a broad spectrum of the person's life, such as leadership skills or the ability to think creatively. Some are very specific talents and are only evident in particular circumstances, such as a special aptitude in mathematics, science, or music. The term giftedness provides a general reference to this spectrum of abilities without being specific or dependent on a single measure or index. It is generally recognized that approximately five percent of the student population, or three million children, in the United States are considered gifted."
The Javits Act, which provides federal funding for programs researching and providing services for advanced learners from low-income backgrounds defines gifted as follows:
"The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who give evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully."
For those interested in learning more about defining giftedness, consider visiting this summary of definitions and the history of defining giftedness located at the National Association for Gifted Children webpage.
District Policies & Information:
Options and Offerings
In order to more fully meet the unique educational needs of gifted and high-ability students, Polson’s schools offer the following options:
K ~ Early entrance into Kindergarten
K-5 ~ Pull-out enrichment with GT specialist for identified gifted students
K-5 ~ Inclusion Activities with GT specialist
K-12 ~ Mentorships (as-needed)
K-12 ~ Independent or small group research/study
K-12 ~ Thinking skills enhancement for identified gifted students
K-12 ~ Creativity enhancement for identified gifted students
K-12 ~ Assistance with social/emotional needs for identified gifted students
K-12 ~ Subject Acceleration in Math & Reading (other subjects as-needed)
K-12 ~ Whole-grade Acceleration (i.e. grade-skipping) as-needed
7, 8 ~ SAT Challenge
11, 12 ~ Advanced Placement English
11 ~ Advanced Placement U.S. History
12 ~ Advanced Placement U.S. Government
11, 12 ~ Advanced Placement Statistics
6 ~ Enrichment elective class for identified gifted students
7/8 & 9-12 ~ Advanced Studies elective classes for identified gifted students
7, 8 ~ Academic Bowl
9-12 ~ Knowledge Master Open
5-8 ~ Destination Imagination (when volunteer coaches are available)
K-12 ~ Curriculum compacting
11, 12 ~ Early Graduation (when necessary criteria are met)
K-12 ~ Other unforseen opportunities that may arise
District Policies & Information:
Acceleration
The Polson School District recognizes that all children do not follow the same path of academic readiness. Some students, for example, may be ready for advanced academic content in a particular area and at a level that is one or more years above the student's grade level. When this advanced content is provided, it is called subject acceleration. Also, occasionally a rare student may be ready for advanced content in all areas. A student in this instance might be elligible for grade level acceleration, also known as grade-skipping. The following policies and procedures are in place to help determine if and when a given child is ready for either of these academic accommodations.
Subject Acceleration
A process of providing subject acceleration to multiple students in multiple grade levels is relatively well-established in the Polson School District. A student does not have to be identified as gifted nor be a part of the District's Gifted Program to be elligible for subject acceleration. Any student who is determined by the school to be ready will be given this accommodation. Many students who are not gifted may still be learning and performing at a somewhat advanced pace, and they will therefore also be provided opportunities for subject acceleration. For example:
Reading: In grades K-8, all Polson students are placed into Reading groups or Reading classes based on their school-assessed reading-readiness level. Especially in grades K-6, these are fluid levels and the groups therefore are flexible. This means that a student can be moved up or down a level as needed and based on the student's reading progress, performance, and readiness.
Any student who is placed into an upper-level reading group with other students at that same level (e.g. 15 fourth graders who are all reading at a 6.0 to 8.0 level) is receiving subject acceleration in Reading. Because we have so many advanced readers, we are typically able to accommodate them within their grade level (but at their reading level) without having to send them to another grade level for Reading class.
Math: Many grade levels offer multiple leveled groups/classes per grade level in mathematics. In fourth grade, for example, we offer seven relatively distinct levels of math classes. Students are placed into a math class based on school-level assessments and teacher recommendations. As with our Reading groups, placements in the Math classes is also flexible, meaning a student could be moved up or down a level depending on performance, progress, and readiness.
State of Montana
Gifted Education Information
Information about the State of Montana's policies, guidelines, and regulations regarding Gifted Education are available at the Montana Office of Public Instruction website. The links below will take you directly to each specified item.
Montana Gifted Accreditation Standards
Montana State Board of Public Education School Accreditation Standards, subchapter 8, section 10.55.804, state that:
1) "Schools shall provide educational services to gifted and talented students that are commensurate to their needs, and foster a positive self-image.
2) "Each school shall comply with all federal and state laws and regulations addressing gifted educaton.
3) "Each school shall provide structured support and assistance to teachers in identifying and meeting diverse student needs, and shall provide a framework for considering a full range of alternatives for addressing student needs."
The State of Montana recommends that a framework for gifted services include:
(a) "Identification of talent areas and student selection criteria according to a written program philosophy;
(b) "A curriculum which reflects student needs;
(c) "Teacher preparation;
(d) "Criteria for formative and summative evaluation;
(e) "Supportive services; and
(f) "Parent involvement."
You can link directly to the full document stating the above guidelines here:
State of Montana Gifted and Talented Accreditation Standards
Montana Gifted Accreditation Standards - Minimum Requirements and Best Practice
The State of Montana has five Components for Gifted Education Programming:
Component I: "Philosophy and Student Identification - Gifted learners must be assessed to determine appropriate educational services.
Component II: "Curriculum and Instruction - Gifted education services must meet the academic and affective needs of the gifted learner.
Component III: "Support Services and Parental Involvement - Gifted education programs must provide structured support and assistance.
Component IV: "Professional Development - Educators must have specialized preparation specifically related to gifted learners.
Component V: "Program Evaluation - Program evaluation must analyze the delivery and impact of gifted services."
You can link directly to the full document stating the above Components here:
Additional Gifted Education Information from Montana's Office of Public Instruction
Montana Gifted Program Planning Guide - A thorough document with much great information about developing and implementing a gifted program for your school or district.
Gifted Education Resource Guide - A compilation of excellent resources to assist districts in developing gifted programs and providing services to gifted learners.
Resource List of Gifted and Talented Identification Instruments
Requirements to earn an Area of Permissive Specialized Competency designation on one's Montana Teacher Certificate.
Montana Office of Public Instruction - Gifted Education Main Page - Links to all of the above, plus more!