FRENCHTOWN SCHOOLS
Comprehensive Plan for Gifted and Talented Enrichment Services
The Frenchtown School District is committed to providing opportunities which promote the growth of skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary for students to reach their full potential so that the best possible outcomes will be achieved.
The dynamic essence of a gifted education plan addresses the following:
The acknowledgment of multiple intelligences
The need for a greater variety and flexibility of instructional methods and strategies to meet the needs of increasingly diverse students
The need for greater focus on the teacher as instructional manager/facilitator, self concept developer, developer/user of technology, and manager of change
The importance of parental involvement and support
The use of resource persons and community resources as catalysts for breaking throughout new and innovative curriculum
There are students in the Frenchtown School District whose abilities require differentiated programs for the full development of their general intellectual ability, specific academic ability, creativity, thinking skills, leadership ability, and performance or productive ability.
Planning a program for gifted students necessitates a framework that is flexible enough to respond to the changing goals of education, variances in delivery systems, and diversity of students’ needs. A plan has been designed to support and enrich the regular educational program and complement the education of all students. It provides choices in modifying content, process, or thinking skills, products, and learning environments for students including those identified as gifted.
The Frenchtown School Gifted program will be primarily done with classrooms enrichment. Because of this it is critical that all educators develop the skills of managing the learning of children of all abilities if students are to experience school in a healthy manner. Like all students, the gifted require teachers, administrators, and parents who value and recognize excellence. Opportunities for staff development will be provided for administrators and teachers to insure that the unique needs of gifted students are understood and met. Staff development needs and opportunities will be determined and provided. A collaborative effort is necessary for the development of rigorous and relevant curriculum for all students. Realistic, challenging, ready-to-go activities and projects need to be developed for teachers to use in the classroom. Paid curriculum time to develop these grade level projects and differentiated activities must be provided. Teachers learn best when given time to work with and observe peers. By hiring substitutes to allow teachers to visit and observe in each others classrooms, collegial support will become an integral part of our gifted program.
Differentiated instruction is essential for meeting the needs of our high-ability students. Support for the classroom teacher needs to include an extensive professional library including resources for critical thinking activities, brain teasers, as well as, those that provide information on the academic and emotional needs of the gifted students. Enrichment activity resources should be readily available along with math and science lab supplies to support investigative challenge activities.
Technology is vital in providing for the needs of the gifted students. Each classroom should be equipped with computers available for student use and appropriate software to challenge these students.
Gifted students must have the opportunity to interact with like ability peers as well as those of other abilities.
