Gifted & Talented Education

27J Schools provides opportunities for gifted and talented students to develop their personal potential. Classroom instruction includes the use of differentiation. Differentiated instruction is the process of teaching and learning that begins with the premise that not all students are alike. Differentiation meets each student where they are and maximizes their opportunities for success. In addition, each school provides enriched and varied opportunities for gifted and talented students to enable them to develop their specific abilities.

Gifted and Talented Education values:

Shared responsibility of educators, parents, and community for the academic and effective growth of gifted and talented learners
A climate of excellence and rigorous curricula for every child
High quality standard for professional educators who work with gifted and talented learner
Identification of exceptional potential in all populations of race, culture, gender or income level

What is a "gifted" student?

The Colorado Department of Education* defines a gifted child as:

"those persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Gifted children are hereafter referred to as gifted students.

Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness:

General or specific intellectual ability
Specific academic aptitude
Creative or productive thinking
Leadership abilities
Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities”

Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations.

*Colorado Department of Education, 2016

How is a student identified as gifted?

Students are identified in 27J as gifted and talented following the ECEA regulations and can be identified in 13 different pathways. Students can be identified as early as preschool.

All 27J students in 2nd and 6th grade are given a cogntive test called the CogAT to help with identification. Students can be nominated for gifted identification by a teacher or parent or nominate themselves. If you feel that your child may be Gifted/Talented, please complete this Form and someone from the GT Team will be in touch.

For more information, contact your school's GT Leader.

Identification Process

Step 1. Referrals

Can be from teachers, parents, school administration, psychologists, counselors, coaches or students. Referrals from teachers/staff should include formative assessment data to support the referral. Referrals from parents should include a letter explaining why they believe their child is GT and can start with the Home SIGS as well.
Are also from the universal screening data point.
Must work on a timeline within thirty days to make a determination to test or not.

Step 2. Referrals are given to school GT Leader & the collection of a body of evidence is initiated.

Step 3. GT Leader takes the referral to the committee at either the school or the district.

What programs are available in 27J for gifted students?

Three types of programming are available for gifted students within 27J Schools.

Self-Contained School within a School

Achieve Institute at Pennock and Vikan are the self contained programming options in 27J Schools. This means that all students in the classroom are identified as gifted and talented or have met the academic requirements for a subject being taught at an accelerated pace.

Learn more about Achieve Institute

Differentiation

Differentiation is available in all classrooms and utilizes the students knowledge to determine appropriate teaching levels. This work may look different than peers but will have the same learning goal.

Cluster Grouping

Cluster grouping is a programming option that places the gifted students of a grade level together to allow for the differentiation to occur for a small group.

What's an Advanced Learning Plan?

Once a student has been identified as gifted and talented, parents will receive an official letter and a survey to help create the Advanced Learning Plan. These plans are to help guide the student to further their strengths and develop further their social emotional goals.

Students, parents and teachers create a team to develop this plan. The goal is to help students have a voice in their education.

Advanced Learning Plans are not more work, rather focused work on the identified strength.

For more information, contact your school's GT Leader.

Gifted & Talented Team

Steve Davis - Gifted/Talented Instructional Specialist
sdavis@sd27j.net
303-655-2971

Amanda Reynolds - Gifted/Talented Instructional Coach 6-12
areynolds@sd27j.net
303-655-2971

Erin Blick - Gifted/Talented Instructional Coach K-5
eblick@sd27j.net
720-685-7541

Click here for the GT Leaders in each of our buildings

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