Gifted & Talented

MISSION
The mission of the West St Paul - Mendota Heights - Eagan Area Schools Gifted and Talented Program is to nurture exceptional abilities so that all Gifted and Talented students are provided with challenging and purposeful educational opportunities. 

Attract and support Gifted and Talented Students by providing high level, challenging curriculum and enrichment during and beyond the school day

• Curriculum adoption process seeks high levels of rigor and challenge to provide pathways for students to excel and remain challenged.
• Teachers are trained and supported in their implementation of differentiated instruction and developing differentiated learning opportunities. 

Provide an environment for students to experience positive interactions with intellectual peers

• In order to ensure that our students consistently have positive interactions with intellectual peers, we employ a gifted cluster model that places identified students in regular classrooms with other identified gifted students.
• The practice of clustering our identified students also allows teachers that serve the gifted clusters to be more intentional in their instructional design to better meet the need for increased rigor and challenge.

Provide opportunities, community, resources, and support for families of Gifted Students

• Through the use of the West St Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools Gifted and Talented webpage, information is posted for families to explore local opportunities and resources. Many schools also include information in newsletters. 
• The Gifted and Talented Advisory Council (GTAC) meets several times each school year to explore a variety of topics that pertain to the gifted community. GTAC includes parents, teachers and administrators in the district.

Assist with smooth transitions for students from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school

• Through the relationships that are established between the Gifted and Talented Teachers in each Elementary and Middle School and our identified gifted student population, students have regular access to an adult in their educational lives that provides familiarity and serves as an advocate on their behalf during and beyond their transitions.

Teach and encourage gifted students how to negotiate and advocate for their academic needs

• During opportunities to work with groups of our identified students, our teachers model this skill set to further equip students with the tools they need to respectfully request increased challenge and rigor. 
• This is also addressed through the encouragement of project based and inquiry-based learning and the further development of higher order questioning skills.   

Employ a comprehensive and inclusive identification process that provides multiple entry points

• Our identification process includes a variety of factors including both quantitative and qualitative measures.
• We examine Cognitive Abilities Test scores as well as NWEA Measures of Academic Progress results and teacher checklists.
• We consider parent, teacher, and student nomination through the use of our web-based survey options.

Offer best practices and research-based professional development for teachers in gifted education

• The Gifted and Talented Coordinator facilitates monthly team meetings with the GT staff for professional development and curriculum planning.
• The Gifted and Talented Coordinator identifies and communicates local and national training opportunities to better meet the needs of our gifted population. 
• Teachers have regular access to the gifted and talented resource library housed at the District Office.

The Total School Cluster Grouping Model (TSCG) is a specific, research-based, total-school application of cluster grouping combined with differentiation, focused on meeting the needs of students identified as gifted, while also improving teaching, learning, and achievement of all students.  

The benefits of  Total School Cluster Grouping are:

• Research shows that Total School Cluster Grouping improves the achievement of all students.
• Provide full-time services to high-achieving and high-ability elementary students.
• Help teachers more effectively and efficiently meet the diverse needs of their students.
• Weave gifted education and talent development “know-how” into the fabric of all educational practices in the school.
• Improve representation of traditionally underserved students identified over time as above average and high achieving.

At the end of each year students' achievement will be evaluated and defined using a variety of data and classroom performance. Once achievement has been defined students will be placed into classrooms to create balance of ability and achievement levels along with meeting the special needs of individual students.  Every year students' achievements will be evaluated utilizing students' performance in the classroom and recent data. This annual evaluation is an ongoing effort to meet the needs of all students and to provide the best educational experience. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about Total School Cluster Grouping  

IDENTIFICATION PROCESS
At the end of each school year, the academic performance of students in grades 2-7 is evaluated to identify children who should receive Gifted and Talented (GT) services for the following year. Performance measures include, but are not limited to, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), reading and math assessments from Northwest Evaluation Assessment (NWEA) Measures of Academic Performance (MAP), and the Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST).

Alternate Identification is an additional option for students who may be very high academic performers but do not qualify for GT services using the standard measures. Please contact the program coordinator for more information regarding Alternative Identification.

PROGRAM APPROACH
Tier 1
Tier 1 of the Gifted and Talented Program focuses on the training and support of all teachers in the practice of differentiated instruction. This impacts all students, especially those achieving at high levels, as it offers different learning opportunities that extend beyond the general classroom expectation. 

Tier 2
Tier 2 of the Gifted and Talented Program focuses on the practice of Total School School Cluster Grouping. Clustering is a "common gifted education practice that places a group of high achieving, gifted, or high ability students in a classroom with other students and with a teacher that has received training or is willing to differentiate curriculum and instruction for these target students" (Gentry, 2008).  Tier two elementary students also work with the Gifted and Talented teacher in their school.

Criteria for Tier 2 Identification is a combination of:

• Cognitive Ability Test - Composite Score of 125+
• Cognitive Ability Test - Single Subtest Score (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Quantitative) of 125+ scores at the 96th percentile or higher in both reading and math on either the NWEA MAP or FAST assessments.
• Teacher Recommendation
• Parent Recommendation

Tier 3
Tier 3 of the Gifted and Talented Program focuses on the implementation of curriculum extension projects. These projects serve as curricular extensions that allow students to grow in order to develop their academic and social skills through problem solving, higher level thinking skills  and creativity. In order to offer students appropriate academic challenges, clustering is also used for Tier 3 students.

Criteria for Tier 3 Identification is a combination of:

• Cognitive Ability Test - Composite Score of 130+
• Cognitive Ability Test - Composite Score of 125+ and scores at the 98th percentile or higher in both reading and math on either the NWEA MAP or FAST assessments.
• Teacher Recommendation
• Parent Recommendation

Minnesota Statute 120B.15 indicates that a school district must adopt procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and talented students. These procedures must include how the district will:

• Assess a student's readiness and motivation for acceleration
• Match the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to a student to achieve the best type of academic acceleration for that student.

School District 197 has three ways in which students have an opportunity for academic acceleration.  These methods are listed below, and you can learn more about each by clicking on them.

• Early entrance into kindergarten or first grade.  
  • Click here for frequently asked questions for families contemplating early entrance.
  • Click here for a checklist of materials to be submitted to complete the application process
• Single subject acceleration
• Whole grade level acceleration

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

• NUMATS: Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search

LINKS

• University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP)
• Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented
• Hoagies' Gifted Education
• National Association for Gifted Children
• The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
• Davidson Institute for Talented Development
• The Center for Gifted Education

READING LISTS 
There are many lists available for recommended reading by Gifted and Talented students.

• Hoagies' Gifted Education
• Young Adult Library Services Association
• Arrowhead Library System

 
SUMMER ACTIVITIESSummer is an ideal time for students to discover and explore new interests and activities. April is a good time to collect flyers and information about these programs and begin making selections of summer activities. Some things to consider:

• Older students may want to consider selecting activities to build their future college application resumes, such as volunteer service, internships, or paid employment.
• Networking with family friends and neighbors may reveal occupations and organizations that would provide mutually beneficial summer internship or employment opportunities. 
• Groups of friends and neighbors may consider creating small group activities like book clubs (see suggested reading list below) or weekly practice ensembles for band or orchestra students with an end of the summer neighborhood outdoor concert. Parents could also decide to carpool to a summer day camp.  
• Some students may practice entrepreneurial skills with their own lawn care, child care or tutoring service, or tennis or music lessons for younger children. 
• Self-directed students may want to keep daily writing journals or begin writing their first novel.  

District 197 participates in a multi-district summer program for gifted and talented students with courses described at http://giftedtalented.org. 

There are many opportunities for organized summer camps in our local communities, greater metro area and statewide:

Elementary Summer Programs and Camps Middle School Summer Programs and Camps High School Summer Programs and Camps

MISSION: The mission of the Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee (GTAC) is two-fold;

• Promote and enhance the goals and objectives of Gifted Education programming.  

• Build positive partnerships among schools, teachers, gifted education staff, administration, parents, and the community to support current gifted education services and to advocate for future programming needs. 

MEMBERSHIP:  The Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from stakeholder groups with interest and expertise in gifted and talented education.  Minimally, there is to be one representative from each elementary (five in total), two from each middle school (four in total), two from the high school level and up to four student representatives at the middle and high school level.  The community representatives shall currently have a child that is either;

• formally identified as Gifted and Talented at the school

• or that has been approved for one of the three types of acceleration under Gifted and Talented programming (Early Entrance to K/1st grade, whole grade level acceleration, or single subject acceleration beginning in 5th grade). 

In alignment with our Strategic Framework, we have prioritized creating a diversified committee as the primary goal annually while establishing the committee.  Diverse perspectives representative of the various school levels and schools will be sought.  Diverse perspectives representative of our student population will be sought, including but not limited to:

• Race

• Gender

• Orientation

In addition to these minimal requirements, there are opportunities to include at-large positions, which are to be determined by the Gifted and Talented Coordinator on a yearly basis.  These at-large positions provide existing members with a temporary extension of their service in order to assist in developing continuity within and across the committee.  Overall, there will be no fewer than 11 members and no more than 21 members. 

TERMS: Initial commitments are for no less than two years and no more than four years.  The Gifted and Talented Coordinator will initially set one third of the position terms to end in two years, one third to end in three years, and one third to end in four years.  All subsequent terms will be three years unless replacing a member who leaves their position prior to their term ending. District administration may remove a member at its discretion.  Time commitment includes some review of materials and reading outside of the meetings. 

MEETING SCHEDULE.  Typically, GTAC meets four or five times annually.  It is still to be determined if meetings will be all in-person, all virtual, or a blend of the two.  All GTAC meetings are open to the public as observers. 

• October (Time and method of meeting TBD)

• November (Time and method of meeting TBD)

• January (Time and method of meeting TBD)

• March (Time and method of meeting TBD)

• May (Time and method of meeting TBD) 

EXAMPLES OF DISTRICT LEVEL TOPICS GTAC PROVIDES INPUT TOWARDS INCLUDE:  

• District-wide curricular review processes

• District-wide strategic planning 

• District level policy reviews

• Reviewing Gifted and Talented models at each level

• Enrichment opportunities available to students (e.g., Spelling Bee, Odyssey of the Mind)

CLICK HERE to Link to District Advisory Committees

Welcome to what we hope is the first issue (of many to come) of Confluence, a student literary publication which features the writing gifts and talents of School District 197's students.  The spring 2022 features our first group of contributors, the 2021-2022 4th grade students.  

Our hope is Confluence will become an annual publication that we can share with families and the broader community.  By exploring the theme of elevating and amplifying student voice, we hope this publication might become a way for our members of our community to learn about, and appreciate our diverse student population.

Click here to review the 1st annual issue of Confluence.