Gifted & Talented

Miles Lawson
Secondary Curriculum and Gifted and Talented Coordinator
651-403-7025 | miles.lawson@isd197.org

In West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Schools, the Gifted and Talented (GT) Program begins in grade 3 and seeks to nurture the exceptional abilities of students by providing ongoing opportunities for enrichment and acceleration. As a student in the GT program, your child will:

Be grouped with their academic peers within the regular classroom
Participate in curriculum extension projects based on interest and/or academic strengths (opportunities vary each year)
Work with the Gifted and Talented/Enrichment Specialist
Have enrichment opportunities before, during or after school

Students in the Gifted & Talented Program participate in co-curricular activities such as National Spelling Bee, National Geographic Bee, Odyssey of the Mind, Continental Math, and Young Authors' Conference.

Each elementary and middle school has a gifted education teacher who works with students and collaborates with classroom teachers to provide appropriate challenge and differentiation for students.

For the 2019-2020 school year, Heritage E-STEM Magnet Middle School and Friendly Hills Middle School Gifted and Talented service models are specific to their building.

In high school, students have access to a variety of rigorous coursework through classes such as Advanced Placement (AP), College in the Schools (CIS), Project Lead the Way and beyond. School counselors are available to help with post-secondary planning and support students through the Naviance program, which allows them to develop a personalized portfolio of their work and research colleges and careers. A guide to preparing gifted and talented high school students for graduation has been developed for families: English | Spanish

Mission & Goals

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.

Total School Cluster Grouping

Identification Process

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

Subject or Grade Acceleration

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

Additional resources for each academic acceleration method above can be found below, including procedures, and applications (where applicable).

Applications & Forms

Applications & Forms

Gifted & Talented Resources

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

NUMATS: Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search

LINKS

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

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

SPELLING BEE

You can access the online registration by clicking here.

Click here for the spelling word list.

The 2021 Spelling Bee event marks the 24th year that the Optimist Club of West St. Paul is hosting the District 197 Spelling Bees.

Thursday, January 28, 2021– Virtual District 197 Spelling Bees

5:30 p.m. Elementary contestants will “check in” by announcing their presence online. Microphones and cameras must be on. Optimist Club of West St. Paul will summarize rules.

Soon after the introduction, elementary school bee begins. Students who are eliminated should turn off their cameras and microphones. At the end of the elementary Bee, all school winners should have their cameras and microphones on to introduce themselves.

7:00 p.m. Assuming the Elementary Bee has ended, middle school contestants will “check in” by announcing their presence online. Microphones and cameras must be on. The rules will be summarized.

Soon after the introduction, the middle school bee begins. Students who are eliminated should turn off their cameras and microphones. At the end of the middle school Bee, both school winners should have their cameras and microphones on to introduce themselves.

Gifted & Talented Advisory Council (GTAC)

Odyssey of the Mind

Miles Lawson
Secondary Curriculum and Gifted and Talented Coordinator
651-403-7025 | miles.lawson@isd197.org

CLICK HERE
to Learn More About
Odyssey of the Mind

CLICK HERE
to View the
Odyssey of the Mind
Presentation

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition for students of all ages. Teams of students select a problem, create a solution, and then present their solution in a competition against other teams in the same problem and division. There are many nuances of the program that are explained further in this presentation (also available on the right-hand side of this page), but here are some of the basics of participation:

Students work in teams of up to seven members under the guidance of an adult coach.
Teams spend weeks or months, at their own pace, creating solutions to long-term problems. This includes Style enhancements described in the presentation.
Team members come up with all the ideas fro their solution and do all the work themselves. Coaches may help teach skills and educate the team on ways of approaching the problem and of evaluating their solution.
Teams work within the cost limit stated in the problem.
Teams have 8 minutes to present their long-term problem solution in competition.
Teams are scored for meeting the requirements of the problem and for creativity in categories specific to each problem.
At the competition, teams are presented a spontaneous problem to solve on site.
A team's standing in competition is determined by its combined Long-Term score, Style score, and Spontaneous score.
To solve a problem, teams must follow the general rules, limitations in the problem, and clarifications issued during the year.

Spontaneous Problems
In competition, every team solves a spontaneous problem. Teams are only made aware of what they'll have to do to complete the problem upon entering the competition room. The spontaneous problem is a great way to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Spontaneous problems are "top secret." Teams participating in the same long-term problem and division will solve the same spontaneous problem. To ensure fairness, it is critical that no one discusses the problem outside of the room until all teams have competed.

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