Gifted and Talented

Shawnee Schools 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.  We recognize that there are students with exceptional processing abilities and that these abilities create needs distinguishable from the general population of students.  We are committed to addressing the differentiated needs of gifted and talented students.

The District provides appropriate educational services to develop the potential gifts within each child. “Gifted and talented children” are those who have evidenced high-performance capability in cognitive ability such as intellectual or academic achievement. The district's Gifted/Talented Program aims to identify students who demonstrate high potential and provide opportunities that develop cognitive and creative talents in those children through site-developed program plans.

Goals:

• To relate content to major ideas, concepts, and themes.

• To provide students with opportunities to identify relationships across disciplines through such processes as critical and creative thinking, problem solving and logic.

• To enable students to create new ideas and products by synthesizing current knowledge and transferring it to new situations and application.

• To structure learning environments that address the unique needs of gifted and talented students and accommodate a variety of learning rates and styles

Objectives:

• Identify gifted students

• Assess the instructional level of identified students and consider the unique learning characteristics of each child

• Expand curriculum opportunities to allow students to move through the core curriculum at the appropriate flexible pacing

• Provide differentiated curriculum to meet unique needs and offer academic/social support when needed

• Appropriately match the programs and support services to the individual

Activities:

• iCode After School Program:  In February 2017 , Shawnee launched a ten week program open to gifted and talented students in Grades 1-6.  Students were introduced to computer coding and STEAM activities.  This program will be expanded to 7th grade for 2017-2018 and held during the spring semester.

• Fifth Grade Academic Bowl Competition

• Fine Arts development  in conjunction with St. Gregory’s University

• Differentiated instruction in every classroom across the district PK-5

• Advanced and Honors classes offered in Grades 6-12.