Enrichment Program

INTRODUCTION

The Whole-School Enrichment Program encourages gifted students to realize their full potential through the mechanisms of skills placement considerations and/or classroom accommodations and/or special programming.  It extends and adds to the regular curriculum of the school. 

Student Identification - Gifted learners are those who may be defined as:

• Gifted and talented children are those who give evidence of high performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership capacity or in specific academic fields; and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. US Federal Government (1992)
• Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable, requiring modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling if such children are to develop optimally. (Tolan, p. 172, 1998) The World Council on Gifted and Talented Children (1995)

Gifted students possess some or all of the following characteristics:

• confidence
• ability to think "out of the box"
• perseverance
• task commitment
• personal ownership of a task
• belief that I/we can fix this
• organization
• concern for making things better for others
• leadership (facilitation skills)
• individual strengths
• creative problem solving
• motivation
• innovation
• resourcefulness
• knowledge
• intense interest that becomes a catalyst for the study of a particular topic
• passion for a particular topic

They can also be learners who have:

• behavior problems and disciplinary issues
• problems with unstructured time
• confused or unrealistic aspirations
• insufficient perseverance and low self efficacy
• inappropriate coping strategies

A number of measures are possible in the identification of gifted students. The program estimates that up to 5% of the school's students will be eligible for the Enrichment Program. Nominations and referrals from families and faculty will be considered the route for initial identification and possible program inclusion. A records search (of the student's previous records [reports; evaluations; letters of recommendation; awards/certificates]), standardized attainment testing and a cognitive evaluation will be used to determine students' eligibility for the program. The students of this program will receive enrichment in academic and intellectual areas. 

Placement

For students to gain access to the Enrichment Program, grade-level teachers, administrators and/or families of the Elementary School must complete a referral and submit it to the Student Services Department. The faculty of the department will consider the referrals in the usual way (work samples are sufficient documentary evidence accompanying the Referral Form), and decide on the appropriateness of referring the student to the Enrichment Child Study Team. Student referrals in the Secondary School are managed in the same way. Referrals may also be the result of discussions held at the Student Progress Meetings, with follow-up collection of work samples and the completion of a Referral Form.  

THE INDIVIDUAL ENRICHMENT PLAN

The Enrichment Coordinators will ensure that the Enrichment Plan is written and that the appropriate people who will be involved with the plan are aware of their roles.  The plan is developed from an understanding of the student's present level of educational and learning performance (the student's strengths, skills and abilities, and learning styles). Student progress will be reviewed periodically by the Enrichment Coordinators or the Enrichment Child Study Team; the review will entail an examination of the student's progress related to the goals and activities set for that student.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM DELIVERY

Program Development

An Enrichment Child Study Team (chaired by either the Elementary School or Secondary School Enrichment Coordinator) will be constituted for each approved referral. One of the Enrichment Coordinators will coordinate and lead this team. The team's purpose is to verify the validity of the initial referrals, and thereafter inform the development and delivery of the program for the verified students. 

Program Options

• Placement considerations (Cluster Group; Advanced Classes);
• Classroom accommodations
• Special program, including:
  • Extended Day Learning
  • Expert Advisor Program
  • On-line Learning
  • Summer Program
  • Clubs (e.g., Junior Great Books Club)

 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENRICHMENT TEAM

            Kevin Bateup-Bryan - Student Services Coordinator  

            Amanda Aldemir - Enrichment Coordinator