High Ability Programs

High Ability Program

The GCCS Advanced Program at the elementary level serves those students identified as the high ability. Those students who qualify have scored 130 or higher on individual IQ testing or two standard deviations above the norm on group testing and are students who can benefit from the specific services able to be provided.

At the middle school level, 6th grade high ability students are cluster grouped across teams for math and English/Language Arts. Self-contained classes in the 7th & 8th grade, and AP and/or selected Dual Credit and/or Honors classes in the high schools provide for those students who are high ability and have shown high academic achievement. Collaboration between the middle schools and high schools is an on-going process.

Elementary High Ability

Program for High Ability Students:

Based on individual intellectual testing
Offers curriculum enhancement in the classroom of the neighborhood school
Provides differentiated instruction
Provides counseling support

Teaching Strategies include:

Pre and Post Testing Assessment
Curriculum Compacting/Contracting
Individualized Projects/Products
Students as “Resident Experts”
Seminars
Consultant time

High ability students have been identified and are receiving differentiated services in all GCCS elementary schools.

Middle School High Ability

Program for High Ability Students:

Challenging, exciting activities are developed and implemented at the middle school level.
Advanced Program teachers participate in ongoing professional development on a range of topics.
Accelerated math and language arts classes are offered to high-achieving students.

Identification

Each spring, nominations for placement of incoming 6th-grade students on the advanced teams take place. Identification for advanced classes is based on current achievement data, teacher recommendations, and classroom achievement. In addition, students’ scores at the 8th-grade are utilized for placement in advanced programming high school courses for the following school year. Student progress is reviewed each year.

Accelerated Math Curriculum:

6th grade – Advanced 6th-grade math
7th grade – Advanced 7th-grade math
8th grade – Honors Algebra

Accelerated Language Arts Curriculum:

6th-grade high achieving and high ability ELA students are cluster-grouped. 7th- and 8th-grade high achieving and high ability ELA students are placed in advanced sections.

Differentiated instruction
Instruction based on Bloom’s Modified Taxonomy of Higher Level Thinking Skills:
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
- Creation
In-depth literary study

High School High Ability

Program for High Ability Students:

Students with a history of high academic achievement in middle school, as well as those identified as High Ability, are encouraged to attempt classes commensurate with their educational goals. Data from ACT testing is incorporated in advising students at this level.

Jeffersonville High School, Charlestown High School, and New Washington High School offer several options for highly motivated students who wish to achieve at a higher level than the standard curriculum affords. These classes are designed to develop skills necessary for success in college.

Those options include:

Honors Classes
Advanced Placement (AP^®) Classes
Selected Dual Credit Classes

AP teachers continue to be involved in a “certification/registration” process with the College Board each year. AP teachers submit dates of AP training and their course syllabi and list of resources in order to be listed in an index of College Board authorized classes. The AP^®/College Board Program is an established program which encompasses a nationally recognized, accelerated, college-based curriculum.

The number of students opting for higher level coursework continues to be on the increase. Additional sections of advanced classes are being added to meet the needs of our students. At the same time, our AP teachers are adding endorsements to their credentials through ongoing coursework at the university level.

The high schools offer a wide variety of courses featuring participation in the performing arts, student publications, media/communications, and art. These courses showcase the talents of Greater Clark’s secondary students. Students have also been provided opportunities for state & national competitions on these and other areas.

PLEASE CONTACT INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCHOOLS FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

To access the detailed GCCS High Ability plan, please click the following link.

Services Provided

Services to the High Ability Provided by the Advanced Program Staff:

Screen students for individual psychological testing (K-12)
Assist in universal screening and testing (K)
Plan learning seminars.
Schedule weekly educational coaching/instruction of identified elementary students.
Monitor each student’s progress in pull-out programming and report on that progress to parents using an elementary learning plan summary report.
Conduct parent meetings.
Conduct meetings and staff development opportunities for facilitators of high-ability students.
Provide consultative services to School Psychological Services personnel for those students identified as Twice Exceptional.

Additional Services:

Co-teaching
Curriculum enrichment/problem-solving activities
Introduction of VersaTiles® Math
Introduction of Hands-on-Equations
Provide and assist in developing instructional units
Assist teachers in providing curricular adaptations
Pre-testing
Compacting
Contracting
Plan in-services and staff development

Teacher Training:

Curriculum Development
Characteristics of the Gifted Student
Differentiated Instruction
Pre-testing/Compacting/Contracting
Authentic Assessment
- Portfolios
- Product Guides

Evaluation of Program:

Evaluations of the program for high ability may be conducted in a variety of ways. These may include:

Independent Evaluator (when deemed necessary by the BBPC)
Qualitative Assessment

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction

To implement a differentiated curriculum, teachers need to use a variety of strategies with highly able students. In-servicing is provided teachers with the following strategies:

Flexible Grouping: Group students in a variety of ways depending on the classroom activity with desired learning outcomes.
Curriculum Compacting: Process where students who already know the material to be studied are allowed to document their skill mastery and ‘test out’ of the regular classroom work. They are then allowed to work on an alternate activity.
Independent Study: Process for in-depth study of an area of interest. The teacher has checkpoints and rules for this study and monitors it or gives some other adult the responsibility for monitoring it.
Resident Experts: Some students are resident experts in an area of particular interest and are given class time to study this area in depth. These resident experts within the school can be called on to go to other classes and share their expertise.
Learning Contracts: Agreements between student and teacher, which allow the student to work on tasks at an agreed-upon time. Activities typically involve student choices.
Seminars: Short classes in areas of interest not part of the curriculum, taught by teachers, parents, community volunteers, paraprofessionals, and/or other instructional personnel.
Mentorship: Adult from the community or an older student, who works on an ongoing basis with an individual student in an area of interest.
Anchoring Activities: Ongoing relevant tasks that students automatically move to when they have completed classroom assignments.
Technology: Use of a variety of technological tools for acceleration, enrichment, and/or extensions.
Learning Stations: Involves setting up different spots in the classroom where students work on various tasks simultaneously. These stations invite flexible grouping because not all students need to go to all stations all the time.

Program Standards

Pre-K – Grade 12
Gifted Program Standards

Differentiated curriculum for the gifted learner must span grades pre-K – 12.
Regular classroom curricula and instruction must be adapted, modified, or replaced to meet the unique needs of gifted learners.
Instructional pace must be flexible to allow for the accelerated learning of gifted learners as appropriate.
Educational opportunities for subject and grade skipping must be provided to gifted learners.
Learning opportunities for gifted learners must consist of a continuum of differentiated curricular options, instructional approaches, and resource materials.

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