Gifted and Learning in Consultation LinC

PHILOSOPHY

Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform at or have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment.  These children and youth require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program.  Children and youth possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. Gifted students may be found within any race, ethnicity, gender, economic class, or nationality.  In addition, some students with disabilities may be gifted. 

The Dothan City School System shall prohibit discrimination against any student on the above basis with respect to his/her participation in the gifted program.

PROGRAM GOALS 

Program Goals are statements of what the LEA expects to accomplish over the next three years (or the length of time this plan will be in effect).  Each LEA may adopt the goals listed below.  LEA’s then have the option to add others.  Some LEAs will write additional goals to improve or maintain existing programs.  Others may write goals to establish, develop, or implement a program or additions to a program.  For each Program Goal, include the steps that will be taken to achieve the Goal.

Some suggestions for areas that goals might address are:

Enrichment Model Programs (for schools with low-incidence gifted)                      

• Quality of Services
• Faculty/Parent Training 
• Program Evaluation
• Underrepresented Populations
• Service Delivery Options

I.  Goal:  To provide training for all staff on the procedures for referring and identifying students for gifted services.

• Develop training and assemble handouts to include forms, procedures, etc.
• Schedule training annually to update procedures and inform new staff.
• Implement training.
• Maintain documentation of training provided.
• Evaluate effectiveness of training.

Dothan City Schools (DCS) developed Learning in Consultation (LinC) in an effort to better meet the needs of high-end learners. LinC provides challenging educational opportunities in grades 3-8 that extend beyond the general curriculum. Teachers engage in the consultation plan, implement and monitor differentiated educational opportunities for high-end learners.

II.  Goal: To continue working towards racial equity in the gifted program.

• Provide yearly in-service for all elementary and middle school faculties concerning the issues associated with identifying underrepresented groups.
• Utilize appropriate assessments to make screening/eligibility decisions.
• Strive to allocate gifted teachers for schools with high numbers of minority or low socio-economic students to conduct child find activities and implement enrichment programs to nurture gifted potential.

During the 2003-2004 Focused Monitoring, the Alabama State Department of Education (SDE) recommended that Dothan City Schools (DCS) moved from the state gifted program to our own enrichment program. Data from the last SDE Monitoring indicated that efforts had been made to improve racial equity in the gifted program. The number of Talent Pool students being served was more racially equitable than the number of identified gifted. A move would provide more flexibility and also increase the total number of students that receive enrichment services.

III.  Goal: To continue conducting Child Find Activities

• Implement mandatory Second Grade Child Find Activity
• Review achievement or group aptitude test scores and refer any students who have high aptitude or achievement scores.
• Provide public notice in the handbook or Code of Conduct.
• Schedule gifted teachers into second grade classrooms to conduct lessons that yield gifted behaviors and products.
• Provide yearly staff development for general education teachers concerning the referral process.

In service for second grade screening is provided annually by the resource specialist in each school. The following are critical elements in establishing an enrichment program: 1) multiple criteria must be used for eligibility 2) racial equity must be a goal of the program 3) services at each school must be comparable in quality and duration.

IV.  Goal: To ensure that there are comparable services throughout the system

• Communicate with principals and check teachers’ schedules to make sure that students in the same grade level across the system are receiving the same number of hours of service (e.g. 3^rd graders – 3 hours, 4^th graders 3 to 4 hours, etc.)
• Allocate resource specialists equitably, taking into consideration caseloads and number of schools served.
• Strive to find classroom space for each gifted teacher that is comparable to other programs.

The resource specialist serves as a resource for teachers in meeting the needs of high-end learners. Consultation is an essential component in having a continuum of services. The resource specialist consults and plans with the general education teacher, provides professional development and models differentiation. The resource specialist raises the level of awareness about the differences in learners, provides strategies to address these differences and elevates the general education teachers' expertise in meeting the academic needs of all children. This is systemic change.

V.  Goal: To work towards a true continuum of services for high-end learners.

• Provide pullout services for Grades 3-5 or 3-6.
• Provide consultation services for Grades K-2
• Provide advanced courses for Grades 6 or 7-12.
• Consult, as time will allow, with general education teachers across grade levels concerning meeting the needs of high-end learners in the general education classroom.

Concept based units offered in a pullout program are important because a universal, overarching concept is incorporated throughout. DCS resource specialists spend their time in pull out programs, planning with general education teachers, planning and compiling center activities and tiered assignments, planning concept-based units as well as consultation/modeling for teachers in general education classrooms.

VI.  Goal: To provide curriculum for gifted learners that is concept and problem based.

• Support resource teachers in attending professional development in the areas of concept and problem-based learning.
• Support resource teachers in meeting with other gifted specialists to work on units of study.

Other training/workshop opportunities have been provided by the SDE (Regional Training). Resource specialists meet monthly for 2 ½ hours to share information, ideas, implementation strategies and other topics related to the LinC Program.

III. REFERRALS 

A.     Informing the Public   

Each LEA should provide the same level of notice to parents and students regarding information about the gifted program as it does with respect to other significant school activities, policies, or procedures.  The notice should include information on the definition of gifted, how to refer a student, the basic eligibility criteria (excluding test scores), and whom to contact to make a referral.

The method for providing this notice must be one that reaches all parents and students and should therefore be in the Code of Conduct or Student Handbook. 

The Dothan City School system will provide annual public notices of services available to high-end learners by:

• LinC Orientation at each school
• A section in each school's handbook about LinC
• Letter to parents

Dothan City Schools LinC Program will provide services for high-end learners through systemic change.

Gifted students are those who perform at or who have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment.  These students require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program.  Students possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

Teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or guardians, peers, self, or any other individuals with knowledge of the student’s abilities may refer a student.  Additionally, all second-grade students will be observed as potential gifted referrals using a gifted behavior checklist.

For each student referred, information is gathered in the areas of Aptitude, Characteristics, and Performance.  The information is entered on a matrix where points are assigned according to established criteria.  The total number of points earned determines if the student qualifies for gifted services.

To make a referral, contact the Resource Specialist at the student’s school.

B.     Enrichment Referrals Screening Team (ERST) 

Each LEA shall establish a team (or a team at each school) to receive and review referrals for gifted services.  Each team should consist of at least three people, and members should include someone knowledgeable about the student and someone knowledgeable about gifted education. It is highly recommended that the gifted specialists serve on the ERST.

The ERST will consist of at least three individuals from the following list:

• resource specialist(s)
• counselor
• administrator
• general education teacher
•  psychometrist

The duties and responsibilities of this team are to:

• Receive all referrals.
• Collect all required information.
• Schedule meetings in a timely manner to review referrals.
• Notify parents when student has been referred, obtain parental consent, and inform them of their rights.
• Notify parents of team’s decision.
• Base decisions on multiple criteria; do not exclude any student on the basis of a single test score.
• Exhibit sensitivity to cultural, economic, and/or linguistic differences.
• Make arrangements for any further assessments.
• Deliver the completed assessment information to the Eligibility Determination Team (EDT).

C.     Screening Criteria 

LEA automatically accepts each referral for further assessment (administered by psychometrist if needed for placement) to determine eligibility.

DOTHAN CITY SCHOOLS LEA PLAN FOR GIFTED