MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE HIGHLY ABLE STUDENT:

AN ELEMENTARY APPROACHNovember 4, 2015

DIVISION OF ENRICHED AND ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION

Our vision is that all schools will provide dynamic learning environments which challenge students to develop their intellectual power, creativity, and sense of self. All teachers will be knowledgeable about how able students learn effectively and will draw on a rich repertoire of innovative instructional strategies to support their students’ achievements. There will be a climate of mutual caring and respect among stakeholders: teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community.

DIVISION OF ENRICHED AND ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION

AEI Mission : The mission of AEI is the full implementation of the Policy IOA: Gifted and Talented Education in all schools in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

This process includes the following:

• Development and monitoring of the systemwide identification procedures.

• Collaboration with the curriculum supervisors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction to create curriculum documents that clearly define outcomes for students who are motivated or capable of achieving high-end learning as well as the instructional strategies, resources, and materials to achieve those outcomes.

• Design and implementation of training, guidance, and support to other offices, departments, and divisions in fulfilling their responsibilities outlined in the policy and regulation.

DIVISION OF ENRICHED AND ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION

• Advocacy, nurture, and support of students from traditionally underrepresented populations in gifted and talented programs.

• Consultative support to schools as they develop and refine their ongoing programs for gifted and talented students in compliance with the policy.

• Development and refinement of a continuum of innovative programming models to meet the needs of gifted students at their home schools through such offerings as advanced level, honors, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses; and through center and magnet programs.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD’S PERFORMANCE

• Parent communication

• Parent teacher conferences (November, As needed)

• Report cards

• Content performance

• Reading Level (quarterly)

• Math enrichment and acceleration (quarterly)

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD’S PERFORMANCE

• Standardized school system assessments

• Other assessments• In View Testing (Grade 2)

• PARCC (Grade 3- 5)

• MSA Science (Grade 5)

Test Targeted Grade Level Time Frames

MCPSAP-PR PreK - 2 • September 10 – October 7

• January 4 – February 5

• May 2 – June 6

MAP-P K • January 5 – February 27 (Optional)

• March 30 – June 10

MAP-P 1 and 2 • September 8 – October 30

• January 5 – February 27 (Optional)

• March 30 – June 10MAP-M 3, 4, and 5

MAP-R 3, 4, and 5

CURRICULUM 2.0Curriculum Needs

for Gifted Children

• Creative Thinking

• Critical Thinking

• Academic Success

Skills

• Interdisciplinary

Connections

• Instructional

Challenge

BALANCED LITERACY SCHEDULE

1. Whole Group Instruction; 15 to 20 minutes

2. Small Group Instruction; 60 to 75 minutes (10 to 30 minutes per group)• Guided Reading: Develops a students ability to process increasingly challenging text with

fluency and understanding [3 to 5 times a week; 10 to 30 minutes]

• Collaborative Conversations: Teacher facilitated and student driven conversations within, about and beyond the text through a variety of genres . Examples include: interactive read alouds, book clubs, or sharing question discussions [1 to 3 times a week; 10 to 30 minutes]

• Flexible Needs Based Groups: Temporary small group instruction to support student learning in word study, reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary support, responding to text and/ or reading strategies [2 to 3 times a week; 30 minutes]

BALANCED LITERACY SCHEDULE

3. Independent Application of Skills and Strategies; Daily• Meaningful Follow-up: Reinforces the small group lesson focus

• Independent Reading: Allocated time to provide students with teacher or self-selected, choice reading.

• K: 15 to 20 minutes

• 1/ 2: 20 to 30 minutes

• 3/ 5: 30 to 60 minutes

• Independent Work: Authentic literacy tasks

4. Closure; 5 minutes• Summarizes learning

ENRICHMENT AND ACCELERATIONREADING LANGUAGE ARTS APPROACH

• Curriculum 2.0 Reading/Language Arts

• Advanced Core Books/Novels

• Differentiated Instructional Opportunities with C2.0• Anchor activities

• Author Studies

• Choice Boards/ Extension Menu• Group Investigations

• Literature Circles

• Problem Based Learning• Socratic Seminars

• Tiered Lessons

• Varying Questioning (oral and/or written)

• Curriculum program extensions based on skill (sample)• Junior Great Books (Questioning, Inquiry, Discourse) • William and Mary Units (Advanced Novels, Writing, Research, Theme-Based Integration)

WRITING

• Curriculum 2.0 Reading/Language Arts

• Differentiated Instructional Opportunities with C2.0

• Responses to Independent Reading

• On Demand Writing

• Questions from the Sample Learning Task

• Written Response from small group instruction

• Reflection from video segments or multi media presentations

• Junior Great Books Writing Extensions

• Varied purposed; products

SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

• Curriculum 2.0 Science & Social Studies

• Scientific Investigations (well designed investigation)

• Historical Investigations (reading and thinking like a historian)

• Cross-Curricular Connections

• Inquiry Projects (Marking Period)

• Thinking and Academic Success Skills

MATHEMATICS

MATHEMATICS• MCPS is committed to meeting the needs of

each child, including nurturing those who demonstrate exceptional proficiency in mathematics.

• Curriculum 2.0 mathematics was designed to develop a deep understanding of mathematics by building a strong foundation of number sense at the elementary level before moving into more advanced content.

• Grade-level expectations are the rigorous and internationally-benchmarked Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS) and the program is designed to engage all students in a mathematics program that meets their individual needs.

• Students working on grade-level mathematics are on a pathway to complete Algebra 1 by Grade 8 and will be prepared for a college-level course, such as AP Calculus or AP Statistics, before the end of high school.

Proficiency with Weekly Content

Enrichment

Acceleration

ENRICHMENT AND ACCELERATIONMATHEMATICS APPROACH

After students have successfully completed enrichment opportunities for a week, there may be suggestions for acceleration to the next logical topic in the learning progression, often in the next week of instruction.

Enrichment

Acceleration

Enrichment tasks may further engage students in content from that week of instruction

Enrichment tasks may challenge students to apply previously-taught content and skills in a novel way

Enrichment tasks may provide opportunities to further challenge students to apply The Mathematical Practices with content that does not directly align with specific grade-level indicators

PROGRAMMING FOR ENRICHMENT AND ACCELERATION

Kindergarten–Grade 3 Considerations

• Students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 should be challenged by the opportunities for enrichment and acceleration defined in the grade level curriculum.

• Students who consistently, 70 percent or more of the time enriched and acceleration is offered, receive instruction based on the enrichment/acceleration guidelines qualify for the enrichment/acceleration designation on the report card.

• Students who consistently demonstrates proficiency (UCARE) of all the indicators for a grade level and all the weekly acceleration and enrichment opportunities, the student may be a candidate for further challenge by the school/system.

PROGRAMMING FOR GRADE ADVANCEMENT

Compacted Mathematics Pathways: Grade Three

• Use an Articulation Guideline Tool on all Grade 3 students to develop a pool of Grade 3 candidates for Grade 4/5 Compacted Mathematics.

• Student InView Assessment Scores from Grade 2 in Quantitative Reasoning

• Student Report Card Performance in Math (Grade 2, Marking Period 4; Grade 3, Marking Period 1)

• Student Access to Enrichment/Acceleration (Grade 2, Marking Period 4; Grade 3, Marking Period 1)

• Student TASS Performance (Grade 2, Marking Period 3 and 4)

• Student UCARE Performance (classroom performance)

PROGRAMMING FOR GRADE ADVANCEMENT

Compacted Mathematics Pathways: Grade Three

• Screen selected students on five selected enriched and accelerated tasks within the grade level math curriculum to assess their UCARE understanding

• Review student task performance and the Best-Fit Criteria to determine where their educational needs will be best met:

• Independently and consistently demonstrate proficiency as defined by the five strands of UCARE, earlier than the end of instruction for concepts and/or topics;

• Ha needs that would best be met through a much quicker pace of instruction, while maintaining the depth of understanding; and

• Be among the highest performing students in that grade level or do not have a group of similarly situated peers in his or her grade level class.

• Parent communication about the recommended outcome: Compacted Mathematics; Rescreen (Fall/ Grade 4) or grade level instruction

CONTACTS

• Siobhan Alexander, Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

• Ed Nolan, Math Implementation and Development Team

• Meredith Casper, Accelerated and Enriched Instruction

• Kathryn Williams, Junior Great Books

• Elise Antoine, William and Mary

QUESTONS