The goal of PWCS gifted education and talent development services is to develop students’ advanced skills in
to encourage and enable students to become self-directed learners. The program provides instructional time to work with age peers, with intellectual and academic peers, and independently.
Students receive direct resource services with a gifted education resource teacher. At most grade levels, these services are delivered through a pull-out model. In grades 6 and 7, students may receive gifted services during the Encore rotation. Students in grades 11 and 12 have credit-bearing course options or may continue to participate in resource seminars.
The amount of service time varies with the grade level of the student.
Gifted education resource teachers also work with classroom teachers to support appropriate classroom instruction for identified students.
Gifted education and talent development curriculum is based on research-based curriculum models for gifted students, including the Integrated Curriculum Model and the Parallel Curriculum Model.
Published curricula for gifted learners used during direct resource services include language arts units created by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary and by Vanderbilt University's Program for Talented Youth. Mathematics units created jointly by the University of Connecticut, Northern Kentucky University, and Boston University are also used during direct resource services.
Gifted Education and Talent Development resource teachers use a variety of instructional strategies and models to foster intellectual and academic growth. The strategies and models include
A differentiated service plan (DSP) will be created annually for each identified student. This plan documents how instruction will be adapted to meet the needs of gifted learners.
In both elementary and middle school, these plans outline the opportunities offered to identified students both in the classroom setting and in the resource setting. Parents of elementary gifted students will receive their plans in the first quarter of the school year. Parents of middle school gifted students will receive their plans according to the service model.
Parents of high school gifted students will receive a mailing in the first quarter that describes the differentiated services that are offered via the gifted program. By the beginning of the second semester, the students will conference in small groups with the resource teacher and develop long-term plans, and create and revise their four year high school plan to align with long-term plans. This document will be mailed at the end of the first semester.
In both elementary and middle school, progress reports are completed by the gifted education resource teacher to assess student progress in the development of critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication, conceptual thinking, and self-directed learning skills. In elementary school, progress reports for identified students are sent home at the end of each semester. In middle school, progress reports are sent at the end of each semester for students in all-year programs. Schools with semester, quarter, or rotation programs will send progress reports at the end of the service duration.
In high school, progress reports are mailed at the end of the year. The progress report contains the student's self-assessment and the teacher's assessment.