At Vista Verde School we recognize that "giftedness" doesn't begin on the first day of fourth grade.  Children who are passionate about learning and have special gifts and talents don't magically become smarter between Third and Fourth grade - they come to us that way in Kindergarten.  The goal of the instructional program at Vista Verde is to meet each child where they are and move them forward to the next level, while at the same time ensuring that they have the foundational knowledge specified within the state content standards.

To meet the needs of our gifted students, Vista Verde utilizes a GATE and Challenge cluster model.  Students who have been formally GATE identified are placed within a GATE and Challenge cluster within a regular classroom.  The GATE cluster model allows teachers to provide differentiated instruction throughout the day and across all subject areas.  As part of this process, teachers assess each student's current knowledge and skill level and make adjustments to instruction and curriculum to meet individual needs.  Teachers differentiate the curriculum for our advanced students through a variety of methods - they may change the instructional strategies that they ask students to use, alter the format of an assignment, increase the difficulty of an assignment, or provide additional complexity through the use of open ended assignments or projects.

The advantage of the GATE cluster model over pull out programs or self-contained models is that the GATE cluster program obligates the teacher to differentiate instruction for all students, regardless of identification.  Students can be gifted in the area of math but perhaps still need additional support in the area of language arts.   Traditional methods of GATE identification often require high performance in both language arts and math - leaving these "lopsidedly gifted" students unidentified.  Students who need greater challenge in one curricular area but may need additional support in another  can be served within a GATE/Challenge cluster classroom.  At Vista Verde, we are fortunate in that the high number of gifted students allows us to have multiple clusters at each grade level. 

Regardless of GATE identification, Vista Verde teachers provide for ALL students in need of additional challenge through the use of pretesting and ongoing progress monitoring.  GROW (Go Read or Write)- formerly known at Vista Verde as "RtI" - allows students to be grouped according to skill level in the area of language arts beginnning in Kindergarten and through Fifth grade.  Each group receives differentiated instruction and materials targeted to their reading and writing level to build basic fluency and extend learning beyond the grade level.  In the area of math, teachers usually pretest each unit of instruction and then provide additional learning challenge opportunities for students who have mastered the basic content of unit often with the assistance of parent volunteers.

In middle school, GATE and Challenge students are also cluster grouped within the regular classroom.  Throughout the middle school curriculum, our teachers seek to provide opportunities to extend and enrich learning through instructional strategies such as open  ended assignments, use of essential questions, and increasing the depth or complexity of an assignment.  

To ensure that we are in a place of continual improvement, we utilize a school advisory committee to share best practices and to provide a focus for professional development that centers around meeting the needs of our brightest students.  Our advisory committee is responsible for developing additional opportunities for enrichment and extension beyond the school day.  Please visit our extra curricular page to review some of the activities that are available to provide additional avenues for gifted students to pursue their passions and participate in extracurricular activities with like-minded peers.   If you are interested in joining our parent advisory committee or have suggestions for our GATE and Challenge program, please contact Nancy Nichols at nnichols@iusd.org.

We encourage parents to communicate their concerns or questions regarding GATE or Challenge instruction directly with teachers.  Working together in partnership is the best way to identify the learning needs of your child and to help develop a personal plan that will meet his/her unique needs.  You and your child form the heart of our educational team and we need your support and input to make our instructional program the very best that it can be.

Sincerely,
Catherine Holmes

Gate program

Useful information

National

State of California

IUSD

Vista Verde

Parents

Teachers

Students

Useful information


Bloom’s Taxonomy in Higher Level Learning
A great deal has been written about Bloom's Taxonomy . There are many educators and schools that find it helpful. In the 1950’s, Bloom, along with other educators, felt there was a need to categorize educational objectives.
They basically wanted to understand different levels of thinking and how these levels, and progressing through them, helped with learning.
Some refer to these levels as a “stairway” and students are often encouraged to climb as high as they can.
There are six levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy. The first three are considered lower levels.
It begins with Knowledge which refers to memorizing information.
The second is Comprehension. Here a student should be able to explain and interpret different concepts.
The third is Application. This is defined as the ability to solve problems and comprehend new circumstances.
The next three: Analysis is the process of breaking down diverse facts and ideas and appreciating how they relate to one another.
Synthesis involves developing new and diverse approaches to a problem and creating something new.
Finally, Evaluation requires making judgements and decisions based on existing criteria.
During the 1990’s, Lorin Anderson recognized a need to update his former teacher’s Taxonomy in an effort to make it more pertinent for 21st century students and teachers.
The new version begins with Remembering. Can a student remember the information?
Understanding involves the student explaining what he or she has learned.
Applying requires the student to use the information in a new and different way.
Analysing: Can the student differentiate between different parts?
Evaluating involves the student justifying a stand or decision.
Finally, Creating,. Is the student able to come up with a new idea or point of view?
Although some of Anderson’s ideas are similar to Bloom’s, some important changes have been made.
Bloom made use of verbs to use in questioning a student to see what he or she understands. Anderson makes use of nouns.



Comparison of Bright vs. Gifted
Bright Child                                        Gifted Child
 
Knows the answers.                          Asks the questions.

Interested.                                          Extremely curious.

Pays attention.                                  Gets involved physically
                                                             and mentally.

Works hard.                                        Plays around, still gets
                                                             good test scores.

Answers questions.                          Questions the answers.
     
Enjoys same-age                              Prefers adults or older
peers.                                   children.

Good at memorization.                     Good at guessing.

Learns easily.                                    Bored. Already knew the
                                                             answers.

Listens well.                                       Shows strong feelings
                                                             and opinions.

Self-satisfied.                                     Highly critical of self
                                                             (perfectionistic).
Source: Janice Szabos as quoted in "The Gifted and Talented Child," Maryland Council for Gifted & Talented Children, Inc. P.O. Box 12221, Silver Spring, MD 20908
A Brief History
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=607

Glossary of terms
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=565

 

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National

National Government Policy

In the United States, each state department of education determines if the needs of gifted students will be addressed as a mandatory function of public education. If so, the state determines the definition of which students will be identified and receive services, but may or may not determine how they shall receive services. If a state does not consider gifted education mandatory, individual districts may, thus the definition of what gifted is varies from state or district.


National Associations for the gifted are involved in research, developments and advocacy of gifted educational opportunities at the national level. These organizations are usually membership based and have become forums for parents, educators, and other professionals who are working towards the furtherance of gifted education and opportunities.

Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted
P.O. Box 6550
Scottsdale, AZ 85261-6550
(602) 399-9090
senggifted@attbi.com
http://www.SENGifted.org/
National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented
University Of Connecticut
2131 Hillside Road
Storrs Mansfield, CT 06269-0001
(860) 486-4676
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/
Center for Gifted Education Policy at the American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Education Directorate 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 336-5923
(202) 336-6130
cgep@apa.org
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/gifted.aspx
National Association for Gifted Children
1707 L Street, NW, Suite 550
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 785-4268
http://www.nagc.org/
American Association for Gifted Children at Duke University
P.O. Box 90270
Durham, NC 27708-0270
(919) 783-6152
http://www.aagc.org/
The Council for Exceptional Children
E1110 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22201
(800) 328-0272
http://www.cec.sped.org/

 

 

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State of California

California Department of Education
The Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, authorized by Education Code (EC) sections 52200-52212 (Outside Source), provides funding for local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop unique education opportunities for high-achieving and underachieving pupils in California public elementary and secondary schools who have been identified as gifted and talented. Special efforts are made to ensure that pupils from economically disadvantaged and varying cultural backgrounds are provided with full participation in these unique opportunities.
LEAs may establish programs for gifted and talented pupils consisting of special day classes, part-time groupings, and cluster groupings. GATE curricular components are required to be planned and organized as integrated differentiated learning experiences within the regular school day and may be augmented or supplemented with other differentiated activities related to the core curriculum, including independent study, acceleration, postsecondary education, and enrichment. For all programs for gifted and talented pupils, including those programs for pupils with high creative capability and talents in the performing and visual arts, each participating LEA shall concentrate part of its curriculum on providing GATE pupils with an academic component and, where appropriate, with instruction in basic skills.
GATE programs are operated in approximately 800 districts located in all 58 counties. There are over 480,000 public school students that have been identified as gifted and talented in the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/gt/gt/gateprogfaq.asp
Laws and Regulations
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/gt/lw/
Other State Reports