Gifted Services
Elementary school gifted programs provide advanced and enriched learning opportunities tailored to the needs of high-achieving students.
Comprehensive Gifted Program (CGP)
The Comprehensive Gifted Program (CGP) is designed to provide highly gifted, elementary and middle school students, who possess advanced intellectual, academic, talent or creative capabilities with unique educational opportunities.
The CGP program is founded on thematic interdisciplinary studies, academic rigor, critical and creative thinking. It is the goal of the CGP to provide a comprehensive program that is responsive to the unique academic, creative, social and emotional needs of the precocious gifted child.
CGP Information
Multiage classrooms of students in Kindergarten and 1st grade, 2nd & 3rd grade, 4th & 5th grade.
The multiage CGP classroom is designed for highly gifted learners who need a more rapid pace, with the opportunity for radical acceleration, as well as enrichment opportunities. The grouping strategies are defined by student need, based on the learning continuum rather than grade level constructs. A community of learners is developed that supports the social and emotional needs of this unique learner. The thematic and project-based structures provide the learners a pathway that allows them to play an active role in their learning.
Highly gifted students eligible to apply for CGP include submission of:
Kindergarten
Applicants must meet one of the two following criteria.
- Cognitive abilities as indicated by one of the three below:
- Gifted qualification at 97 percentile (national age-normed scores ) or higher (verbal, non-verbal, or quantitative) on a state-approved test such as the Naglieri Nonvergal Ability Test (NNAT2)
- Demonstrate a Full-Scale IQ of 130+ or higher on an intelligence test such as: Wechsler Intelligence Scale V (WISC-V) or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test given by a licensed psychologist or 97%ile or higher in one of the three content areas (verbal, quantitative or non-verbal)
- Readiness Skills
CGP 1-8
- Cognitive abilities testing as indicated by one of the three below:
- Score in the 97th percentile (national age-normed scores) or higher in two or more areas (verbal, quantitative or non-verbal) and a 90th percentile (national age-normed scores ) or higher in the third area on a state-approved test such as the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
- A combined score of the three areas of 284 or higher with at least one score in the 97%ile (national age-normed scores ) or higher
- Demonstrate a Full-Scale IQ of 135+ or higher on an Intelligence Test such as: Wechsler Intelligence Scale V (WISC-V) or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test given by a licensed psychologist or 97%ile in 2 areas with at least a 90%ile in the third (verbal, quantitative or non-verbal)
- Advanced academic achievement measured by District or state assessments in both English Language Arts and Mathematics
- Recent Report Card, if available.
- Strong teacher recommendation as indicated by a teacher completing and submitting a gifted characteristic profile. This information is confidential and should be submitted directly to the Gifted Department using the CGP Teacher Recommendation. Other factors may be considered, such as principal recommendations or other impact factors.
- Handwritten Student response to prompted questions (questions will be included within the application).
Work with your home school’s Gifted Enrichment Specialist to gather and complete the CGP components. The application will be submitted online directly to the Gifted Learning Team.
Cluster Grouping
In The Cluster Grouping Model, gifted students are clustered into a mixed-ability classrooms at each grade level. The teacher is trained in understanding, planning for, and instructing gifted students. Gifted Specialists assist cluster teachers with scheduling, provide professional development in gifted education, and facilitate with the planning and implementation of differentiated curriculum. In this model, gifted students receive differentiated curriculum and instruction in all content areas on a daily basis.
Classroom compositions are carefully structured with two main goals: to ensure that there is a balance throughout the grade level, and to reduce the learning range found in any given classroom. This system provides opportunities for teachers to more readily respond to the needs of all their students.
Gifted cluster teachers plan appropriately challenging instruction for their gifted students. This may involve acceleration, enrichment, and various extended learning opportunities targeted to develop the following skills through learning in the content areas:
- Logical thinking
- Reasoning skills
- Critical and creative thinking
- Problem-solving
Gifted students receive instruction that is differentiated in content, process, product, learning environment and assessment:
- Content — Complex, abstract ideas presented in a variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary curriculum
- Process — Higher-level thinking through Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Multiple Intelligences
- Products — Alternative methods of demonstrating mastery with a range of complexity
- Learning environment — Student-centered, flexible grouping based on readiness, interests, and abilities
- Assessment — Pre-assessment and testing out-of-grade level curriculum
Students qualify for gifted services at SUSD by obtaining a score at or above the 97th percentile in verbal, quantitative, and/or nonverbal areas and/or a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) of 128 or above.
Content Replacement
Content replacement in Mathematics through the Accelerated Math program is available to students in grades 3-5 at each elementary school. Starting in 4th grade gifted learners also participate in Integrated Reading.
Curriculum in these classes offers both acceleration and enrichment to provide an appropriately challenging level of educational rigor. SUSD gifted specialists are state certified and have specific certification and training to work with gifted students. District Gifted Coaches provide support to cluster teachers and gifted specialists. Additional enrichments and integrated learning opportunities are provided across the grade levels by the cluster teachers.
Curriculum in Accelerated Math and Integrated Reading includes:
- Socratic Seminars
- Junior Great Books
- Classic and Contemporary literature
- Project Based Learning
- Integrated curriculum
- Advanced problem-solving instruction
- Math Olympiad & Continental Math competitions
- Grammar and vocabulary instruction using the work of Michael Clay Thompson
- As well as extensive thematic units developed by teachers in the district