Gifted and Talented Education Program Mission
The Howard County Gifted and Talented Education Program Mission is to recognize and develop talent in advanced-level learners. The following goals are established to offer a K - 12 continuum of program services for advanced-level learners that provide ascending levels of intellectual challenge. The program will:
In addition to continuous progress provided by classroom teachers in mathematics and language arts in K - 5, elementary GT Education Program services provide ascending levels of intellectual demand for students who participate in GT Mathematics and/or the Schoolwide Enrichment Program.
- Accelerate the achievement and performance levels of students who participate in GT Education Program offerings.
- Increase successful participation of underrepresented populations of students in GT Education Program offering.
- Develop a highly qualified professional staff.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for GT Education Program communication and community involvement.
In addition to continuous progress provided by classroom teachers in mathematics and language arts in K - 5, elementary GT Education Program services provide ascending levels of intellectual demand for students who participate in GT Mathematics and/or the Schoolwide Enrichment Program.
- The GT Mathematics Program offers enriched mathematics curriculum that is accelerated by at least two years. It replaces the general education mathematics curriculum and is taught daily by a GT Resource Teacher. To participate in the fourth or fifth grade GT Mathematics program, students must be tested. Students are nominated for testing by teachers or parents and testing occurs in the spring prior to the coming school year. Students new to HCPSS may be nominated and tested upon registration in the school.
- The Schoolwide Enrichment Program includes:
- General Exploratory Activities designed to maximize exposure to a wide variety of potential areas of interest. These activities are available to all students and include field trips, guest speakers, and cultural arts events.
- GT Instructional Seminars are talent development offerings that extend student interests beyond general exploratory activities. GT Resource teachers provide advanced-level instruction and schedule these opportunities for interested students. Instructional seminars are generally offered during lunch and/or recess once a week, and are open to all students who are interested in participating. These seminars are offered to students in grades 2 -5 at Pointers Run.
- GT Curriculum Extension Units are thematic units that extend the essential curriculum to provide additional rigor and challenge, and engage students in advanced-level thinking. Students are nominated for participation based on academic strengths as demonstrated on a variety of performance indicators such as state assessments, county assessments, unit tests, reading and/or math level, and teacher input. Selected students receive individual letters of invitation. While participating in these units students receive instruction from the GT Resource teacher approximately 2 - 4 hours a week and are pulled from language arts, math or a content area. These units are offered to students in grades 1 - 5 at Pointers Run.
- GT Research Investigations offer the highest level of enrichment for students who demonstrate a sincere interest in a particular field of study and a willingness to pursue this interest at an advanced-level over an extended period of time. Students apply their knowledge of advanced-level content in their pursuit of the investigative process. The GT Resource Teacher provides instruction based on advanced-level skills, facilitates the gathering of resources, and provides opportunity for feedback from a professional.