Talent Development at JM Alexander Middle School

1. Talent Development at JM Alexander Middle School 2013 - 2014

2. How do TD-certified students receive services in middle school?

3. Gifted students' needs are met through • Core classes (math, language arts, science, social studies) • Differentiated instruction • Strategies and practices that challenge all learners • Elective courses • Extracurricular and enrichment opportunities • Collaboration between classroom teachers and the Academic Facilitator

4. Core Classes • Students are placed in honors language arts & honors math based on EOG scores, teacher recommendation and TD status • The honors math track leads to Math I in 8th grade • Students in the IB magnet program are grouped together in IB core classes • IB planning practices and IB assessment practices are used in all classes

5. Differentiated Instruction In all core classes, teachers modify the regular curriculum setting and select instructional practices that reflect students’ readiness for learning. This “readiness” includes ability levels, achievement levels, interests and learning styles/preferences. This is the primary means of addressing gifted students’ academic needs in the core subjects: Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

6. Examples of differentiation: • Reading choice novels • Tiered lessons & assessments • Curriculum compacting • Flexible grouping • Research topics of varied depth and complexity • Independent projects tailored to learning style and/or interest

7. Strategies & practices used to provide challenges for all learners: • Socratic seminar • Research projects • Real-world tasks • Creative problem solving • Open-ended tasks • Product assessment and performance-based assessment

8. Inquiry learning and investigations • Cooperative learning • Hands-on learning experiences • Contemporary/multicultural literature • Differentiated novel choices

9. Elective Courses In middle school, elective courses provide gifted students with an opportunity to explore subjects such as music, art, dance, technology, and world languages in greater depth and with more rigor than was possible in elementary school.

10. World Languages

11. The Arts: Visual Arts, Dance, & Music

12. Career & Technical Education

13. Extracurricular & enrichment activities provide additional challenges and opportunities for growth: • Science Olympiad • Future Cities • Math Counts • Reflections • Spelling Bee • Shakespeare Recitation • Chess Club • Talent Identification Program • Community Service • National Academic League • Globe Project

14. The Academic Facilitator Works with teachers and students to develop rigorous, accelerated, complex curriculum and appropriate instructional practices in math, language arts, science and social studies.

15. The academic facilitator… • Provides professional development on topics such as: • Social and emotional needs of gifted children • Using challenging texts to enhance rigor • Using writing to learn to engage higher-order thinking skills • Strategies to differentiate instruction for all learners • Teaches demonstration lessons • Conducts year-end performance reviews of all TD students • Works with teachers to develop Differentiated Education Plans

16. Differentiated Education Plan • 6th JMA DEPMiddleSchool.pdf • 7th JMA DEPMiddleSchool.pdf • 8th JMA DEPMiddleSchool.pdf

17. CMS Gifted Instruction Support for Middle School • The Taba Model of Gifted Lesson Design • Selecting challenging text for gifted students • Preparing Middle school students to take on the challenge of AP courses in High School

18. Can a child who is NOT in TD be identified as gifted during middle school?

19. TD Identification in Middle School • A classroom teacher, parent, program coordinator, family advocate, and/or counselor may, at any time during the school year, refer a student who exhibits extraordinary strengths in classroom performance to the Talent-Development School-Based Committee.  A student may also refer him or herself.  • The Talent Development School-Based Committee is comprised of the TD Catalyst teacher or Academic Facilitator, a classroom teacher(s), and an administrator.  • The Talent Development School-Based Committee will meet as needed.  • All referrals are submitted to the Talent Development School-Based Committee to approve or deny, based on documented student strengths.  • In order to be identified, an accumulation of 12 points on the Talent Development Identification Rubric must be accumulated using age-composite scores from a nationally-normed aptitude test, a nationally-normed achievement test, or an NC End-of-Year assessment.

20. How can parents support their gifted students during middle school?

21. Being Gifted in Middle School Middle School is a time of significant change and challenge for all children, including gifted students. Issues of particular concern for gifted middle school students include: • Organization & time management • Balancing the work load of several challenging classes • Coping with the first Bs, Cs (and even Ds) • Finding a supportive, positive peer group • Perfectionism • Boredom • Super-sensitivity

22. Being the “smart kid” • Asynchronous development • Becoming a self-advocate • Maintaining a focus on learning and academics as social life and extracurricular activities become more time-intensive • Developing and fostering intrinsic motivation • Selective consumerism—performing well in classes that the learner finds interesting while at the same time neglecting homework for classes the learner deems insignificant

23. Great Resources for Parents of Gifted Middle School Students: • When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers: How to Meet Their Social and Emotional Needs (Delisle & Galbraith) • Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page: The “all things gifted page”: www.hoagiesgifted.org/ • The Duke Gifted Letter: www.dukegiftedletter.com Click on archives and scroll down to “Topics” to find collections of articles on topics such as: College Planning, Parenting/Advocacy, Social-Emotional Issues, Educational Strategies, etc.

24. Top Ten Things Gifted Kids Want (need) from Their Parents • Be there for us; be on our side; support and encourage us. • Don’t expect us to be perfect or expect too much from us • Don’t be too demanding or push too hard. • Help us with our schoolwork. • Help us develop our talents • Be understanding. • Don’t expect straight A’s. • Allow us some independence; we just might know what we are doing. • Talk to us; listen to us. • Let us try alternative education/special programs. (Galbraith, J., 2003, p.290)

25. Questions? Contact Mary Kendrick, Academic Facilitator, TD Catalyst and IB Coordinator at mary.kendrick@cms.k12.nc.us