School Views: Multi-tiered support for gifted students
School Views
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Eagle County School District’s Gifted and Talented department implements programming to challenge and engage gifted students across the district. A gifted student is any child who has an exceptional aptitude or potential in one or more areas, such as academics, the arts, or even leadership.
Our department’s latest initiatives align with Eagle County School District’s goals of wellness, belonging and engagement, and multi-tiered systems of support to ensure students thrive. Gifted programming is designed to support learners at various levels to ensure advanced students are challenged and engaged with their learning. These supports typically fall into three levels or tiers.
Tier 1: Universal
Tier 1 is our universal instruction level, which includes differentiated instruction with classroom teachers being the primary facilitators. Gifted and Talented specialists support classroom teachers by co-planning lessons and providing resources and strategies to teach in ways that meet the needs of all students in the classroom. This can include small groups, problem-based learning, and student-centered instruction and activities.
This year, our Gifted and Talented specialists are receiving training in depth and complexity strategies to enhance student understanding and application of content as well as foster a sense of belonging and engagement. Over the course of the next three years, we expect to see student and teacher understanding of these strategies evolve and result in increased test scores on CMAS, AP exams, and the SAT.
Tier 2: Targeted
The second tier is where we get into more targeted efforts for advanced students. Gifted and Talented Education (or as we like to call it, GATE) supports the unique social-emotional needs of gifted students by focusing on topics such as emotional intelligence and resilience. Gifted students participate in social-emotional lessons based on National Association for Gifted Children standards, create advanced learning plans or individual career and academic plans, and have the opportunity to spend time with other students who think as they do. By addressing social-emotional needs, gifted education promotes student wellness and helps them succeed and grow inside and outside of the classroom.
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In addition to opportunities that support students in their social-emotional growth, the Tier 2 level of support for Gifted and Talented Education includes targeted instruction to increase academic rigor. Gifted specialists work with small groups of students in skill and exploratory educational development (SEED) and exploratory classes, both of which are focused on self-advocacy, critical thinking, and creativity. These groups are flexible and guided by student observation and classroom data, but are generally offered to students in the top 15 percent of ECSD’s universal screening test.
SEED classes
Skill and Exploratory Educational Development (SEED) classes are available to students in grades 3-5. These classes offer flexible opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and creativity. Activities in these classes are designed to build analytical and problem-solving skills and engage students in open-ended, higher-order thinking.
Exploratory classes
Exploratory classes allow middle school students to participate in national academic competitions and enhance skills like adaptability, communication, and collaboration. By engaging in competition-based activities, students explore their potential in a supportive environment.
High school support
At the high school level, students are empowered to choose from a wide range of advanced placement and dual enrollment classes based on their interests and goals. Gifted and Talented pecialists are also available to support students with post-secondary planning.
Tier 3: Intensive
Some students require a curriculum that significantly differs from their same-age peers. Tier 3, intensive gifted programming serves students with significant academic, behavioral, or social-emotional needs. This can include providing one-on-one support, potential acceleration, or providing social-emotional resources; whatever combination best meets the needs of the student and allows them to continue to grow to their fullest potential.
Our Eagle County School District Gifted and Talented Department is also working to improve the identification process of gifted students from underrepresented populations. This year we are educating teachers on characteristics to look for in the classroom, so they can refer more students for possible gifted identification, as well as through the use of the Naglieri General Abilities Test. This test is administered to all second- and fifth-grade students in the interest of providing a language-free assessment that identifies students with advanced learning potential beyond traditional classroom content.
As we progress through the new year, our Gifted and Talented Department looks forward to continuing to create engaging and supportive environments for students that foster growth and achievement. Learn more about Gifted Education on the Eagle County School District website, or reach out to me with any specific questions regarding our programming.
Marjorie Oyler is the director of Gifted Education for Eagle County School District. Email her at marjorie.oyler@eagleschools.net.
