Pathways to Excellence

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Pathways to Excellence

• Addressing the Needs of the Gifted and Talented
  in Cranford

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Pathways to Excellence Task Force

• Created by the Superintendent in March 2005 to
  examine current research and best practices
  that address learning needs of gifted and
  talented children
• Comprised of over 20 community members including
  Board of Education members, parents,
  administrators and teachers
• Met numerous times as a whole and in
  subcommittees to review and discuss relevant
  research along with state and national standards
  for educating the gifted and talented
• Conducted on-site visitations of model programs
• Developed a series of recommendations concerning
  future directions for the districts G/T program

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Who are the Gifted and Talented?
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New Jersey Department of Education Definition

• The gifted and talented are students who possess
  or demonstrate high levels of ability in one or
  more content areas, when compared to their
  chronological peers in the local district and who
  require modification of their educational program
  if they are to achieve in accordance with their
  capabilities.

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Cranfords Two Tiered Response to State Mandated
G/T Program

• Recognizes that ALL children have gifts and
  talents and that there are MULTIPLE PATHWAYS for
  children to explore and realize these gifts and
  talents and that the responsibility for helping
  children explore these pathways rests with ALL
  teachers and ALL parents.

• Acknowledges a competing need to provide
  specialized services for students who are
  scholastically exceptional.

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Key Recommendations

• Establish Enrichment Clusters for all students in
  Grades 3 8.

• Create a highly individualized program for
  students identified as scholastically exceptional.

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Tier OneEnrichment Clusters

• Enrichment for All

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Enrichment Clusters

• Enrichment Clusters are groups of students who
  share a common interest and come together each
  week during a specially designated time to
  produce a product, performance or targeted
  service based on that common interest. Teachers
  or other adults who have a special interest in a
  particular topic facilitate the clusters.
  Clusters are modeled after the ways in which
  knowledge acquisition and application take place
  in real world situations.

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Rationale

• Enrichment Clusters are based on the belief that
  all children have unique talents and gifts, and
  schools are places for developing the talents of
  all students. Therefore, it is the
  responsibility of educators to develop students
  abilities and interests by identifying, nurturing
  and supporting those talents and gifts.

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Underlying Beliefs

• Each learner is unique
• Learning is more effective when students enjoy
  what they are doing
• Learning is more meaningful and enjoyable when
  content and process are based on real world
  applications

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Major Features of Enrichment Clusters

• All activity is directed toward the production of
  a product or a service
• Students and teachers select the clusters in
  which they will participate. All students and
  teachers are involved
• Students are grouped across grades by interest
  areas
• The authentic methods of professional
  investigators are used to pursue product and
  service development
• While they are not clubs or mini courses, they
  maintain an academic or artistic foundation by
  connecting them to the Core Curriculum Standards.

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Other Guidelines for Enrichment Clusters

• Have an average teacher/ student ratio of
  approximately 112
• Be multi-aged
• Be homogeneously grouped by interest and
  heterogeneously grouped by ability
• Be self selected by students with parental
  approval
• Be conducted one hour per week for 10 12 weeks.
  Upon full implementation of program, students
  will be offered two Enrichment Clusters per year.
• Enrichment Clusters will not be formally graded

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Enrichment Cluster Implementation Time Table

• Grade 3 (2006 2007) will serve as initial pilot
  group
• All Grade 3 students to be scheduled into
  Enrichment Clusters as of February 2007
• All Grade 4 students will begin Enrichment
  Clusters in September 2007
• All Grade 5 students will begin Enrichment
  Clusters in February 2008
• Grades 6, 7, 8 will begin Enrichment Clusters in
  September 2007

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Tier 2 Pathways to Excellence Plus

• Specialized Support for the Scholastically
  Exceptional

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Pathways to Excellence Plus

• An ongoing effort to identify students with
  exceptional academic/ scholastic ability and
  provide them with Differentiated Educational
  Plans. These plans will include a pull out
  program staffed by GT teachers and specify
  modifications and adaptations to the regular
  education program to aid students in exploring
  and realizing their full potential.

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Identification Process Guidelines

• Focus will be on the top 2 3 of the student
  population
• Will utilize multiple criteria
• Will be ongoing through the grades beginning with
  Kindergarten
• To be phased in over 2 3 years

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Pathways to Excellence PlusTime Table

• Grade 3 (2006 2007) will serve as initial pilot
  group
• Grades 4 8 will be phased in throughout the
  2007 2008 school year

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Pathways to Excellence Plus Identification
Process

• Initial screening process (Grade 3 September
  2006) will consider Iowa Test of Basic Skills
  (ITBS), Cognitive Achievement Test (CogAT) and
  the Gifted Rating Scales (GRS)
• Students demonstrating high ability on these
  assessments will be individually tested using the
  Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV)

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Pathways to Excellent Plus Identification
Process 2007 and Beyond

• Will consider additional data including but not
  limited to NJ ASK Scores, Report Card Grades,
  Parent/ Teacher Rating Scales, Learning Profiles,
  other Standardized Tests (e.g. Terra Nova, etc.)
• Ultimate admission to the program will be
  determined by individually administered
  intelligence test such as the WISC-IV or a
  comparable instrument.

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Other Pathways to Excellence Recommendations

• Rename GT Program to Pathways to Excellence
  Program
• Provide on-going and sustained professional
  development for all staff to support the Pathways
  to Excellence Program
• Continue to participate in out of school
  experiences, competitions, convocations, etc.
• Provide push-in services and support at the K
  2 level and link to identification process for
  P2E Program
• Create a position of Coordinator of the Pathways
  to Excellence Program to oversee the programs
  activities and support teachers in utilizing
  differentiation practices such as compacting and
  acceleration. This person will coordinate all
  aspects of the program