Shelby County Gifted Program

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Shelby County Gifted Program

• How it Works

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• Shelby County Schools follow the Alabama State
  Department of Educations guidelines for gifted
  education.
• In grades K-2, the resource teacher serves as a
  consultant to classroom teachers and assists in
  providing resources and strategies for high
  achieving students.
• In grades 3-12, identified students are placed
  and served in the Gifted Resource Class (GRC)
  which is taught by the resource teacher, as well
  receiving classroom accommodations as needed.

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Second Grade Child Find Procedures
A child can be referred for gifted services in
any grade by teachers, parents, administrators,
or even by self. However, in second grade all
students are screened to determine if they should
be referred. The gifted resource class typically
does not become an option until 3rd grade.
Therefore, there is a process in place to
identify students who need to begin their GRC
services in 3rd grade. That process is called
Second Grade Child Find. It is a part of the
Alabama State Department Code for Gifted
Education.
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• Here is the process for Second Grade Child Find
• In the fall semester, the resource teacher visits
  all 2nd grade classes to do higher level thinking
  skills and to collect sample products from each
  child. The resource teacher assists the
  classroom teacher in documenting gifted
  characteristics observed in each child.
• In November, the resource teacher and the
  classroom teacher review the products and notes
  to decide which students should be referred for
  GRC.
• Parental permission is required for referrals to
  be initiated.
• Each referral is followed by collection of data
  including student products, teacher rating scale,
  and a screening test administered by the resource
  teacher.

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• 2nd Grade Process, continued
• A committee convenes to score the products and
  place all data and scores on a screening matrix.
• The committee uses the matrix score to determine
  if a student is eligible for the gifted program,
  needs further testing, or currently does not meet
  screening qualifications for the program.
• Parents are notified of the committees decision
  in writing.
• Students who need further testing receive an
  individual intelligence test from a
  psychometrist.
• Parents of students who qualify are invited to
  attend a placement meeting at the Intermediate
  School when 3rd grade begins.

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Gifted Services in Grades K-1 The resource
teacher is available to assist Kindergarten and
First Grade teachers in meeting the needs of
advanced learners. Students in these early
grades can usually be well served by regular
classroom differentiation strategies. The best
practice is for classroom teachers to avoid using
the term gifted when speaking with parents and
students. It is difficult to predict whether or
not a student will be referred for GRC testing in
2nd grade, and we do not want to create
unreasonable expectations for them. The
resource teacher is always available to talk with
parents and teachers should refer them to her
when they have questions about GRC.
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Your Resource Teacher

• The resource teacher can assist teachers in the
  following ways
• Help to find resources for learning centers and
  activities that would be appropriate for high end
  learners. Some materials are available for
  checkout in her office.
• Provide training in differentiating curriculum.
• Attempt to make rotating visits to classrooms to
  assist with reading centers for advanced readers
  (especially in 1st and 2nd grade) or to provide
  assistance in planning differentiated curriculum.
• Serve as a referral source for parents who have
  questions about the gifted program.

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• Services in Upper Grades
• In grades 3-5 students are pulled out of the
  regular class to visit the resource room for 3-5
  hours per week. The resource teacher also works
  with the classroom teacher to assist with
  classroom accommodations as needed.
• In grades 6-8 students have a gifted class as
  part of their normal daily schedule. The class
  is a literature based class, taught by a
  certified gifted teacher. Other advanced classes
  are also available.
• In high school, a resource teacher is assigned to
  each school to assist students with scholarship
  applications, college planning and entrance
  testing, career planning, study skills, and
  critical and creative thinking. Advanced
  placement classes are also available.

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Other Information There is a great deal of more
in-depth information about Shelby Countys Gifted
Programs on the Shelby County website. Follow
this link to visit the web site http//www.shelby
ed.k12.al.us/instruction/advancedplacement_gifted/
gt_services.htmMiddle_School_Gifted_Education_Ser
vices
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Other Special Personnel Shelby County has an
Office of Gifted Education located at the Shelby
County Instructional Services Center (SCISC) Dr.
Lusia MacPherson is Supervisor of all Gifted
Programs and Advanced Placement Classes. Marty
Stringer is the Lead Teacher for Gifted
Programs. Kay Cantley and Gail Warren are the
Psychometrists responsible for all testing
associated with Gifted Programs.
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• Ways to Contact Leslie Wilson
• Office at Helena Elementary, 682-5543
• School email L3wilson_at_shelbyed.k12.al.us
• Fax number, Helena Elementary, 682-5545