Kindergarten through Grade 5 (Elementary Campuses)

Q:  My student has been nominated for GT testing, and I have signed permission to test. 
      When will my student be tested, and will I be informed of the day they are to be tested?

A:  When a parent signs permission to test, they consent for the assessment to be 
      administered to their students within the testing administration window. The Office of 
      Advanced Academic Services works with principals to set dates for the assessments to 
      be administered. It is not common practice to notify students or parents about the exact time 
      of testing at each campus. The purpose of the assessments is to determine overall 
      reasoning and creative skills, and are not tests for which one studies or prepares. 

Q:  Since our gifted children in Kindergarten through grade 5 have been successful with a 
      special time of the week for their services, why should we change to cluster grouping?

A:  Research (Rogers 1991) has shown that academic growth of gifted students occurs 
      when they are clustered together.  That research, along with the fact that gifted people 
      are gifted all the time (not just on one day a week), influenced the decision to provide 
      gifted learners with the most appropriate setting for learning. 

Q:  Who will teach our gifted children?

A:  Principals have been offered information about characteristics of teachers who are 
      appropriate for teaching gifted learners.  Principals will select the most qualified teachers 
      for this population.  In addition to a variety of personal characteristics, each teacher 
      must have completed 30 hours of Professional Development in Gifted Education, plus 
      they are required to complete 6 hours every year after the original 30 hours.

Q:  What is the curriculum for our children?

A:  State law requires that the teacher modify the regular curriculum (Texas Essential 
      Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) through depth, complexity, and pacing.  Teachers will use 
      the CSCOPE curriculum that all teachers use and differentiate (modify) it in ways 
      mandated by state law.  For example, they will pre-test students when they start a unit 
      to determine if they already know all or parts of the content to determine how quickly 
      or how much time they will spend on the TEKS for that unit.  This allows them to 
      use curriculum compacting, a term that means that students learn what they do not 
      know at a faster pace.  Curriculum compacting will free the teacher and students to 
      spend more time on new learning at greater depth and in more complex ways.

      Students will also complete the Texas Performance Standards Projects (TPSP). TPSP is 
      curriculum provided by the state that is designed for gifted learners.  It is similar to the 
      units students have been working on in their G/T classes in past years, but provides 
      opportunity for students to go deeper into a study and to look at it in more complex 
      ways.  It also requires greater depth in research while, at the same time, teaching 
      students how to research.  Teachers will infuse TPSP into the regular curriculum and/or 
      provide it to students when they have met the TEKS for a unit of study.

      All student work will be evaluated through rubrics on a regular basis.  The curriculum 
      will be evaluated throughout the year to ensure that your gifted child’s academic 
      growth is accelerated as required.

Q:  Will the gifted students still be required to participate in History and Science Fairs?

A:  No and yes.  History Fair and Science Fair are not required of gifted students, but 
      both will be encouraged and can fulfill their participation in the APP.  The phenomenal 
      success in these competitions demands that we continue both for those who wish to 
      participate.  Academic UIL competitions, Destination Imagination, and all other 
      competitions will be continued according to the interests and needs of students.  The 
      nature of gifted children is that they are often very competitive.  In that light, all 
      academic competitions will be encouraged. 

Pre-Advanced (Pre-Adv) and Advanced Placement (AP) (Middle and High School Campuses)

Q:  When middle and high school gifted/talented students are served through Pre-Adv or AP 
      courses and students who are not identified as gifted/talented are in the class, must 
      the Pre-Adv/AP teacher differentiate the curriculum for the gifted/talented students?

A:  Yes. Teachers who are using flexible grouping for instruction and product development, 
      giving choices in assignments, and establishing a student-centered classroom with lots 
      of student-to-student interaction are providing differentiated instruction. One of the 
      reasons for requiring PAP/AP teachers to have professional development in nature and 
      needs of gifted/talented students and assessing student needs is so they will be able to 
      recognize a need for differentiation and provide it as needed. Teachers will want to add 
      depth and complexity appropriate for gifted/talented students and differentiate for those 
      who need it. (Source: Texas Education Agency)

Q:  Can Pre-Adv be used to service gifted/talented students?

A:  Yes, but remember that Pre-Adv is designed to increase the pool of students who will be 
      successful in AP classes in the 11th and 12th grades. It is, therefore, a curriculum that 
      is used to strengthen the educational program of all students in middle and high school. 
      Following this philosophy, it would be necessary for a district to differentiate Pre-Adv the 
      way any general curriculum would be modified for gifted/talented students. (Source: 
      Texas Education Agency)