Welcome GT Parents

1. Welcome GT Parents

2. Welcome!GT Services Parent NightMcAuliffe Elementary • Please be sure you have signed in, outside the room September 4, 2014 GT Facilitator: Holly Plunkett plunketth@lisd.net

3. Gifted and Talented Services in LISD is notan accelerated program. It is an enrichment/ thinking skills program. Students participate in lessons and activities that are designed to nurture and build the potential they have demonstrated. Services are an individualized program based on pull-out, push-in and enrichment services. Does it look the same from campus to campus? …………What does that mean, you may be asking?

4. Testing Identification Services to Develop GT Potential Program for Identified GT Full & Provisional Placement NNAT2 Screening K, 3rd GT Services LEAP Pull Out District Curriculum Planned Experiences K, 1st, 2nd Cluster Classrooms Watch Lists Potential GT Push In and Enrichment Services Teacher Training & Support

5. What Enrichment Is and Is Not • Is applying and associating learning to other areas • Is learning concepts and generalizations • Is complex thinking • Is student-determined readiness • Is problem seeking • Is learning things as they should or they could be • Is not accumulating and regurgitating info about one area • Is not learning facts or my child can read really well • Is not harder, busy work • Is not grade or age-level expectations • Is not question answering • Is not learning things only as they are

6. GT Mission Statement Through the establishment of a secure and free learning environment, GT students continuously seek out challenges to discover, develop and leverage capacity through making deep connections, developing social consciousness, and effectively collaborating and communicating with others.

7. Grade Level GT Services Kinder1st2nd3rd5th 4th 5th • Second semester: NNAT2 screening • 4 Planned Experiences • Enrichment • services • Push in for • all students • 3 Planned Experiences • Enrichment • services • Push in for • all students • 2 Planned Experiences • Test • referrals; testing begins 2nd semester • Enrichment • services for Full, Provisional, Watch as needed • Test referrals • Fall NNAT2 screening for all students • Pull out district curriculum for Full and Provisional as needed per student • Enrichment • services for Full, Push-in, Provisional, Watch as needed • Test referrals • Pull out district curriculum for Full and Provisional as needed per student • Enrichment • services for Full, Push-in, Provisional, Watch as needed • Test referrals • Pull out district curriculum for Full and Provisional as needed per student • Enrichment • services for Full, Push-in Provisional, Watch as needed

8. Dear Parents / Guardians, I’m so excited about our upcoming year!  I am looking forward to another great year of supporting the GT students in and out of the classrooms in so many ways. I have made some improvements to our program curriculum that will, hopefully, meet your student’s unique educational, social and emotional needs. This comes from a combination of research on the needs of GT students and our most recent GT PLC meeting. Basically it is developing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Service Model to meet each student’s needs. Instead of looking at the students in mass, I am looking at each child individually, and I believe this is the best scenario for each of them. Placement is data driven so it really caters to each student. When looking at the score portion of the data, Aptitude and Achievement were from tests given to your child for qualification for the GT program. STAAR scores were from this past spring’s administration. I’ve attached a copy of your student’s 2014-2015 GT Services and Curriculum Plan, along with their most recent test scores, for your review and signature.  Curriculum placement is based primarily on most recent test scores. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me through email to set up an appointment. My schedule is different everyday, so feel free to send me an email and I will be glad to set up a conference if you would like to discuss anything. In order to begin GT classroom participation, your student must bring their signed GT Services and Curriculum Plan and a binder to their first class.   This year, as in years past, the binders will be used to store ongoing work. As always, GT report cards will be sent home with classroom report cards.   Again, I am so happy to be working with your precious student this year!  I know how special each and every one of them is and sincerely hope to provide the best enrichment opportunities for their unique educational, social, and emotional needs in the most nurturing and supportive environment possible. Sincerely, Holly Plunkett McAuliffe Elementary GT Facilitator plunketth@lisd.net

9. McAuliffe Elementary School 2014-2015 Gifted and Talented Services and Curriculum Plan August 2014 Student:                    Grade: This student qualifies for the following checked campus GT services: ____   LISD GT Cluster Classrooms GT Cluster Classrooms are grade level classrooms lead by a GT trained teacher with a minimum of three GT students in the class.  Advanced level curriculum differentiation is provided as needed.   Placement Criteria: Identified GT ____   LISD Planned Experiences: Grades K-2 Planned Experiences are lessons designed to develop and reveal advanced creative and critical thinking skills. They are presented and assessed by the campus GT facilitator in grade level classrooms. Placement Criteria:  K-2 students, including identified GT ____   McAuliffe Curriculum Enrichment: Grades 3-5 Curriculum Enrichment provided through the regular classroom teacher. Additional supplements given through the GT Facilitator as needed. Placement Criteria: Identified with one recent Superior (96%+) aptitude score, Level II and III STAAR scores. ____   McAuliffe Curriculum Enrichment: Grades 3-5 Curriculum Enrichment provided through the regular classroom teacher. Additional supplements given through the GT Facilitator as needed. Curriculum Enrichment projects are nine week, individual and small group Project Based Learning (PBL) units designed to explore areas of interest within the grade level core curriculum. Projects are initiated and developed in the GT classroom, presented in the regular classroom, and assessed by the regular classroom teacher.   Placement Criteria: Identified GT with one recent Superior (96%+) aptitude score, High (87%+) achievement scores, Level II and III STAAR scores, Level II and III STAAR scores, and interest in core curriculum enrichment PBL projects. ____   LISD GT Performance Standards Projects: Grades 3-5 LISD GT Performance Standards Projects (PSP) are nine week, rigorous, advanced level research units, designed to develop sophisticated products and/or performances in areas of interest beyond the core curriculum.  Projects are initiated, developed, and assessed in the GT classroom.  Topics include the following: Grade 3    Expressions, Media Analysis, Unsolved Mysteries, Surviving Disasters Grade 4    Overcoming Adversity, Signs & Symbols, Design, More Bang for My Buck Grade 5    Perceptions of Self, Leaders & Communication, Innovations, Make a Difference Placement Criteria: Identified GT with recent Superior (96%+) aptitude scores, Superior achievement scores, Advanced Level III STAAR scores, and demonstrated self-motivation needed for completion of independent, advanced level projects.

10. McAuliffe Schedule Kindergarten Monday: Lewis : 12:45-1:30 Stanton: 1:30-2:15 Wednesday : Kids: 9:30-10:15 Friday: See : 8:30-9:15 1st Friday 9:15-10:00 2nd Monday 9:45-10:30 Friday 10:00-10:45 Monday 10:30-11:30 Genius Hour 3rdOpen to all GT Students Monday 8:00-9:30 Wednesday 1:30-2:45 4th Tuesday 8:00-10:45 1:45-2:45 5th Thursday 8:30-1:00

11. Capacities/Themes of theGifted and Talented Service Model • Creativity • Communication • Critical Thinking • Self Awareness • Research

12. Guiding Concepts provide affective growth, help distinguish curriculum, and support our curriculum beliefs. The concepts are: • Responsibility • Justice & Fairness • Perseverance • Integrity • Compassion • Discernment • Voice

13. Research • Will be naturally integrated in LISD Gifted and Talented Curriculum throughout each grade level • Learning and applying research skills in a proper developmental sequence. A “Trophy paper” is not the goal, but there will be some type of written product/project. • 3rd-5th grade will culminate at the end of each 9 week unit with a performance task for assessment and learning- for ex. go to www.texaspsp.org/about.php

14. First Grade First Grade- Introduce FEFO (Fluency, Elaboration, Flexibility and Originality) There is an emphasis on creativity, however logical and critical thinking skills are also practiced. We use manipulatives such as pentominoes, attribute blocks and tangrams to stimulate spatial and critical thinking.

15. What is FEFO?? It is an acronym using Creative Thinking Activities in every grade level. (emphasis in K-2) • Fluency- activities that produce a large quantity of ideas or responses • Elaboration- activities that expand upon a single idea by adding detail or making changes to make it more interesting and complete • Flexibility- activities that result in thinking of alternative ideas or categories of ideas and change one’s way of thinking about a given situation. • Originality- activities that produce unique and novel ideas and responses

16. Second Grade • Thinking skills utilizing Bloom’s Taxonomy (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation) • Logic and Critical Thinking • FEFO • Structure Analysis

17. Third Grade • 1st 9 weeks- Expressions/Self Awareness and awareness of others • 2nd 9 weeks- Media Analysis/Communication • 3rd 9 weeks- Unsolved Mysteries (Enigmas)/Critical Thinking • 4th 9 weeks- Surviving Disasters/Research and problem Solving

18. Fourth Grade • 1st 9 weeks- Adversity/Self-Awareness and awareness of others • 2nd 9 weeks- Symbols/Communication-exploring symbols in our culture and others and how they can cause conflict and force change • 3rd 9 weeks- Design/Critical Thinking-identifying main elements and principles of design; Examining design and determining its structure and function • 4th 9 weeks-”More Bang for my Buck”- students will conduct an investigation into a humanitarian effort in order to answer the question “What can I do to make a change in my world”?

19. Fifth Grade • 1st 9 weeks- Perceptions of Self/Self Awareness-explore perceptions of a person’s image and develop a greater self awareness that enables better understanding of outside influences on perceptions of themselves • 2nd 9 weeks- How Leaders use Communication- explore communication and reasons to utilize effective communication skills • 3rd 9 weeks- Innovations/Critical Thinking -Creativity- innovations found in the genre of science fiction • 4th 9 weeks- Make a Difference- Research on a problem in the world in which the student will create an original solution

20. Gifted and Talented Grades GT grades are evaluated on Creative, Critical and Logical thinking skills as well as various types of Research skills. You may not see a grade in every category every 6 weeks depending on the focus that grading period. E - Exceeds Expectations M - Meets Expectations (the goal!) S - Still Progressing N – Needs Improvement *report card change

21. Before you leave, please be sure to: • Sign in on sign in sheet and please put current email address. • Thank you- I look forward to a great year!

22. http://schoolweb.lisd.net/schoolweb3/course/view.php?id=2838http://mcauliffe.lisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=223684&type=uhttp://schoolweb.lisd.net/schoolweb3/course/view.php?id=2838http://mcauliffe.lisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=223684&type=u My Website Parents, if you get an opportunity to view this video, I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s about 11 minutes long. Sir Ken Robinson is among the world's elite thinkers when it comes to creativity and innovation. He has another video clip on creativity that has been a link on my website if you haven’t had a chance to see it also. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U