Gifted and Talented Education at Terman Middle School
Coordinator: Dr. Dey Rose
Resources

"The GATE program (Gifted And Talented Education) provides challenging curriculum and instruction to gifted and talented students in California capable of achieving significantly beyond the level of their peers."
- California Department of Education

Addressing curriculum and instruction issues for GATE students is an important topic at Terman and in PAUSD generally. We are always pursuing best practices for delivering challenging and meaningful instruction to all students, including those who demonstrate exceptional ability in one or more subjects.

In PAUSD, middle school students are placed in heterogeneous classrooms, and are challenged at their particular level of ability through a kind of instruction called “differentiation.” Differentiation means that a GATE student would be discreetly offered curriculum choices that s/he might find more challenging than the standard material. It happens within the classroom, provided by the teachers, usually without the student even being aware of it. It’s not extra work, but rather options in a unit or project that go deeper or wider, or that allow the student to pursue a special interest. Often, the options are available to any student who is interested, allowing self-challenge for everyone.

PAUSD offers professional development that aids teachers in continuing to develop the highest quality of instruction for all our students. At Terman, we implement these teaching strategies as well as attend staff development days devoted to the topic and share best practices among and between our teams of teachers. We also continue to gather information about what teachers are already doing in their classrooms, which we know to be considerable and thoughtful. That is, we know teachers are already doing a lot-- but we continue to pursue improvement and progress.

There are also many extra-curricular opportunities available to provide additional educational experiences. As your student gets to know Terman, s/he might want to get involved in one or more of these activities. These include, but are not limited to:

• spelling bees
• geography bees
• science “bowls”
• theatrical performances and plays
• Terman’s “Tiger Tales,” a collection of students’ artwork and writing
• “tech day” challenges

Identifying 6th graders who are gifted and talented provides important information to teachers, so that they can offer them appropriate instructional opportunities. This identification becomes a part of the student's "Cumulative" file, the record of their life as a student. These files are kept in the Guidance office, and are available primarily to counselors and administrators. Teachers can see them if they need to.

All teachers are given a confidential list of GATE-identified students so that they can tailor instruction as appropriate. Differentiated practice tends to happen as an ongoing part of instruction in all subjects.

When your student graduates from Terman, the “Cum” file follows to high school. And, on the high school level, teachers have access to the computer records, which is where they can see the GATE identification. High School offers tiered classes such as Advanced Placement courses in many subjects.

In other words, once the identification is made, it stays in your child's records for the remainder of their school life. But those records are confidential and accessible only by professionals who work with your child. The identification is useful primarily for teachers so that we can provide the best possible educational experience for your child.

Below are links to articles, contests, and information about gifted students and their needs.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/gt
California state web site on Gifted Education

http://www.cagifted.org
         California Association for the Gifted

http://www.nagc.org
National Association for the Gifted

http://epgy.stanford.edu
         Website for Stanford’s education Program for Gifted Youth – year-round, rigorous computer-based, academic courses offered through a distance learning program.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org
An excellent resource for families. Click on "Kids & Teens" for
    reading lists, contests, and more.

http://www.giftedadvocate.org
Local, regional and national educational resources and referrals

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/ed.gifted.html
 Dozens of articles for parents and teachers about topics from   
             stress management to fostering creativity.

http://www.mensa.org/workout2.php
  A challenging quiz from Mensa, the international organization for
    those with high IQs.

updated 10-25-2006

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