Parents,
Welcome to the 2021/2022 School Year!
Our gifted program at Maynard Jackson High School offers opportunities that are different from middle schools and elementary schools in that we do not conduct student pullouts unless it is for an enrichment activity. AP/IB and specific Honors courses taught by gifted endorsed instructors are kept to a minimum of 21 students, and with a GA Dept. of Education waiver, which APS has, a maximum of 26 students when gifted students are scheduled in those courses. There may be instances where this classroom number is not feasible.
Historically, higher level/academic courses were conceptualized for gifted and high achieving students only. GA Department of Education requires that gifted students matriculate together with high achieving students if space in those courses is allowed after gifted students are placed. According to the Georgia Department of Education's Resource Manual:
Advanced Content Classes:
Advanced Placement (AP) courses (9-12), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in Diploma Program (11-12)
1. Students are homogeneously grouped on the basis of achievement and interest in a specific academic content area (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education, English/Language Arts, fine arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and world languages).
2. The district may elect to include students who are not identified as gifted but who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation in a particular content area.
3. The local board of education must maintain a description of the course curriculum which is based on the College Board or the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) framework. These frameworks very clearly show how the AP and IB advanced course content, teaching strategies, pacing skills, and assessments differ from the courses more typical for students at that grade level.
4. The total class size specified by the SBOE is 21 at the high school level. (APS has a waiver to increase the number to 26).
5. In order to count the gifted students in AP (grades 9 – 12) and IB (grades 11 and 12) classes at the gifted FTE weight, the teacher must have the following qualifications:
1. Advanced Placement (AP) Courses:
a. Appropriate content area GaPSC approved certification in the specific content area.
b. Appropriate training by the College Board in that specific AP course and must have completed a 10 clock hour professional development course in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or
c. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
2. International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Courses:
a. Appropriate content area GaPSC approved certification in the specific content area.
b. Appropriate authorized training by the IBO in the specific IB diploma course, and must have completed a 10 clock hour professional development course in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or
c. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
3. Gifted Honors and IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) Courses:
a. The teacher must have the appropriate content area GaPSC approved certificate in the specific honors course.
b. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
c. In addition to a Georgia Teaching License and gifted endorsement, the IBMYP teachers must complete the appropriate professional development courses required by IBO
SECTION VI GIFTED EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Curricula for gifted education learners must incorporate the SBOE approved curriculum. Local BOE curricula for gifted students shall focus on developing cognitive learning, research and reference, and metacognitive skills at each grade grouping, using principles of differentiation. Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2011). The model of differentiated instruction requires teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum (Hall, 2011).
A differentiated curriculum for gifted learners includes the following expectations:
Content: Complex and challenging subject matter that:
• Requires intellectual struggle
• Utilizes primary documents
• Integrates research skills and methods
• Incorporates relevant and real-life experiences
• Integrates interdisciplinary connections
Process: Instructional strategies are designed to:
• Emphasize higher-order thinking, problem-solving and communications skills
• Foster self-initiated and self-directed learning
• Promote creative application of ideas
• Model and encourage academic discussion
Product: Gifted student products should demonstrate a developmentally appropriate capacity for:
• Self-directed learning
• Meaningful collaboration
• Effective problem solving of challenging and complex issues
• Effective communication
• Social and emotional understanding of self relative to community, culture, and physical environment
Environmental: Physical setting and work conditions to:
• Change the actual place where students work
• Allow flexible time
• Provide opportunities for independent study and in-depth research
• Provide opportunities for mentorship
Assessment: Gifted learners need various methods and opportunities to document mastery of curriculum such as:
• Pre/post tests
• Self assessment through rubrics
• Creation of goal-based checklists
• Conferencing, commentary, and qualitative feedback (Cobb, 2012)
In other news:
When Lab Atlanta reopens, the opportunity for 10th grade gifted and high achieving students to attend a semester away from regular high school is another opportunity. The district usually pays the tuition.
Academic Decathlon and Quiz Bowl are also structured to enrich the needs of our gifted population. Parental encouragement to join these teams is highly recommended and needed.
Additionally, we usually attend team building field trips to Escape Rooms and also field trips to the GA Tech nanotechnology lab, but since the pandemic, those things have been placed aside until further notice.
Welcome to the 2021/2022 School Year!
Our gifted program at Maynard Jackson High School offers opportunities that are different from middle schools and elementary schools in that we do not conduct student pullouts unless it is for an enrichment activity. AP/IB and specific Honors courses taught by gifted endorsed instructors are kept to a minimum of 21 students, and with a GA Dept. of Education waiver, which APS has, a maximum of 26 students when gifted students are scheduled in those courses. There may be instances where this classroom number is not feasible.
Historically, higher level/academic courses were conceptualized for gifted and high achieving students only. GA Department of Education requires that gifted students matriculate together with high achieving students if space in those courses is allowed after gifted students are placed. According to the Georgia Department of Education's Resource Manual:
Advanced Content Classes:
Advanced Placement (AP) courses (9-12), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in Diploma Program (11-12)
1. Students are homogeneously grouped on the basis of achievement and interest in a specific academic content area (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education, English/Language Arts, fine arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and world languages).
2. The district may elect to include students who are not identified as gifted but who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation in a particular content area.
3. The local board of education must maintain a description of the course curriculum which is based on the College Board or the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) framework. These frameworks very clearly show how the AP and IB advanced course content, teaching strategies, pacing skills, and assessments differ from the courses more typical for students at that grade level.
4. The total class size specified by the SBOE is 21 at the high school level. (APS has a waiver to increase the number to 26).
5. In order to count the gifted students in AP (grades 9 – 12) and IB (grades 11 and 12) classes at the gifted FTE weight, the teacher must have the following qualifications:
1. Advanced Placement (AP) Courses:
a. Appropriate content area GaPSC approved certification in the specific content area.
b. Appropriate training by the College Board in that specific AP course and must have completed a 10 clock hour professional development course in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or
c. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
2. International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Courses:
a. Appropriate content area GaPSC approved certification in the specific content area.
b. Appropriate authorized training by the IBO in the specific IB diploma course, and must have completed a 10 clock hour professional development course in characteristics of gifted learners and curriculum differentiation for gifted students; or
c. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
3. Gifted Honors and IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) Courses:
a. The teacher must have the appropriate content area GaPSC approved certificate in the specific honors course.
b. The teacher has a current GaPSC issued gifted endorsement.
c. In addition to a Georgia Teaching License and gifted endorsement, the IBMYP teachers must complete the appropriate professional development courses required by IBO
SECTION VI GIFTED EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Curricula for gifted education learners must incorporate the SBOE approved curriculum. Local BOE curricula for gifted students shall focus on developing cognitive learning, research and reference, and metacognitive skills at each grade grouping, using principles of differentiation. Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2011). The model of differentiated instruction requires teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum (Hall, 2011).
A differentiated curriculum for gifted learners includes the following expectations:
Content: Complex and challenging subject matter that:
• Requires intellectual struggle
• Utilizes primary documents
• Integrates research skills and methods
• Incorporates relevant and real-life experiences
• Integrates interdisciplinary connections
Process: Instructional strategies are designed to:
• Emphasize higher-order thinking, problem-solving and communications skills
• Foster self-initiated and self-directed learning
• Promote creative application of ideas
• Model and encourage academic discussion
Product: Gifted student products should demonstrate a developmentally appropriate capacity for:
• Self-directed learning
• Meaningful collaboration
• Effective problem solving of challenging and complex issues
• Effective communication
• Social and emotional understanding of self relative to community, culture, and physical environment
Environmental: Physical setting and work conditions to:
• Change the actual place where students work
• Allow flexible time
• Provide opportunities for independent study and in-depth research
• Provide opportunities for mentorship
Assessment: Gifted learners need various methods and opportunities to document mastery of curriculum such as:
• Pre/post tests
• Self assessment through rubrics
• Creation of goal-based checklists
• Conferencing, commentary, and qualitative feedback (Cobb, 2012)
In other news:
When Lab Atlanta reopens, the opportunity for 10th grade gifted and high achieving students to attend a semester away from regular high school is another opportunity. The district usually pays the tuition.
Academic Decathlon and Quiz Bowl are also structured to enrich the needs of our gifted population. Parental encouragement to join these teams is highly recommended and needed.
Additionally, we usually attend team building field trips to Escape Rooms and also field trips to the GA Tech nanotechnology lab, but since the pandemic, those things have been placed aside until further notice.
Click the images for informational videos on gifted learners.
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