Gifted Students in School: Part Three
There are a few ways Scottsdale and Paradise Valley School Districts meet the needs of their gifted learners who either elect not to be or do not qualify to be in the self-contained gifted program.
Cluster Grouping
Kindergarten-2nd grade: If your child does not qualify for the self-contained gifted program but did receive a score of 97% or higher on one area of the test, they will be placed in cluster grouping with other gifted students in a mixed ability classroom and with a teacher who has a gifted endorsement during their elementary years. In actuality, the amount of differentiated instruction the teacher is able to or willing to provide for your child will vary greatly by teacher. Due to the many requirements placed on the regular classroom teacher sometimes gifted students will be overlooked in this setup. It will be up to the parents to advocate for their child to ensure they are being appropriately challenged. It is for this reason that many parents of identified gifted students who don’t qualify for the self-contained option begin to search outside the public schools to meet the needs of their child. School Match can help guide you in this process.
Content Replacement
3rd-5th grade Scottsdale Unified: If your student has qualified in the quantitative portion of the test, the gifted teacher will be their math teacher of record instead of the regular classroom teacher. This class will move at a faster pace, (sometimes up to one year ahead), may use different textbooks, and students may have the opportunity to participate in additional opportunities such as Math Olympiad.
4th-5th grade grade Scottsdale Unified: If your student has qualified in the verbal section of the test they will begin to receive classroom instruction in Language Arts by the gifted specialist at the school site instead of their classroom teacher. This class will move at a faster pace, will incorporate different novel studies, and different curriculum materials may be used.
4th-6th grade Paradise Valley Schools: If your student has qualified in the quantitative and verbal subject areas they will begin receiving their math and/or Language Arts instruction by a certified gifted teacher instead of the regular classroom teacher. These classes will move at a faster pace, incorporate different curriculum materials, and students may be exposed to additional opportunities such as math competitions.
If your child qualified in just the non-verbal section of the state approved test, the individual school would help determine if they would receive content replacement in math or Language Arts.
Honors Options for High Achieving Students
If you have a child who is highly motivated, high achieving, and/or extremely bright, but has not qualified for gifted services, you want to ensure they are being appropriately challenged while at school. After all, every child should be able to make one year of academic gain. Your child’s individual teacher will have a lot to do with how much differentiation your child receives in order to keep them challenged. Unfortunately, teachers often have to focus on the “average” student because those students make up the majority of the population. Students who are needing a little extra help will also need to receive assistance in order to master the grade level curriculum. It is for this reason that many high achieving students can get overlooked in the regular classroom.
Charter schools do tend to work at a faster pace than many public elementary schools, especially in the area of math. Sometimes the curriculum they use can focus more on rote learning in the younger grades, and it usually is accompanied by an increased amount of homework. It is important to extensively research these options, or reach out to School Match, to see if your child is a good candidate and fits the mold of the charter school model you may be considering.
Scottsdale Unified School District does not currently offer any honors courses at the elementary level for those students who are high achieving but not identified as gifted. Cheyenne Traditional School does offer an elevated grading scale and uses different curriculum at the elementary level for math and Language Arts. This may meet the needs of your high achieving student.
Paradise Valley Schools offers several honors pull out options for reading and math for students who are highly motivated and strong in these subjects but did not qualify for gifted services. Some of these schools are Sonoran Sky, Grayhawk, and Desert Trails Elementary Schools. How these programs look and are administered varies based on the individual school.
If you need help navigating the myriad of learning options available to you, School Match is here to help assist your family.. Whether it’s narrowing down the field, explaining the best options, or helping you find the different programs, please reach out to us today to help you feel more empowered during your school search.
