For gifted learners to make gains in their achievement, their instruction must incorporate supports and possibly accommodations including:

Special education supports and related services designed to meet the unique needs of the student and to enable growth in the general education curriculum and gains in academic achievement.

An Individualized Education Program, which includes goals aligned with and chosen to facilitate depth of grade-level and above academic standards.

Teachers and specialized instructional support personnel who are prepared and qualified to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, individualized instruction and support services.

Planning

In West Virginia, planning for services in grades 1 - 8 and Exceptional Gifted grades 9-12 is done through the Individualized Education Program (IEP). (Link to IEP planning guidance.) There is no set statewide or county-wide program; the IEP is individualized to the student's needs. However, generally, the focus of gifted programming is on;

Assessment

Present Levels

Goals

Services

Placement Options

     The three placement options in West Virginia are

General Education-Full-Time; the student's specially designed instruction is delivered outside general education classes for less than 21 percent of the school day; 80-100 percent in general education.
General Education-Part-Time; the student's specially designed instruction is delivered outside the general education classes for at least 21 percent but less than 60 percent of the school day; 40-79 percent in general education.
Separate Class; the student's specially designed instruction is delivered outside general classes for more than 60 percent of the school day; 0-30 percent in general education

     This determines the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). LRE is calculated using minutes per week in a special education environment divided by the total minutes in school (1650 min./week).

	Special Education Services
General Education - Full Time	20 or less percent in special education environment
General Education - Part Time	between 21 and 60 percent in special education environment
Special Education - Full Time	61 or more percent in special education environment

Delivery

     Special education services are either direct (D) or indirect (I). Direct service is instruction provided by the gifted education teacher in the special education environment or general education environment.

Location of Services
Special Education Environment (SEE)	General Education Environment (GEE)

     Rather than any single model, a continuum of service delivery methods should be available to meet the individual needs of each student identified as gifted.

More		>		Least
Separate class	Pull-out to resource room or center	Co-Teaching; Collaboration	Flexible Grouping in general class	Consultation

Separate Class (Advanced Studies, Reading/Language Arts, Math) - SEE

       A delivery model used to some extent in West Virginia, is the special class, usually in mathematics and reading/language arts, that is targeted for gifted/advanced-learners in those subject areas. The gifted education teacher must be "highly qualified" in the content area in order to be the teacher of record and confer grades. The per-period class size is limited to 15 students.

Pull-Out to Resource Room - SEE

     The most common delivery model in West Virginia is the pull-out to resource room model in which the student is pulled out of a general classroom for some time daily or weekly to work with the gifted education teacher on differentiated curriculum and to interact with other gifted students. Again, the per-period class size is limited to 15 students.

Co-Teaching with General Education Teachers - GEE

     Co-teaching occurs when a general education teacher and gifted education teacher teach in the same classroom, have common planning time and provide common assessments. Within the co-teaching model, there are different methods:

Team Teaching;
Parallel Teaching;
Station Teaching and
Alternative Teaching.

The gifted education teacher who is co-teaching in a core academic area is required to be highly qualified in the core content area being taught.

Collaboration with General Education Teachers - GEE

     Collaboration means a style of interaction in which two or more teachers work together to differentiate instruction in the general classroom to ensure all students have opportunities to make gains in learning. It must be positive, productive and meaningful for those relationships to be effective in improving instruction and better meeting the needs of gifted learners. The collaborative gifted education teacher is not the teacher of record in the content area.

Flexible Grouping in the General Classroom - GEE

     In the general classroom, students may be grouped by ability, skill, interest, learning styles. Sometimes the groups may be teacher-selected and other times student-selected. Sometimes groups will be assigned according to purpose of the activity or role of the group in a particular activity. Movement among groups is an everyday occurence. Flexible grouping removes the stigma of being singled out as gifted. It still allows for quick mastery of skills and additional exploration of content to greater depth and breadth. It also provides opportunities for collaborative work with a variety of peers.

Consultation with General Education Teachers - GEE

     Another delivery option is consultation in which the gifted education teacher provides assistance to the general educator in selecting, modifying, designing materials, providing instructional strategies, providing management and evaluation procedures, and monitoring/evaluating student progress. The consultative gifted education teacher is not the teacher of record in the content area.

Independent Study

     Independent study allows the student to conduct research and to investigate real-world issues or concerns. In-depth study into a topic that interests a student has no limits. While independent study is self-directed, it is teacher-planned and monitored. It should go beyond reporting and allow the student to become a first-hand inquirer; perhaps taking a role such as a reporter for the local news or an expert in the field of study. Including a current events layer also adds meaning to the study.

     Independent study is not just relegating the student to some out-of-the-way spot in the classroom. It is carefully planned and frequently monitored by the teacher. Gifted learners are not always "model" students.

Mentorships

     A student is linked with a specific person who is experienced and/or knowledgeable in the particular field of study. The mentor gives advice, guides in acquisition of knowledge, oversees experiences in the field of study and helps the student to succeed.

Seminars

     The Socratic method of teaching is one in which the teacher or leader asks a sequence of questions designed to lead the students to think and, through answering the questions, arrive at the desired knowledge.

     The art of "Socratic Questioning" involves over-arching questions that support thinking skills and help students see connections between the subjects and gain a deeper understanding. See also "The Taxonomy of Socratic Questioning," created by Richard Paul.

Learning or Interest Centers

     Learning centers are different areas in the classroom where students may work independently or in small groups on a collection of activities and materials that are designed to teach, reinforce or extend a particular skill or concept. The center may include a computer with internet access. Distance learning may also take place in a learning center.

Distance Learning