Gifted Education and Talent Pool

What is Talent Pool?

Talent Pool is an enrichment period for students who are talented or gifted.

Talent Pool is offered to students in grades 2-9.  Talent Pool offersacceleration and enrichment options appropriate for the student’s needs and developmental appropriateness.

Mrs. Loretta Raycroft teaches talent Pool.

How are student chosen for Talent Pool?

There is a criterion for entrance into Talent Pool:

Step One:            Teacher recommendation

Step Two:            Screening by Talent Pool Teacher

Step Three:            Record Review

Step Four:            Parent Input

Entrance into Talent Pool is with parent permission only.

Once into Talent Pool how is a student tested for Gifted Support?

The talent pool teachers screen students upon entrance.

In addition to teacher recommendation, record review, parent recommendation the student is given further screening devices on creativity and achievement.

All screening device results are assigned a specific number of points.  If the student earns 11 points on the screening he/she is sent to psychologist for further evaluation.  The IQ score the child earns determines the qualification of gifted.   

Philosophy of Talent Pool

The key to challenging the gifted and talented student is the connection between instruction and individual cognitive and affective behaviors. The emphasis in special programs for these students should be on the stimulation of the cognitive processes of creativity, originality, problem solving, and complexity.

Kids need to be kids first.  Extra work is not piled onto students through talent pool.  Enrichment opportunities are available.  The district utilizes horizontal enrichment at the elementary level and horizontal and vertical enrichment at the middle and senior high school.  Most activities in talent pool are project based and are completed individually or in a small group.  All levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are touched upon in talent pool.

Extra Curricular Activities Encouraged by Gifted/Talented Program

Odyssey of the Mind

Envirothon

Math 24

Quiz Bowl

Reading Competition