Welcome to the Prospect School Talent Development Program. I am looking forward to getting to know your child and having him or her be part of our Talent program.
I have prepared this booklet for you knowing that our first conference can't possibly answer all the questions or cover all the parts of our program. I welcome your support and want you to know that I am always available for a conference should you have a question, concern, or suggestion about your child or the Talent Development Program in general.
Please remember that as we talk of philosophy, program goals, curriculum objectives, etc., I will use some of the educational terminology and jargon that rightfully belongs with gifted education. But it is your child as a whole, loving, living, fun, sensitive, caring, tough, fragile, and capable person that we are trying to support and develop.
- Sincerely,
- John Memmott
- 440-774-4421 (Prospect School)
- 440-775-2288 (Home phone)
- 440-774-4492 (fax)
- john.memmott@oberlin.edu (email)
PHILOSOPHY
The ultimate goal of the Oberlin Public Schools is to provide an environment in which all students may have the opportunities to develop to their fullest potential. We recognize that there are students whose individual abilities, needs and differences need to be met with special learning programs. We believe all students can learn, that students both acquire knowledge and apply it in different ways, that the responsibility for education is shared by all of us, including the community, that diverse instructional strategies and environments can improve and expand learning, and that learning is lifelong. We believe that the curriculum and school experience should address the breadth, depth, and pace of learning. The Talent Development Program is one of several special education programs that are part of the total learning environment provided for Oberlin school students. The Talent Development Program provides the opportunities for the intellectually, academically, and creatively talented whose abilities, needs, interests, and readiness require a differentiated learning program from that of their peers. The emphasis of the program is on experiences and learning that prepares these students to be effective and self actualized, contributing members of our community and of society.
The Oberlin Talent Development Program is intended to identify and effectively serve students with exhibited or potential giftedness in three primary areas. They are: superior cognitive ability, overall academic ability, and creative/productive thinking ability.
The three ways students may qualify for placement in the Talent Development Program are:
1. All students who have a minimum score of 126 on the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) or the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, a composite achievement score of at least the 95th percentile on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) or the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, and documented superior performance (a weighted checklist having a score of at least 80% of the possible points completed by the most recent classroom teacher) qualify for the program as having superior cognitive ability.
2. All students who have a Torrance Test of Creative Thinking score of 120 or above, a minimum score of 115 on the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) or the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, and documented superior creative behavior (a weighted checklist having a score of at least 80% of the possible points completed by the most recent classroom teacher) qualify for the program as having superior creative thinking ability.
3. If the combined total of the above two groups does not equal fifteen percent of the class membership, students who have composite scores at or above the 95th percentile on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) or the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery will be placed into the program as having overall academic ability without consideration to either the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS), the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, or documented superior performance.
GENERAL PROGRAM GOALS 1. The student will develop higher-level thinking skills, including critical thinking, divergent thinking, logical reasoning, and creative problem-solving.
2. The student will develop the ability to relate to self and others.
3. The student will develop oral, written, and artistic expression skills.
4. The student will develop the necessary skills for in-depth research and guided independent study.
5. The student will develop an awareness that the future is one that is capable of being shaped, not fixed or given.
CLASSROOM RULES 1. Come prepared for class.
2. No put-downs, teasing, sarcasm, or "ZAPS" aimed at others or yourself.
3. There is no such thing as a dumb question, or a dumb answer.
4. Share your strengths.
5. Accept your limitations. It's okay to say, "I don't know."
6. Take risks. Try new things in here. This is the place to "bomb out."
7. If you don't understand, ask. If you still don't understand, ask again.
8. If you don't agree, say so, and explain your thoughts.
9. Don't criticize people personally. Agree or disagree with their ideas.
10. It's good to have a mind of your own, to be different, to be yourself.
11. None of us are perfect.
GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The children who are identified as gifted and are placed in Oberlin's Talent Development Program need and require a differentiated learning program to meet their needs. We have developed a program that we feel is very responsive to our students, our community, and our educational philosophy of the school system as a whole.
Our school philosophy strongly supports heterogeneous groupings. All of our special education programs are mainstreamed. We believe that a resource room concept best meets Oberlin students' needs. Children come to our resource room for five hours a week. Usually that five hours comprises two half school days during the week. The rest of their instructional time is spent with their regular classroom.
The curriculum we have developed for our gifted students doesn't have a magical quality by itself. The exceptional way these students learn is within themselves. It is their responses and the curriculum and the time in their lives when the talent curriculum is introduced and mastered that make the difference in developing their full potential.
It is recognized that many of the objectives found in the Talent Development Program scope and sequence are also addressed in the regular classroom curriculum. It is recommended that gifted learners be introduced and challenged to these skills earlier and with more intensity.
Our curriculum scope and sequence has been developed to meet nine program goals. They include the following: Divergent Thinking, Creative Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Logical Reasoning, Interpersonal Relationships, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Research Methods, and Future Perspectives. A typical class in our program would encompass lessons from several objectives from the various curriculum program goals.
EVALUATION The Talent Development Program is characterized by a commitment to the development of higher levels of thinking and advanced levels of awareness, interest, and other affective behaviors. This presents unique problems as these objectives cannot be measured as easily and precisely as those which deal mainly with the acquisition of basic skills.
Student evaluation provides a basis for decision making regarding both student achievement and program effectiveness. It includes pre-assessments, formative, and summative assessments.
Pre-assessments help determine the appropriate entry level in each curriculum unit. Formative assessments are made during instruction and help determine the pace at which the individual student can progress through the activities. Summative assessment is made following a block of instruction and indicates whether the student has acquired and successfully applied the skills and/or objectives.
Evaluation will be done with a variety of tools depending on the type of assessment, the cognitive complexity, and affective objectives being measured. Evaluation methods and techniques used will include, but not be limited to:
- tests - formal and informal
- conferences
- essays and research papers
- demonstrations
- discussion
- games and puzzles
- completion of project work
- oral presentation
- student self-evaluation
- attitude inventories
- student peer-evaluation
- video taping
- formal and informal teacher observations
Grades for performance in the Talent Development Program will not appear on the student's report card. Students will do quarterly self-evaluations judging their progress in the attainment of program and personal goals during that particular quarter. The teacher will also participate in that evaluation. These evaluations will be shared with the student's parents during parent-teacher conferences and/or a copy will be sent home with the report card. A parent with a concern or question is encouraged at any time to contact the teacher to schedule a conference.
REMOVAL PROCEDURE Initial placement in the Talent Development Program during the first three quarters of attendance is on a temporary basis. At the end of two quarters of attendance, an informal evaluation will occur that will include the child's maintenance of the following: reading skills, math skills, writing skills, and homework production. This evaluation will be made by the Talent Development Program teacher and the classroom teacher(s) to determine if continuation in the Talent Development Program is in the best interest of the child.
At the end of the first two quarters, if participation in the Talent Development Program has been beneficial to the child's development and has not interfered with the child's progress in the basic skills areas, the child will be regularly assigned to the Talent Development Program.
Occasionally the parent(s), classroom teacher, child, or the Talent Development Program teacher may feel that the child's placement in the Talent Development Program does not meet the child's educational needs. When it is necessary to phase a child out of the Talent Development Program the following procedure will be followed:
1. A conference with the parent(s), classroom teacher(s), principal, and the Talent Development Program teacher will be held to evaluate the child's functioning and needs. The child may be asked to be involved in this conference. The school psychologist may also be asked to be involved in this conference.
2. The principal will review the information, determine whether continuation in the Talent Development Program is in the best interest of the child, and, if necessary, remove the child from the Talent Development Program.
3. If the principal removes the child from the Talent Development Program the principal will indicate that decision in writing. Copies of this decision will be sent to the parent(s), classroom teacher(s), and the Talent Development Program teacher. The child will be reviewed quarterly for possible readmission for a period of four quarters.
4. Parents may appeal the principal's decision to the superintendent or his/her designee.
MATERIALS REQUIRED Students are expected to bring pencils, paper, and crayons or markers when they come to the Talent Development Program room.
All students will need a large backdrop mat board for the Independent Study Project. The backdrop mat board may be purchased through the Talent Development Program teacher (a note with the particulars about the backdrop will be coming home in November).
EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL ACTIVITIES
During the 1996-97 school year Talent Development Program students:
Did weekly Challenge problems for research skills practice
Wrote daily in Journals
Used the KidMail computer program to practice telecommunications and electronic mail skills
Did Thinkathon activities for analogy, language, categorizing, brainstorming, memory practice, hypothesizing, comparison, and logic skills
Used computers for all projects needing word processing
Assembled an Independent Study research project (3rd and 4th grade groups worked in small teams of 2-4 students - 5th grade worked individually)
Produced a video introduction to Prospect School
Researched a city that they have never visited but which they would like to sometime in the future - planning all travel and tourism activities and creating an expense budget
Participated in a telecommunications research project called "A Day in the Life..." - recording actual hourly events in a particular day, word processing the notes, sharing their findings with a global audience over the internet (http://youth.net/ditl/ditl.html), and comparing their local timelines with those of other international students
Participated in a national telecommunications geography research game called "Geogame" - locating a list of cities using clues unique to each city
Practiced Odyssey of the Mind style spontaneous problem solving
Produced giant wall murals based upon photographed scenes from Prospect School
Designed a perfect pizza (all grades) and the perfect sandwich (5th grade only)
Wrote letters to the students in the next year's Talent Development Program sharing observations and suggestions concerning the program
Created Time Capsules at the start of the school year which were opened and examined at the end of the school year
PARENT INVOLVEMENT Periodically the Talent Development Program teacher will be sending home newsletters requesting or suggesting some form of parent help. This help could be in the form of hands-on assistance for a special activity being done in the Talent room, an extra adult to accompany a group on a field trip, sharing a special occupational skill that a parent might have with the class, or the donation of materials that we need for a special project.
INTERESTING / IMPORTANT DATES
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
Gifted and Talented (TAG) Resources Home Page
The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
Gifted and Talented (from Millville School, Millville, Utah)
Yahoo! - Education:K-12:Gifted Youth
National Association for Gifted Children
A Day in the Life of a Student (Youth Net project from last year)
From Now On: Education, Technology, Information, Virtual Museums, Oldies & Goodies, Planning, Staff Development, Consulting, ZINE, Poetry, Electronic Publishing, Futures, Site-Based Decisions, Parents, Kids, Parenting, Gallery
Pitsco's Launch to Gifted and Talented Resources
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
OH! Kids: part of the Ohio Public Information Network (OPLIN)
OPLIN (Ohio Public Library Information Network) Homepage
Ohio Standards for Education includes the requirements and standards for general and Gifted/Talented public schools in Ohio
OHIOGIFT
Local mailing list for discussion of issues specific to gifted education in Ohio. To subscribe send a mail message with "subscribe ohiogift firstname lastname" in the body (not the subject) of the message to listserv@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
gtot-l
Mailing list for gifted tots (generally under 6 years of age). To subscribe send a mail message with "subscribe" in the subject (not the body) of the message to GTOT-L-REQUEST@eskimo.com for a regular subscription, or send it to gtot-digest-request@eskimo.com for a digest subscription.
TAG-L
Mailing list for Talented and Gifted education. To subscribe send a mail message with "subscribe TAG-L firstname lastname" in the body (not the subject) of the message to listserv@listserv.nodak.edu Note: TAG-L also has archives available.
giftednet-l
Mailing list for the National (USA) Science and Language Arts Curriculum Projects for High Ability Learners. To subscribe send a mail message with "subscribe giftednet-l your-first-name your-last-name" in the body (not the subject) of the message to listserver@listserv.cc.wm.edu Please note that the mailing list name ends in lower-case L, not numeral 1. Please also note that the William and Mary curriculum now has its own limited distribution list (WMCURRIC-L).
TAGFAM
Mailing list for families and support for TAG or GT children. To subscribe send a mail message with "subscribe TAGFAM your-first-name your-last-name" in the body (not the subject) of the message to listserv@sjuvm.stjohns.edu More information about TAGFAM is available on the TAGFAM web page.
u-achiev
underachievement list which addresses issues (family, school, peer, self) facing underachieving students (particularly gifted students). To subscribe, send a mail message with "subscribe u-achiev your-email-address" in the body (not the subject) of the message to majordomo@virginia.edu
e-TAG-USA
national list to discuss advocacy efforts for TAG students including, but not limited to, discussions about obtaining a national law, tips, suggestions, and ideas for advocacy at the district or state level, getting a bill passed, discussion about what state laws have helped or hurt TAG kids and why, and what laws *looked* good on paper but didn't help and more. For information on how to subscribe, please contact Monique Lloyd, at monique@rtinet.com