Gifted Defined:
In the 2000 Kansas Special Education Regulations (91-40-1), "Gifted" is defined as "performing or demonstrating the potential for performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment when compared to others of similar age, experience and environment." This level of accomplishment may be demonstrated by exceptional performance due to general intellectual ability or by excellence in one or more specific academic fields.
Purpose of Gifted Services In Kansas:
Goals and objectives developed by the Kansas State Department of Education specify that all Kansas children and youth, including those classified as exceptional, have a right to an education that is appropriate to their needs. Education for children and youth with giftedness is focused upon providing curriculum that facilitates advanced achievement and development of individual potential. Special services for students with giftedness should be regarded as one part of the continuum in the total educational system.
The defining characteristics and curricular needs of identified students should guide a school's gifted services. The students should not be molded into an already existing or conveniently pre-arranged program. Options must be determined by student capabilities, and not by the structure of existing curriculum units. No student should be compelled to engage regularly in activities that present concepts already mastered. Enrichment must consist of richer depth and complexity of explorations, not an increased load of similar or previously learned material. Furthermore, the gifted student should participate in the planning and evaluation of his/her differentiated learning experiences.
Most students will require a combination of instruction from both classroom teachers of gifted in order to fulfill their potential for intellectual and academic achievement. However, not all students will want or need services beyond that which is available through the general education curriculum. For these students, suitable services can be provided within the framework of general education.
Individual learning alternatives and adaptation of the general education curriculum often are required for students in gifted education. Effective curriculum planning for students with giftedness requires careful management of the learning experience in order to provide appropriate level, pace, styles and subjects for their unique learning needs. School personnel will be challenged by these needs to develop a functional plan that will be viable not only philosophically but also realistically. Although gifted services can be structured to each school's particular circumstances, the curriculum plan must emanate from the needs of the students for whom they are designed.
If you have questions, please contact Liz McGinness, either by phone at 973-4472 or through email at lmcginness@usd259.net.