the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, last week, Stacie Poelstra Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum presented an update on the Gifted and Talented Program to the Board Curriculum Committee, beginning with a brief overview of current trends and the evolution of pedagogy in this area. The district takes a three tier approach to gifted and talented enrichment education to meet the needs of all learners.
Tier 1 consists of universal programming, where all learners are monitored closely for potential. Educators identify advanced learners via observations, conferences, and evaluation of products. At tier 2, small groups are utilized with students who are identified for advanced opportunities, providing differentiated teaching points and work containing additional depth and breadth. The top five percent of our students are provided with an Individualized Differentiation Plan (IDP), which is tier 3 of the district’s approach. The IDP is used to identify and monitor individualized content, resources, and expectations, and it is continually evaluated. IDPs are reviewed with parents at parent/teacher conferences.
To support teachers in this area, training in differentiated instruction has been provided by content area experts. The district has also purchased effective tools and strategies to support enrichment. Ms. Poelstra explained the new Gifted and Talented folder that is used by all K-5 educators. This resource contains extension activities and interdisciplinary projects aligned with each unit of study for each subject area. Additionally, this comprehensive depository includes professional articles and IDP meeting resources.
To view a PDF of the presentation, click here.
To view this portion of the meeting, click here and scroll to 16:18.
To view the Gifted and Talented Program on the website, click here.
