Gifted Education
Overview
Gifted education services and various enrichment opportunities are available to highly able students at Dr. Higdon Elementary throughout the school year. Mrs. Snyder (rlsnyder@ccboe.com), the Learning Resource Teacher, is available to collaborate with classroom teachers, provide instruction and support highly able learners in reading and math.
Gifted Services
Gifted services in Maryland refers to programs and services provided for students having outstanding talent who are performing or showing potential at remarkably high levels of achievement compared to their age peers. In Charles County Public Schools, students are identified for gifted services in reading and mathematics beginning in late 2nd grade through 8th grade.
Math
Students in grades 3-5 who have been identified for gifted services in math receive differentiated instruction from their classroom teachers with support from the Learning Resource Teacher. Students are grouped with peers of similar academic needs for small group instruction. Enrichment curriculum has been developed to advance students’ content knowledge beyond minimal competency, expand conceptual understanding, cultivate, and extend problem-solving abilities.
Reading
Students in grades 3-5 who have been identified for gifted services in reading receive instruction from their classroom teachers with support from the Learning Resource Teacher. Students are grouped with peers of similar academic needs for instruction that may include the use of above level texts, shared inquiry discussion, above level vocabulary and/or novel study.
Gifted Identification
In Charles County Public Schools, students in grades 2-8 are screened for gifted services. Data collection occurs throughout the school year, and final placements and parent notifications are made in May. The identification process includes the following steps:
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All second-grade students, new to CCPS 3-8 grade students, and students referred for gifted services take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) in November. The Cognitive Abilities Test is used nationally as a tool in the identification of academically gifted students.
- Teachers and other school staff members may refer students who display gifted characteristics in the classroom for gifted screening.
- Parents may refer students who display gifted characteristics for gifted screening. Parent nomination forms are available in the Documents section of this page. Parents who want to recommend a student for gifted services must complete the nomination form and return it to Mrs. Snyder.
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These students make up a screening pool for review.
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A school-based Gifted Identification Committee reviews data on each student in the screening pool. Students who require learning experiences beyond the standard are matched to the appropriate gifted services. A letter is sent home in May to inform parents of the committee’s decision regarding gifted services for their child.
If you have any questions about the identification process or about gifted services please contact Mrs. Snyder at rlsnyder@ccboe.com.