District 112 Gifted Enrichment Education & Services
Elementary school gifted services include a trained teacher working with classroom teachers and students providing enrichment in various core subject areas.
Middle schools provide an English/Language Arts replacement class called Humanities. Students considered for Humanities participate in a rigorous identification process.
District 112 also utilizes Gifted Education Plans, which are the result of a Phase I and Phase II elementary school identification process. A plan is written for a student whose needs can only be met with considerations that vary from the general education programming. Approximately two percent of the total student population require a plan
The identification process for K-5 students is as follows
- Referral may initiate from Gifted Education teachers, classroom teachers, principals, parents, student data, and student work samples.
- Phase I identification process consists of Gifted Education teacher observations and direct authentic student assessments.
- Review of referral data and Phase I data by school Child Study Team.
- Determination of evidence to proceed to Phase II of identification process or to make some recommendations to the student's classroom teacher when Phase II is not necessary to meet the student's needs.
- Phase II consists of gathering data through formal social-emotional and intellectual assessments.
- Culmination of Phase II is a determination of the student's needs that might be recommendations to the student's classroom teacher and/or include a Gifted Education Plan (GEP). This plan describes data-determined student needs and the services required to meet those needs. Services vary depending on each student's needs.
The identification process for middle school Humanities placement is as follows:
- A fifth grade screening process is conducted to determine which students should participate in a formal identification process for middle school Humanities.
- A matrix consisting of various test data and professional input helps to identify students for the identification process. Students with special and unique circumstances may be identified to participate in the identification process through professional judgment and classroom performance rather than a matrix.
- Students participating in the formal identification process for Humanities participate in a fifth grade literature unit at their home school.
- Students participating in the Humanities identification process will provide an authentic writing sample and will take a test with other 5 th graders in the process for the opportunity to display higher level thinking.
- A matrix combining and totaling test data, authentic writing, and professional input determine final placement for middle school English/Language Arts and Humanities classes. Placement notification is mailed home by the end of March.
- Placement appeals are made to the District 112 Review Committee. Parental observation forms, student data, student work samples and authentic writing are considered in reviewing placement appeals. For additional information, contact the Review Committee Facilitator, Learning Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction, Kathy Gerber. The District 112 Review Committee may meet four to five times per school year.
- Students new to District 112 who request placement need to complete the District 112 Review Process for placement consideration.
The Review Committee may consist of:
District 112 administrators, teachers, gifted education teachers, psychologist, learning coordinators, and gifted education consultant. The Committee studies very unique student cases that require special considerations that may result in grade acceleration, a gifted education plan, or the need to attend another grade or school for part or all of the school day.
The Committee also hears placement/services appeals made by teachers, administrators, parents, or middle school students who may seek placement re-consideration.
Decisions are shared in writing with school administrators, teachers, and parents. Middle School students may apply more than once for Humanities placement throughout grades six through eight.
For more information: contact Kathy Gerber, Learning Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction: Email: kgerber@nssd112org; Phone: 847-432-1720 x 230