Gifted & Talented Program

The Plumsted Township District believes that all students have the ability to thrive and grow to meet their own personal best within the appropriate learning environment.  All students learn from each other through an array of diverse experiences.  Our youngest learners flourish in learning environments that support creativity, problem-solving, hands-on experiences, and learning through play. As students progress through the years the learning environment should continue to facilitate creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and academic risk-taking. Some students will begin to demonstrate exceptional academic abilities.  According to the NJDOE students who are gifted and talented are  “those students who possess or demonstrate high levels of ability in one or more content areas when compared to their chronological peers in the local district and who require modification of their educational program if they are to achieve in accordance with their capabilities.”(N.J.A.C. 6A:8-1.3) The district has programming options in place to support students who are identified through procedures and protocols which were designed to challenge students so they can excel and flourish. It is important to note that all district students are eligible to part of these programs if the criteria are met.  As new students enter the district enrollment records will be reviewed and district assessments will be used to determine if our criteria support enrollment in enrichment programs. 

**Currently the District is beginning a series of professional development for certain staff and is planning to review programming during the summer of 2021.

Programming & Student Selection

A Continuum of Services

At All Schools

The District provides a continuum of services to all students with an array of opportunities for all students within the regular curriculum.  A myriad of classroom assessments support teachers in identifying students who achieve beyond the core curriculum. Classroom teachers differentiate by content, process, product, and/or environment as well as by tiering instruction on an ongoing basis. Teachers accelerate and enrich when appropriate.  Assignments may be modified to meet the learning targets for advanced students.  Teachers may choose to increase pacing and provide access to higher-level materials.  All curricular units include modifications for gifted students.

Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary School

   At the kindergarten, first, and second grade levels, the gifted and talented teacher visits classrooms to teach whole class enrichment lessons. Each grade level explores what great thinkers do during each critical and creative thinking lesson.  During kindergarten and first grade thinking lessons, students work on making connections that aren't always obvious at first, use familiar objects in ways different from their intended purpose, accomplish a given task with limited resources and time, use the Engineering Design Process to design and improve upon that invention, and practice thinking like a lawyer using nursery rhymes.  In second grade the thinking lessons focus on a thinker of the day and a thinking tool. Students apply each thinking tool in various ways. Students focus on being curious, asking higher level questions, closely observing, describing, and wondering, comparing and contrasting, using logic, and taking time to plan out ideas. They are also introduced to Artificial Intelligence.

  The elementary gifted and talented pull out program begins in third grade. Selected students are pulled out of the classroom across each grade level to meet as a cohort 2-3 times a week. As a cohort, the students are offered the opportunity to challenge each other and be challenged by the curricular materials with more depth and complexity. Collaboration, real-world skills, and independence are prioritized.  Third-grade students work on a variety of assignments and projects that cover business and economics. They will study and discuss the economic history of New Egypt, research attributes that make or break businesses, and will set up pandemic proof mock businesses that they feel will succeed in New Egypt. Fourth-grade students work on a variety of assignments and projects that cover ecological movements, biomes, and ways to make the country sustainable, healthy, equitable, and safe.  Students participate in a stock market game and STEAM Tank competition (modeled after the T.V. show “Shark Tank”) sponsored by the NJ School Boards Association and the U.S. Army. Teams brainstorm and create innovative projects that are submitted and reviewed. If their concept is accepted they compete in a regional competition against other teams in their age category. If they place at the regional competition, they are invited to present their invention to the New Jersey School Board Association.  Fifth-grade students work on a variety of assignments and projects that cover law, forensics and a stock market game. Students also enter to compete in a Mock Trial Competition at Law Fair to promote understanding of the law and our justice system, and to educate students about their rights and responsibilities under the law. If they place, they are invited to present their mock trial at the New Jersey State Bar Foundation in New Brunswick, NJ.

    In the primary elementary grades, teachers collect data using a variety of measures including but not limited to Fountas and Pinnell reading level, Fundations phonics scores, Bridges Math assessments, Creative Curriculum GOLD data, and observational anecdotal records.  Teachers use this data to create student instructional groups to best meet student needs.  It is within these groups that students may be introduced to concepts that at a deeper or more advanced level when the data indicates it's appropriate.  For grades three through five the following criteria are used to determine eligibility:  teacher survey, CogAT scores, i-Ready Diagnostic scores, state assessment data, reading levels, and final grades.  After the data is collected it undergoes committee review to determine entrance.  

At the New Egypt Middle School

     At New Egypt Middle School, accelerated classes are designed to expose students to a path of study that meets their unique needs. Multiple measures are used to determine student placement accelerated classes. The use of multiple measures allows us to obtain a multifaceted view of the whole child.  Criteria utilized include: two years of reading and writing state assessment results, two years of mathematics state assessment results, teacher recommendations, Algebra readiness assessments, Lexile Reading Levels, Fountas and Pinnell Reading Level (where applicable),  On-Demand writing assessment scores (teacher scored), ELA and Math final cognitive skills grades or report card grade, Math Iowa Scores.  For fifth grade students entering 6th grade, additional criteria include:  enrollment in fifth grade G&T Program and teacher assessment of teacher observed evidence of the following learning attributes: goal setting, collaboration, self-regulation, persistence, and resilience. Additionally, all students have the opportunity to explore STEAM concepts in coding and engineering courses. 

 At the New Egypt High School

Honors and Advanced Placement Criteria

Current New Egypt High School Students:

All incoming 9th-grade students who wish to enroll in honors-level coursework during their 9th-grade year will be selected by using the following placement criteria:

• Science: Cognitive skills average in 8th grade Science, Content grade in 8th grade Science, Iowa Math test score, Quantile score from iReady
• Math: students in 8th Grade Math will move to Algebra I in 9th grade, students in Algebra I in 8th grade will move to Geometry or Geometry Honors in 9th grade.
• English:  Cognitive skills average in 8th grade English, Lexile level from iReady, Writing Task
• Social Studies: Cognitive skills average in 8th grade Social Studies, Lexile level from iReady, Writing Task

All students currently enrolled in, and who pass, honors or advanced placement courses will be automatically enrolled in the next sequential course.

Any student who wishes to move from college prep to honors course, or an honors course to an advanced placement course, will have to demonstrate success by having a final average of a 90 or above.  Student grades will be reviewed at the end of the year for placement. Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses are available to students in the 11th and 12th grades.  Additionally, all New Egypt Students in grades 8 and 9 have the opportunity to apply to one of the District's 5 Academies: Business, Engineering, Law & Justice, Teachers for Tomorrow, and Communications.  The rigorous application process includes: an application, teacher recommendations, math assessment (engineering only), and timed writing assessment.  The application materials are assessed based on a matrix by a committee. 

Related Policies & Resources

Gifted & Talented Students Policy 

Equity in Educational Programs Policy 

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC) 

Appeals

Should you wish to appeal a placement decision please use this FORM.