D92 Gifted Services

 

Overview

The Gifted Program was developed to meet the unique needs of gifted and talented students of D92. The district is committed to an educational program that recognizes the exceptional abilities of students and provides them with challenging, in depth educational experiences. Students who demonstrate superior talents and abilities need a qualitatively differentiated program that will enable them to reach optimal development of those talents.

District 92 offers a variety of academic programs to meet the needs of our students. Although assessment occurs throughout the school year for all students, some programs require the gathering of additional information in order to determine appropriate placement.

Kindergarten through 2nd grade students receive differentiation or modification of the curriculum and instruction according to content in the classroom by the regular education teacher. (No formal identification of students is used at these grade levels.) Students in grades 3-5 receive services through Enrichment and students in grades 6-8 receive services through Honors classes. These programs will positively impact our students by providing opportunities for the continual learning and high achievement of those who have performed well on district assessments, performed exceptionally well in the classroom, and through the recommendation of their teachers.

Identification

The Illinois State Board of Education requires a screening process of all students for any gifted program. D92 meets the requirements outlined by Illinois Rules and Regulations for the Identification and Assessment of Gifted and Talented Children set forth in Section 14A-30. All D92 students are screened in 3rd and 5th grades for entrance into our Gifted Program. Throughout program appointment, FastBridge scores are consistently monitored to ensure appropriate placement of gifted students.

The identification process for the Enrichment and Honors programs includes the use of multiple measures when considering the total child for academic programming:

• CogAT - Cognitive Abilities Test
• FASTBridge (Winter)
• Teacher Recommendation - Renzulli Teacher Observation Scale

Gifted Program Details

Enrichment - Grades 3-5
During Enrichment students participate in activities that add or go beyond the existing curriculum. Third through fifth grade students receive Enrichment during PowerTime by the Library Media Specialist. Our goal is to meet the needs of our students through acceleration, enrichment, technology, and an extension of the curriculum. Enrichment services include differentiation or modification of the curriculum and instruction
according to content, pacing, and/or product to meet unique student needs.
 

Honors - Grades 6-8
Students are placed in ELA, Math, and Science Honors classes based on the identification criteria. Classroom teachers utilize differentiated instructional strategies designed to promote divergent thinking, abstract reasoning, and autonomous learning. Students experience in-depth learning in the content areas through whole group and independent study.

Placement in Honors classes means the student either exhibited potential or demonstrated ability to perform at an exceptionally high level in an academic area significantly beyond what is normally found with children of the same age, experience, or environment. The classroom teacher will provide differentiated educational
experiences to challenge students and to accommodate his/her different learning styles.

Accelerated Math Programming Information
Accelerated math in grade 5 is designed for students who demonstrate mathematical problem solving and reasoning skills and strive to apply those skills in different ways.  Students in accelerated math are expected to master 5th grade skills at a quicker pace and begin 6th grade math.

Students are placed in accelerated math based on their 4th grade fall and winter FASTBridge benchmarks, CogAT data, achievement on the 5th grade comprehensive math assessment, and teacher input.

Identification for 5th Grade Accelerated Math Rubric

District 92 plans to implement a section of accelerated math for 4th grade during the 2024-2025 school year.

Honors Math Programming Information
The Honors Math Program is designed to begin at 6th grade and continue each year through 8th Grade. The program is for students who demonstrate mathematical problem solving and reasoning skills and strive to apply those skills in different ways. Students placed in the program are expected to master skills at a quicker pace. 

The first Unit of 6th Grade Math will be used to assess student skills in 6th Grade Math and teach those skills needed to bridge them into 7th Grade Math. The remainder of the year will be 7th Grade Math.

Please see the chart below to understand the sequence of classes while at Oak Prairie and enrolled in Honors Math.

Grade Level	Regular Program	Honors Program
6	6th Grade Math	7th Grade Math
7	7th Grade Math	8th Grade Math
8	8th Grade Math (PreAlgebra)	Algebra