Oldham County Schools

Guide to Primary Talent Pool

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1.     What is the Primary Talent Pool (PTP)? The Primary Talent Pool is a group of students who possess demonstrated or potential ability to perform at exceptionally high levels in the primary years (grades 1-3). These students may be referred to as high-potential learners. The purpose of selecting students to participate in a PTP is to provide early interventions for those students whose talents must be nurtured in order for those talents to fully develop.

2.      What is a high-potential learner? Students who learn and comprehend at a faster pace and more complex level than their age peers. These students often acquire skills earlier and progress at an accelerated rate.

3.      What criteria are used when selecting students for Primary Talent Pool? 
A minimum of four criteria is required as evidence that students should participate in the PTP.
Informal and formal evidence is gathered by teachers and other school staff,
gifted personnel, and parents. The evidence is then reviewed by the school’s
Primary Review Committee and a decision is made regarding inclusion.

Specifically, four of the following pieces of evidence are needed for placement in PTP:

o   Primary portfolio (collection of evidence demonstrating student performance)

o   Inventory checklists

o   Parent interview or questionnaire

o   Available formal test data

o   Anecdotal records

o   Primary review committee recommendation (required)

o   Previous PTP/GT identification in another state

NOTE: PTP identification in another KY district triggers an automatic enrollment in OCS PTP.

4.      hen are students selected for Primary Talent Pool? Students are selected for PTP in the fall and spring of each school year. A kindergarten screening process combined
with a nomination process for first, second and third grade students ensures a
continuous, on-going review and provides multiple entry points into the PTP.

5.      Does inclusion in the PTP mean my child will automatically be identified for gifted/talented services in 4^th grade? No. Regardless of whether a student is or is not in Primary Talent Pool in no way indicates whether he/she will be identified for gifted and talented services in fourth grade. All students considered for gifted and talented educational services must be formally identified using multiple criteria different from those used
for Primary Talent Pool.

6.      Who is responsible for delivering services for PTP students? The classroom teacher is primarily responsible for seeing that the individual needs of every student are met through differentiated instructional practices. The school counselor, GATES Coordinator, and GATES Resource Teacher are available to help with strategies and resources.

7.     What type of services will students in PTP receive?
Below are the types of services that district and school staff may utilize to meet the needs of PTP students:

MENU OF SERVICE OPTIONS:

Acceleration: Students are allowed to move through material at a faster pace than age-mates and at a rate equal to their abilities (e.g. compacting).

Cluster Grouping: Students are placed in regular classrooms with a small group of other students who have similar readiness for the purpose of receiving differentiated instruction.

Collaborative Teaching: Instructional Coordinator/GATES Resource Teacher works in conjunction with the regular classroom teacher to provide direct differentiated services to high potential learners.

Compacting: An instructional practice where teachers pre-assess students on content in order to determine what they have already mastered. The focus of study becomes the content that the student does not know. By reducing repetition of content, students are challenged to their
full potential.

Consultation Services: Instructional training, materials and other resources are provided to the classroom teacher by the Instructional Coordinator/GATES Resource Teacher in order to provide appropriate and adequate services for high potential students.

Differentiation: Teachers make adjustments instructionally to content (what is taught), process (how it is taught), or product (how students show what they have learned) to meet the needs of individual students.

Enrichment: Students are given learning activities that are more in-depth or from an additional discipline used to supplement their educational experience.

Flexible Grouping: A differentiation strategy where teachers arrange students in groups according to their readiness level, interests, or learning profile for a period of time. Groups’ members change frequently based on instructional needs determined by the teacher.

Pre-assessment: Instructional method used by teachers to determine what students do and do not know prior to starting a new unit of study. Results are used to plan for each student’s level of readiness.