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Mrs. Melissa Sipek, Weatherstone Elementary School, Academically Gifted Teacher |
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FAQ about AGPlease email me with questions you do not understand about AG. I will post them and answer them on this website. :)
Wake County Public School System defines Giftedness in the following way: Gifted children and youth perform, or show potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment. These children exhibit high performance capability in intellectual areas and/or specific academic fields. These children require differentiated educational services beyond those ordinarily provided in the regular educational program setting. Outstanding abilities are present in children from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. What do I need to do to get my child in AG classes? Students in grades four and five can be nominated for possible AG testing. The nominations windows are July 1 - September 26, 2008 & January 5, - January 16, 2009. The School Based Committe for Gifted Education will meet to discuss each students nominated and recommend 'referral' for AG testing. Students need to be performing 1 - 2 years above grade level. Why does the testing process take a so long? Once a student has been nominated for AG testing, parents are notified of testing dates/times and asked to sign a permission slip. There are 153 schools in Wake County; 93 elementary schools. We all test about the same time. Testing bubble sheets are sent to the WCPSS Testing Center. I get the results back about 3-4 weeks later. The next step is to meet with the School Based Committee for Gifted Education again to review test results and we decide whether or not to recommend identification. The records are then taken to the AG Department Records Reveiw Team for final approval. Results are sent home to parents prior to the end of the semester. If a student qualifies for AG, services begin the next semester. Why are moderate identified students not pulled for AG classes? The Academically Gifted Parent Guide published by WCPSS states on pages four and eight: "Students with a moderate need for differentiation are most often served in the regular education classroom." I work closely with all 4th and 5th grade teachers to provide resources for all AG students in the classroom. I also try to teach all AG students one unit each year. In 2007-2008, I taught lessons on the Science Fair Project. Students can be nominated for consideration for the Academically Gifted Program by parents or teachers. Nominations received by the school AG contact person prior to the established screening period, may be considered for referral decisions and/or necessary testing during that semester. If a nomination is received after the screening period, the nomination will be considered during the next semester. Nominations must be in writing and can be delivered to the AG contact person or emailed. (Pages 4-5 of AG Parent Guide.) Can a moderate identified student be retested? No. A student who is identified as a moderate AG student in either math or reading will not be retested. Moderate students are served in the classroom by the classroom teacher. The AG teacher works with the classroom teachers to provide level 4 opportunities to all students in the classroom. Moderate students are observed throughout the school year. In the spring of each year students will be brought to the School Based-Committee for Gifted Education (SBC-GE) for Annual Reveiw. A decision will be made to a) Maintain the current level of service. b) Increase level of service, if student's performance demonstrates a need. c) Decrease level of service, if student's performance demonstrates a need. d) Exit AG program, if students performance no longer indicates a need for services. (Page 11 of AG Parent Guide.) |
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