Blake School District
Administrative Regulation

  AR 6172 
Instruction

 Gifted And Talented Student Program

Definitions

A gifted and talented student is a student enrolled in a public school who is identified as possessing demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of high performance capability in categories selected by the Governing Board.  (Education Code 52201)

A highly gifted student is one who has achieved a measured intelligence quotient of 150 or more points on an assessment of intelligence administered by qualified personnel or has demonstrated extraordinary aptitude and achievement in language arts, mathematics, science, or other academic subjects, as evaluated and confirmed by both the student's teacher and principal. Highly gifted students shall generally constitute not more than one percent of the student population.  (Education Code 52201)

A special day class for gifted and talented students consists of one or more classes totaling a minimum school day where each class:  (5 CCR 3840)

1.	Is composed of students identified as gifted and talented

2.	Is designed to meet the specific academic needs of gifted and talented students for enriched or advanced instruction and is appropriately differentiated from other classes in the same subjects at the school

3.	Is taught by a teacher who has specific preparation, experience, personal attributes, and competencies in the teaching of gifted children

A part-time grouping is one in which students attend classes or seminars that are organized to provided advanced or enriched subject matter for a part of the school day and those classes are composed of identified gifted and talented students.  (5 CCR 3840)

A cluster grouping is one in which students are grouped within a regular classroom setting and receive appropriately differentiated activities from the regular classroom teacher.  (5 CCR 3840)

Independent study provides additional instructional opportunities supervised by a certificated district employee through special tutors or mentors or through enrollment in correspondence courses specified in Education Code 51740 and 5 CCR 1633.  (5 CCR 3840)

(cf. 6158 - Independent Study)

Acceleration means that students are placed in grades or classes more advanced than those of their chronological age group and are provided special counseling and/or instruction outside the regular classroom in order to facilitate their advanced work.  (5 CCR 3840)

(cf. 5123 - Promotion/Acceleration/Retention)

Postsecondary education opportunities offer students the opportunity to attend classes conducted by college or community college or to participate in Advanced Placement programs. (5 CCR 3840)

(cf. 6141.5 - Advanced Placement)

Enrichment activities are supplemental educational activities that augment students' regular educational programs in their regular classrooms. Students use advanced materials and/or receive special opportunities from persons other than the regular classroom teacher.  (5 CCR 3840)

Program Plan

The Superintendent/Principal/Teacher or designee shall develop a written plan for the district's program which shall include the components specified in 5 CCR 3831 and be designed in accordance with state program standards.

Identification of Gifted and Talented Students

Students shall be selected for the program based on their demonstrated or potential ability for high performance in accordance with the categories specified in Education Code 52202 and 5 CCR 3822.  

Evidence of a student’s capability shall include any of the data specified in 5 CCR 3823 and shall consider the economic, linguistic, and cultural characteristics of students' background.  (5 CCR 3823)

(cf. 5121 - Grades/Evaluation of Student Achievement)
(cf. 6162.5 - Student Assessment)

The Superintendent/Principal/Teacher or designee shall design methods to seek out and identify gifted and talented students from varying linguistic, economic, and cultural backgrounds and whose extraordinary capacities require special services and programs.  (5 CCR 3820)

(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
(cf. 5145.3 - Nondiscrimination/Harassment)
(cf. 6174 - Education for English Language Learners)

Prior to making a final determination of a student's eligibility, the pertinent evidence shall be evaluated by the student's principal or designee, a classroom teacher familiar with the student's work, and, when appropriate, a credentialed school psychologist.  A person recognized as an expert in the gifted and talented category under consideration, and/or a person who has in-depth understanding of the student's linguistic or cultural group, shall participate in the evaluation of the evidence unless there is no doubt as to the student's eligibility. These persons shall meet as necessary to resolve any differences in assessment and recommendations.  (5 CCR 3824)

The district’s Superintendent/Principal/Teacher shall make the final determination of a student's eligibility.

Written consent shall be secured from a student’s parent/guardian before he/she participates in the program.  (5 CCR 3831)

Community College Enrollment

With parent/guardian consent, a principal may recommend students of any age or grade level for part-time enrollment in community college courses.  For any particular grade level, a principal may not recommend for community college summer session attendance more than five percent of the total number of students who completed that grade immediately prior to the time of recommendation unless all of the criteria specified in Education Code 48800 are satisfied.  (Education Code 48800)

The principal may only recommend a student for community college summer session if that student satisfies both of the following conditions:  (Education Code 48800)

1.	Demonstrates adequate preparation in the discipline to be studied

2.	Exhausts all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course, if any, at his/her school of attendance

Any student's parent/guardian may petition the Board to authorize the student to attend a community college as a special full-time student if he/she believes the student would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work that would thereby be available.  (Education Code 48800.5)

If the Board denies a request for special part-time or full-time enrollment at a community college for a student who is identified as highly gifted and talented as defined above, the Board shall issue its written recommendation and the reasons for the denial within 60 days.  The written recommendation and denial shall be issued at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting that falls at least 30 days after the request has been submitted.  (Education Code 48800, 48800.5)

(3/01  11/03)  11/05

Adopted:  January 2008