Gifted Education
OVERVIEW & HISTORY OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN
TEAYS VALLEY SCHOOLS
In the Fall of 1984, a steering committee composed of members of the community, board of education, administration, teaching staff and special services was formed to study the need for a program specifically for the intellectually and academically superior students of the Teays Valley Local School District. A need assessment was conducted by the committee, which indicated that a large number of students did meet the criteria of having superior intellectual and academic potential. The committee’s recommendations were as follows: 1) an educational program for gifted students be established; 2) staff development activities through in-services training to all levels of the Teays Valley staff be developed; 3) consultation on curriculum development, teaching strategies and appropriate materials for use by the regular classroom teacher in assisting gifted children in the regular classroom teacher in assisting gifted children in the regular class be provided; the 4) instructional resources for the classroom teacher in teaching the gifted be provided and; 5) the establishment of district policy and procedure for the education of the gifted. Utilizing these recommendations, the Teays Valley Board of Education on November 26, 1984, passed a resolution for a cooperative unit with the Circleville City Schools for a coordinator of gifted education. On April 22, 1985, the Teays Valley Board of Education approved a resolution to employ a teacher of the gifted and appropriate administrative personnel to design and implement a program for gifted children in the Teays Valley Local School District.
The program developed for third through fifth grade students is called VIKES, Voyages In Knowledge for Exceptional Students.
In 1987, the Ohio General Assembly enacted legislation for the identification of all children who are gifted (Ohio Revised Code, Section 3313.21). This law was amended in 1989 to include annual reporting of the number of students identified as gifted and the number of students receiving services from state-funded gifted educators.
In the fall of 1996, Teays Valley Local Schools received from the state extra two tenths of a unit to hire a part-time gifted teacher. The first year the unit was used to provide additional service at the middle school level and high school level.
In June 1999, the Ohio General Assembly passed H.B. 282, which contained new language specific to the identification of children who are gifted. The new requirements include: (a) creation by each school district of an identification plan, and (b) the adoption of policies and procedures by each local Board of Education related to the identification of children who are gifted.
In 1997 to 2000, the focus was divided with early Elementary Grades, some Middle School and some High School with an additional unit added.
In the fall of 2000, assessment was done to implement H.B. 282 for Kindergarten through twelfth grade to identify gifted students. The school district has committed to serve kindergarten, first and second grade and implemented the program LEAP, Learning through Enrichment for Advanced Pupils. LEAP services are offered to students in grades one through three.
With the changes in the Gifted Ohio Operating Standards in March 2008, gifted services were shifted. We now have two fulltime and one half-time Gifted Intervention Specialists and a Gifted Coordinator. VIKES services grades three, four and five, LEAP serivces grades one, two and three, Honors classes are offered in grades six through twelve and Advanced Placement courses are added at the high school level.
Identification
The Identification and Services for Children who are Gifted provides the guidelines for gifted education in the State of Ohio under the Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15.
The following are the gifted programs offered at
Teays Valley Local Schools:
L.E.A.P.: Learning through Enrichment for Advanced Pupils program in grades one, two and three in a pull-out program.
V.I.K.E.S.: Voyages In Knowledge for Exceptional Students, for grades three through five in a resource room setting.
Honors Classes: in grades six through twelve in classroom setting.
Advanced Placement Courses: at Teays Valley High School.
Post Secondary Enrollment: in grades 11 and 12.
Destination Imagination-A creative problem-solving competition for Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Teams form in the fall of each year and parents are the team managers.
Web sites
Web site for more information at the state level:
Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC) Web site - www.oagc.com
Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Web site - gifted@ode.state.oh.us
Brochure
Local
Linda Peters, Gifted Coordinator - lpeters@tvsd.us
