Gifted Program
Gifted Program in the Classroom
Kendra Berry , Nikki Brooks, and Valerie King
The Georgia State Board of Education defines a gifted student as "... a student who demonstrates a high degree of intellectual and/or creative ability(ies), exhibits an exceptionally high degree of motivation, and/or excels in specific academic fields, and who needs special instruction and/or special ancillary services to achieve at levels commensurate with his or her abilities.
Cobb County provides services for identified gifted students in first through twelfth grade. The gifted program (known as ALP) is designed to meet the very specific needs of these students and extend competencies in the areas of cognitive skills, learning skills, research and reference skills, communication skills, and metacognitive skills beyond the experience of the regular classroom.
Target Expectations
In Cobb County, the Gifted Program Curriculum is said to be "differentiated." This means that students are involved in activities which are more advanced, more mature, more sophisticated, and more complex in three areas: content, process, and expectations. The content is often multi-disciplined, designed not only to broaden a child's base of general knowledge, but also to enhance the child's ability to think productively and creatively. Our curriculum is process-based, not content-based. Because the content and processes are more advanced and complex, the expectations for performance are higher. Target students are expected to perform in a more sophisticated, advanced, and complex manner. Their products should be more elaborate, better conceived and executed, more creative, more detailed and intricate, and in general, superior to those produced in the regular classroom. Ozzie Smith, former shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, was once quoted after losing a play-off game as saying, "Good is not good enough when better is expected." With the Target students, "good" isn't sufficient. When gifted students are measured by different standards or by a different yardstick of excellence, expectations are higher, and better is expected.