Gifted Education
The Gifted Education Program at Colonel Johnston Elementary School offers hands-on experiences, where students learn through creativity and play in a weekly pull out program.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
What Our Gifted Program Does:
Gifted students at Johnston School receive both expanded academic course offerings in the classroom and attend a 1 hour pullout program on a weekly basis.
Expanded Academic Course Offerings: Offerings may include acceleration, enrichment, flexible pacing, and interdisciplinary curriculum. Differentiated instruction that includes creative thinking, problem solving, and higher order thinking is a big part of the program as well.
Pullout Sessions: The pullout sessions give the students the chance to participate in Project Based Learning where the focus is on creative thinking, problem solving, and higher order thinking. Collaboration and communication with peers helps students grow academically and socially. The schedule for pullout sessions generally has students attending sessions twice a week with the exception of Kindergarten students who attend once a week.
Testing
If you believe your student is gifted you may request that they be tested. Referrals are available at each school site. Testing occurs three times a school year. Students may only be tested once per school year. Students may be referred by either a parent, teacher, or themselves, in order to be considered for testing for the gifted program.
Next Gifted Testing Dates:
Winter Testing: January 3rd- 17th
(specific dates for each school determined based on number of referrals. Referral Deadline is December 4th, 2023)
Spring Testing: Dates to be determined
Fall testing will occur between September and October
Please remember no student may be tested without parent permission. Deadlines for referrals and parent permission slips for testing will be emailed to teachers prior to testing dates.
Contact
Nadia Westen, the District Gifted Teacher, works with each school site to ensure the gifted students are participating in project based learning, challenging students to increase skills in the 4C’s- collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication. Mrs. Westen has been teaching gifted education since 2013. Her philosophy for learning is that each child is unique, and each child learns in a different way, one of the jobs of gifted education is to help your child discover his or her individuality and work alongside them to maximize it.
Any Questions?
Please feel free to contact Nadia Westen at [email protected]
The philosophy of the Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District is one that encourages and nurtures complex thinking and creativity within an inclusive environment that allows for optimal development. Our district supports a multi-dimensional teaching approach that provides an appropriate academic curriculum.