SOUTH CENTRAL

The South Central Service Co-op's gifted/talented department not only serves as a liaison between schools and the Arkansas Department of Education but also provides technical assistance to schools should the need arise. Members of the staff will provide demonstration lessons for classroom teachers if requested, and plans are underway for a gifted education summer workshop for administrators and teachers.

Gifted and Talented Scope and Sequence

Literacy Scope and Sequence

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who are the gifted? Many of the early academic tests favored white, middle class children; however, gifted students can come from all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The may also be physically handicapped and learning disabled.

2. How important is the IQ Score in identifying gifted students? There is no correlation between IQ score and success. There is a relationship between involvement in co-curricular activities and achievement.

3. Do boys and girls achieve equally? Up to the age of nine, boys and girls show scholastic achievement that is fairly equal, but by the age of thirteen, females have begun to decline in achievement due to role stereotyping, not different abilities. Gifted females need special guidance and encouragement to actualize their potential.

4. Do gifted students really need special programs? Won’t they achieve anyway?  Research shows that gifted students may perform at a level far below their intellectual ability and suffer from problems of anxiety, insecurity, and isolation.

5. Do gifted students earn good grades and love school? Although many gifted students do earn good grades others become underachievers, behavior problems, or dropouts.

6. Will gifted students who participate in a gifted program have emotional and social problems? Because many problems are brought on by the frustration of ability, participation in gifted programs actually helps a majority of the individuals adjust to the frustrations brought on by their ability.

7. What is the best way to identify the gifted child? No single criterion can be used to determine giftedness. IQ tests measure a limited aspect of intelligence; therefore, other criteria must be used in identification procedures; such as creativity assessments, student products, behavior rating scales, etc.

8. What are some of the terms I need to know and understand?

• Academically Gifted: an individual who has a specific talent in an academic area, but not necessarily in all areas.
• Acceleration: the practice of enabling students to progress through basic content at a more rapid rate than is normally planned. It includes grade skipping, honors classes, advanced placement, etc.
• Advanced Placement: a program of college-level courses and exams for high school students.
• Compacting: a procedure designed to tailor the curriculum to meet the individual child’s needs. The major purposes are to relieve gifted students of the boredom that often results from unchallenging work in the basic skill areas and to buy students time to pursue accelerated or enriched activities.
• Enrichment: experiences or activities that are above or beyond the regular curriculum.

Links

AP-Central

Arkansas Department of Education

Arkansas Governor's School

Bellin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development

College Board

Council for Exeptional Children

National Association for Gifted Children

National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented