Gifted & Talented

Gifted & Talented Services

For member districts, the ESC of the Western Reserve provides leadership, consultation and support for the design, implementation, evaluation and coordination of district gifted and talented services and programs through a Gifted Coordinator.

Our mission is to promote and support districts in providing a continuum of high quality services for gifted and talented students throughout their K-12 educational experience.

WE WILL PROVIDE THIS SUPPORT THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES:

Review and revision of policy and procedures for gifted identification and service
Program development and service options based on district gifted population and needs
Collaboration with school staff concerning student acceleration and testing procedures
Assistance with EMIS data reporting and Gifted Self-Reports for ODE
Provide curriculum support to teachers through best practices for gifted learners, including strategies to differentiate instruction
Facilitate professional development that address the unique needs of the district
Serve as liaison between state and school district in regards to policies and legislation
Conduct program evaluation and needs analysis for instructional planning
Assistance with the development of Written Education Plans for gifted students
Communicate to teachers, parents, and administration the needs and rights of gifted students
Consult with teachers, parents, and administration about gifted education

Supporting Gifted Learners during Remote Learning

Updated June 5, 2020

As we continue to move through this period of global pandemic and consider a variety of options for continuing learning in the 2020-21 school year, it is important to include planning for gifted children. Please check back often, as this site will be updated as resources and additional information become available. Also be sure to check the calendar for the EST of the Western Reserve for a variety of professional development offerings, including several free 1-hour or 1.5-hour virtual sessions available in June and August specifically focused on gifted children.

You may want to take a look at , which includes information on ODE's proposed revision to the federal middle school testing waiver. There are implications for students who are accelerated in particular subjects at the middle school level. this page from OAGC

Also, please remember to follow and honor district requirements and Ohio and federal laws regarding Internet resources for children. Please do not consider this listing to be an endorsement or recommendation.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact Tricia Eber, Gifted Coordinator, ESC of the Western Reserve.

Remote and Hybrid (combination of remote/in-person) Learning:

For considerations and strategies to use in supporting gifted learners in remote learning, this document provides some suggestions.

The Ohio Department of Education has released a Remote Learning Resource Guide (April 3). Page 19 includes resources specifically for children identified as gifted. The department has also released specific guidance on provisions of the gifted operating standards that have been extended due to the building closures in spring 2020.

Quality Matters has provided this checklist of considerations, tips, and steps to take in moving to remote learning. They also offer a 3-minute video explaining how this checklist can be helpful.

Stanford University has provided resources to support developing an online classroom. These resources include videos, webinars (including a schedule of upcoming webinars as well as recorded past webinars), a checklist for remote learning plans, best practices, and a page devoted to common tech troubles.

Duke University, known for its Talent Identification Program, has shared this blog on taking a course into an online platform.

SAGE Publishing is sharing this resource regarding teaching online.

Resources to Use in Remote Learning:

The ESC of the Western Reserve has published a Google site housing a variety of supports, including a set of enrichment activities teachers or parents may want to invite students to do. This spring's enrichment activities are available to you in an archive. Stay tuned for some summer enrichment ideas you may want to offer families.
The Ohio Association for Gifted Children has a page of resources available as well.
Prufrock Press has recorded its free webinars, some featuring Ohio or former Ohio educators, like Todd Stanley and Deb and Jim Delisle.
PBS Learning Media have put together classroom resources to support students and teachers. Take a look at the link to see what's available.
A National Emergency Library has been released, allowing students access to books without a waitlist during this time of closure. This resource might be especially helpful to students who have internet access but do not have resources to purchase books right now.
The Kentucky Association of Gifted Education has shared this resource as a collection of possible activities for students identified as gifted in a number of areas. If you are looking for possible enrichment or stretch activities for your gifted learners, this might be a good place to start. The Gifted Guru blog post linked in the K-12 column provides some excellent ideas for consideration when implementing remote learning. Her model lesson "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch" might give you some ideas of how to develop and structure activities for students. The Smithsonian Learning Lab is also a valuable resources you may want to utilize.
The president of the Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education has provided this message, with PDF files as exemplars, for consideration of ways to provide something enriching, creative, and meaningful to them. The association's resources tab on the web page also includes a number of resources on educational strategies you may find helpful.
The Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented has also provided a page with links and resources which may be helpful for school closures.
INFOhio, a free resource available to all Ohio school districts, provides all kinds of free electronic resources. This page includes a list of webinars, information about linking resources from INFOhio to most LMS platforms or school websites, and login directions. INFOhio is updating this regularly, so it is worth revising from time to time.
Exquisite Minds is a blog and website devoted to gifted children and their learning. This resources page highlights "mostly free" resources available.
Scholastic has made throughout the summer. This link will take you to the information and registration page. projects available for learning at home
Ohio's own Todd Stanley, "The Gifted Guy," has as a number of resources available on his website as well. This page focuses on enrichment, with videos on learning sudoku and how to play chess.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame shares this blog focused on STEM activities.
Many of Ohio's museums and zoos are providing virtual programs right now. This page lists the activities and events available virtually.
Ditch that Textbook Digital Seminars: This is a collection of over 50 presentations from a virtual conference. The links include PDF notes from the sessions on all kinds of topics, including PBL and creativity. Dina Brulles, who is the Interim Governance Secretary for the NAGC Board of Directors, recommends this resource.
Johns Hopkins and its Center for Talented Youth have shared this book list: "Good Books for Bright Kids." This might be a great resource to use for your learners or share with parents for their consideration.
The Smithsonian has put together a page of distance learning resources that may be useful, on a page dedicated solely to supporting distance learning during the pandemic.
Brian Housand, Ph.D. who has written for NAGC in the past, has this page of 20 free content resources.
Prufrock Press has made this set of resources available for free right now. It's targeted to grades 3-6.
MENSA has opened its MENSA for Kids' Excellence in Reading program to everyone. This is open to everyone, whether a member of MENSA or not. It's quite a list of books; for avid readers who just can't get enough, this may be a wonderful motivator and way of being recognized.

Ohio-Specific Information regarding Services

College Credit Plus: Updated guidance regarding CCP offerings, deadlines, eligibility, etc.

AP Supports: If you have students identified as gifted in AP courses, or if you are an AP teacher, these resources may be useful to you.

Supporting AP Student Learning During School Closure: A quick reference sheet for educators

Social and Emotional Support: Some gifted children are particular sensitive to current events and crises, so the closures and actions aimed at protecting our overall community and country may be especially challenging for some. See the links below for blog posts and resources that may be helpful in supporting students (and any of us) during this challenging time. If a child is experiencing especially intense emotions regarding the coronavirus and closures, there are professionals available to provide help and support.

A review of overexcitabilities and a strategy for addressing them: Regina Hellinger provides this strategy to help children better understand and work with their sensitivity in a blog updated in 2019. Her post begins with a link to an article reviewing the emotional overexcitability.

ODE has provided some resources and suggestions on its page How to Support Your Child's Health and Well-Being During Ohio's Ordered School-Building Closure.

The World Health Organization and partners have put together this resource for information and parenting tips.

Cultivating Calm Amidst a Storm: This blog post by Nicole A. Tetreault, Ph.D., discusses the impact of our quickly-changing times on our nervous systems, providing an explanation of the physical and nervous system impacts. She also provides some practical tips to help gifted students - and anyone - in handling this time of social distancing and changes to deeply-rooted routines and expectations.

The National Association of School Psychologists has assembled this list of resources for use by parents, teachers, school administrators, crisis response and intervention teams, and more.

Part of the resources the National Association of School Psychologists has included is this guide for parents to consider in talking about COVID-19 with children.