High Potential and Gifted Education
We promote engagement and challenge for every student, across intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains. Our staff engage in ongoing professional development through The University of NSW (GERRIC), a leader in gifted education research and implementation.
We provide differentiated learning opportunities to promote talent development and ensure that students reach their full potential.
Programming for High Potential and Gifted Students
Programming for high potential and gifted students includes opportunities and options that differ from and/or complement the regular curriculum in breadth, depth, pace, or in the kind of experience offered.
In-Class Differentiation
Curriculum differentiation is the modification of the curriculum through adjustments to content, process, product and learning environment. It provides a planned, documented, challenging yet integrated curriculum that matches the ability of gifted students to learn at a faster rate, find and solve problems more readily and manipulate abstract ideas and make connections. Differentiation is available to every student in every classroom who demonstrates that he/she needs a different approach to teaching and learning to assist her academic development. Differentiated programming is linked to ongoing class activities and units of inquiry, in ways that may include: • High expectations for each student • Permitting a student to progress at his/her own pace • Curriculum compacting • Setting different questions or different activities within a class unit • Ability or cluster grouping • The use of higher order thinking skills • The study of more advanced concepts of academic work • Developing independent research skills
Accelerated Progression
Acceleration is any arrangement that allows students to progress through the curriculum at a faster pace. Subject acceleration and Whole Grade acceleration are two forms that may be considered. Recommendations regarding acceleration are made carefully and the student’s academic ability, social and emotional wellbeing, and capacity to attend to classroom tasks and work output requirements, are considered prudently. Accelerated progression will be considered upon parent or teacher referral if a student demonstrates a level of knowledge and skills significantly above the Year level of his/her cohort.
Our students have the opportunity participate in a wide range of talent development activities such as Tournament of Minds, ICAS, PSSA, Maths Olympiad, Debating and Public Speaking.