​​​​​Palmer Gifted and Talented Program
​Maximizing Achievement for Gifted Students
Contact: Palmer Gifted Resource Teacher (GRT)
Name: Michael Chamberlin
Email: michael.chamberlin@d11.org
Phone: (719)-328-5079
Address: 301 N Nevada AVE Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Office: Room 222 (inside room 227N)
What We Believe
Vision: The Gifted and Talented will maximize achievement for all gifted students.
Mission: The Mission of the Gifted and Talented Department is to support gifted and talented students in achieving their academic, social-emotional, and creative-productive potential by providing an appropriate learning environment based on best practices in gifted education.
Guiding Principles: We, as the Gifted and Talented Department:
- Promote high academic achievement for each student
- Seek meaningful and challenging learning experiences
- Facilitate talent development
- ​Encourage social and emotional growth
- Support future planning
- Develop habits of good citizenship ​
International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs
Academics: Palmer High School is an all IB school. 9th and 10th grade are part of the IB Middle Years Program (MYP), while 11th and 12th grade has many IB options (Diploma, Candidacy, Career). Honors classes are available for 9th and 10th grade, while 11th and 12th grade has Advanced Placement (AP)-like options, though decidedly IB, not AP; both can offer college credit depending on exam scores.
Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs)
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) requires that all Gifted and Talented students have an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP), and state that communication between parents, educators, and students are essential in the goal setting, development, and review of a gifted student's Advance Learning Plan. In order to comply with the CDE rules, parents must review and approve the completed ALP.
As a gifted student you have the right to gifted programming. At Palmer High School, this often entails taking honors and advanced classes, but may also involve extracurricular activities, personal and social support, and other services. We want gifted students to learn and to grow in their area(s) of strength/interest commensurate with their ability. The Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) is a Colorado state requirement aimed to address this objective by means of goal attainment. All identified gifted students need to complete an ALP yearly.
The ALP is housed in PowerSchool, accessed and completed by students at school with the help of the Gifted Resource Teacher (GRT) and other stakeholders, including classroom teacher when applicable. Students write their goals at the beginning of the school year, progress monitor their goals mid-year, and mark if the goals are completed at the end of the school year.
The two year-long ALP goals are written, one academic and one affective (social/emotional). With a PowerSchool login, parents have access to view and approve the goals.
Diverse Population and a Downtown Community
Palmer High School has a diverse student population (statistics coming soon) and is located in downtown Colorado Springs. With an open campus, students are able to walk around downtown during lunch. Many people and resources are nearby, including Colorado College just five blocks away. Opportunities abound for collaboration.
Social and Emotional Support
While academics can be a problem, the problems and concerns that affect gifted students the most are social and emotional. Anxiety is a big one, and this can manifest in many ways - perfectionism, generalized anxiety, existential anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), etc. However, most of the time there aren't any psychological disorders at all, just a heightened sense of reality that can partly mimic disorders and affect the well-being of a child. Gifted comes with it's own unique characteristics and challenges. The GRT can work with the student, creating support structures to deal with the world around them.
GT Lunch Group
The GT Lunch Group, a second semester activity, creates a time and place for gifted students to come together to socialize and to participate in fun projects together. This activity is open to all gifted students.
Student Agency
Student agency, the pedagogical concept where students have a meaningful role in their learning, making choices and taking ownership of their educational journey, is a primary focus for the district. Opportunities abound for student agency at Palmer with GT students. Here are a few examples:
- GT Student Advisory Board - a district-wide student board created and run by GT high school students offering a student voice to the policies and activities of the D11 GT program.
- High Trails - Not GT specifically, but a leadership opportunity for high school students to work with elementary students as counselors in an outdoor educational setting.
- National Honor Society (NHS) - again, this isn't GT specific, but their are a lot of GT students in NHS, a service-based society for high achieving students.
- Speech and Debate Team - this team is also not exclusive to GT students, but researching, debating, and conveying ideas with one's voice is highly academic, takes a lot of student ownership, and the competition makes speaking even more challenging - often a draw for GT students.
GT Schoology Group
All GT students have an ungraded class. This "class" allows communication to all Palmer GT students and their families. This communication is accomplished through Schoology. Schoology is also a repository of archived communication and resources useful for GT students.
8th Grade Information Nights and Shadowing Opportunities
Palmer High School offers several opportunities for families to learn about the GT Program at Palmer High School; and for eighth graders to shadow a Palmer student for a day, a great way to get a "feel" for the school.
8th Grade GT Nights - Tuesday, December 9 (6-7 PM) and Thursday, December 11 (5:30 - 6:30 PM), Palmer Library. Palmer IB Night is December 11, 4:30 - 5:30 PM in the Palmer Lecture Hall.
Palmer Preview - January 13, 6-8 PM. Whole school 8th Grade Information Night.
8th Grade Shadowing - January 20 - February 20. Call 719-328-5000 starting in January to schedule.
