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
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
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. The objective is to allow 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 either at school or at home using their D11 login. At the beginning of the school year instructions are sent to students and their parents informing on how to complete their two yearly ALP goals. These goals are worked on during the school year with the help of important stakeholders. Near the end of the school year students indicate in PowerSchool whether or not they have completed their goals.
The two ALP goals, one academic and one affective (social/emotional), need to be a collaborative effort between student, parent(s), teachers, Gifted Resource Teacher, and other adults associated with the student and his/her goals. Parents have their own parent PowerSchool login where they can view and comment on their child's written ALP, and, if approved, sign the ALP. In addition to the goals, the ALP is composed of gifted identification information, scholastic performance, ICAP information, and other school information which paints a comprehensive scholastic picture of the student.
Once the ALP is written, the Gifted Resource Teacher (me) will work with the student to help them reach their goals. I will meet with the student several times throughout the school year to check progress and to help with goal attainment. My focus up until parent/teacher conferences is to ensure all gifted students have written their ALP in Schoolinks. After parent/teacher conferences, my focus is on getting students to achieve their goals.
