EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR THE GIFTED 1.0 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR THE GIFTED

Gifted learners have a wide range of educational, social, emotional and physical needs. Consequently, they should receive systematically differentiated instruction throughout their school experience to suit their unique learning style. Within the regular school system, various administrative arrangements may be implemented to provide for the needs of gifted learners.
In the Philippines, the more common programs for the gifted are: acceleration, ability grouping and enrichment and their variations. 2.1 ACCELERATION

Acceleration refers to any administrative practice designed to move gifted learners through school more rapidly than usual. Administrative practices under acceleration include early admission, grade skipping, advance placement, telescoping of grade levels and credits by examination. Types of Acceleration 2.2.1 Grade Acceleration/Grade Skipping – This is usually practiced in the elementary level. A child skips one or two grades after it has been found that she or he is intellectually, socially and emotionally ready to move to the higher grade. An example of grade acceleration and grade skipping is the ALPES (Accelerated Learning Program in the Elementary School) for gifted pupils. Qualifiers or those gifted pupils who pass the examinations given to top pupils in Grades IV and V are immediately promoted or accelerated to the next grade. 2.2.2 Grade Telescoping – A pupil covers all the scope and sequence of a two-year curriculum in one year or a three-year curriculum In two years. At the secondary level, the students is allowed to complete high school graduation requirements in a shorter period of time either by reducing the number of courses, earning credits by examination, skipping courses, taking summer courses and/or carrying extra ones. The accelerated program in the Division of City Schools in Manila enables identified gifted pupils to finish the Grades, IV, V and VI curricula in two years. Level One pupils take up the Grade IV curriculum and one half of the Grade V curriculum in the first year of the accelerated program. Level Two pupils finish the other half of the Grade V curriculum and Grade VI curriculum in the second year of the accelerated program. 2.2 ABILITY GROUPING

Ability grouping is any classification of children for instructional purposes in terms of capacity for learning and demonstrated achievement. The following are types of ability groups: 2.3.3 Special Class/Self-Contained Classes – Children who have been earlier identified as gifted are grouped by grades and are taught using a curriculum adapted to their abilities, interests, and needs.
All the major subject areas in the special class are usually handled by a SPED trained teacher. Instruction in other subjects such as Music, Arts and Crafts and Science may be handled by teachers who are specialists or experts in these areas.
1.2.1.1 Class Size – The number of gifted pupils per special class is the Philippines: A Manual, 1990). However, in order to accommodate and serve a greater number of gifted pupils, it has been recommended that thirty to thirty-five (30-35) should comprise the SPED Class. This provision on the required number of gifted pupils per class should be implemented without necessarily lowering the standards for admission of the program for the gifted.
1.2.2 Modified Special Class – The gifted child is enrolled in the regular grades with his peer group but has special instruction for a part of the day with other gifted children under a SPED trained teacher.
1.2.3 Pull-out Program – This is a variation of the modified special class. Under this scheme, the gifted are pulled out from their class to attend enrichment classes under a teacher who has expertise in the particular subject. The gifted pupils may come from one grade level or from different grades. Children who have superior abilities in Math, Science, Visual Arts, Communication Arts or Performing Arts are pulled out from their classes and provided with enrichment activities by teachers who have expertise in these subject areas.
1.2.4 Special Schools – These schools admit only gifted children who have been systematically screened and identified. A specialized and enriched curriculum is provided to these children by SPED trained teachers sing appropriate instructional material; facilities and equipment. Examples of special schools for the gifted at the secondary level are Philippine Science High School, Manila Science High School, Quezon City Science High School and Philippine High School for the Arts.
1.3 ENRICHMENT Enrichment refers to any adaptation of the regular curriculum to provide educational experiences over and above those in the regular program. Enrichment offers more opportunities for the gifted child to go deeper and to range more widely than the average child in his intellectual, social and artistic experiences. The educational environment must set learning tasks that are complex and advance than those provided to regular learners.

The following are the essential features of enrichment: a. Emphasis on creative activities b. Emphasis on developing skills of investigating and discovery learning c. Provisions for independent work d. High standards of work and accomplishment e. Opportunities for leadership and social adjustment f. Individual attention from the teacher g. Frist-hand experiences h. Flexibility of classroom scheduling and procedure i. Extensive reading j. Concern with community responsibility k. Availability of up-to-date instructional materials and equipment
Enrichment can be essentially considered as the core administrative or educational provision for the gifted. This is because acceleration and ability grouping should always be accompanied by enrichment of the curriculum 2.0 BASIC CONSIDERATIONS IN PUTTING UP EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS/SERVICES FOR THE GIFTED

Putting up programs and services for the gifted has to be carefully planned. It involves such steps as needs assessment, setting up to objectives, screening, identification and organization of programs and services. (See Figure 1)

3.3 Needs Assessment/Analysis

Before a program for gifted learners is organized, it is best to conduct a needs assessment. Is there a need to organize a program for the gifted in the division/district/schools? A positive answer to this question will lead to a consideration of the following aspects: a) objectives of the programs; b) target population; c) identification tools and procedures; d) instructional materials in teaching gifted learners; e) facilities; f) trained/qualified teachers; as well as g) administrative and community support. 3.4 Screening and Identification

Once the needs re properly identified and objectives are drawn, screening and identification procedures for the target population are decided on. The identification of gifted pupils is done using several tools which includes IQ tests, scholastic ratings, teacher nomination, parent nomination, peer nomination and achievements tests.

The following guidelines should be considered in the screening and identification of gifted pupils.

2.3.1 Request for dissemination of information through school, district or division memorandum as the case may be concerning the identification procedures. Local newspapers and radio stations may also be tapped.

2.3.2 Interview parents and teachers in the field to gather referrals, nominations and information about pupils who are probable clientele in the program for the gifted.

2.3.3 Conduct interview to complement the information gathered from the various identification tools. A highly qualified diagnostician should administer the various psychological tests. In the absence of a school or division psychologist, a qualified guidance counsellor or SPED teacher may assist in the administration, scoring and evaluating the IQ test available. It is most useful if the teacher for the gifted is properly trained in administering and scoring the various psychological tests given.

2.3.4 Administer the various screening and identification tools to the target population. This may be the entire Grade Three population of the school or district as the case maybe if the plan is to organize special class in Grade Four.

2.3.5 Tabulate and rank the results

2.3.6 Take the upper 30-35 pupils to comprise the special class. If the identified number of pupils is less than 10, mainstreaming them in regular classes may be done instead but with provisions for enrichment.

2.3.7 Send notice to parents of identified pupils and request permission and confirmation for the inclusion of their children in the program for the gifted.
2.4 Orientation of parents/teachers/other personnel 2.4.1 Orient the parents about the special education program for the gifted and their role in the education of their gifted children. 2.4.2 Orient the teachers who will be directly and indirectly involved in the program for the gifted. Team teaching may be explored if needed.
2.5 Implementation of the Program 2.5.1 Implement the program for the gifted using an enriched curriculum taking into consideration the unique learning needs of the gifted. 2.5.2 Tap government and non-government organizations in the community for various forms of support to the program for the gifted.
2.6 Evaluate the program 2.6.1 Evaluate the various aspects of the program. Include all sectors involved in program evaluation. 2.6.2 Modify, strengthen r revise the program based on evaluation data. Feedback from evaluation should be directed to the different phrases of the program for use as bases for improvement.