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Contact:
John Cooper, 948-7271 x202 jcooper@swboces.org The Gifted Special Education (GSE) program addresses the needs of the “Twice-Exceptional” student at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Twice-Exceptional children are gifted and talented but also have a disability, which affects learning. It is a model for our sister programs in The Elementary Program The elementary program focuses on developing basic skills in all academic areas while providing opportunities for acceleration and enrichment, where appropriate. A differentiated instructional model provides flexibility in teaching the academic subjects, based on the specific needs of each student. For our students, there is a balancing act: appropriately engaging students’ talents and challenges while doing so in a setting that addresses personal and social needs as well. The program has a student-centered climate, which encourages appropriate behavior through the development of social skills. While we want our students to become “autonomous learners,” we also seek to develop a sense of responsibility for our students’ community. Opportunities to develop academic skills, critical thinking, creative expression, problem solving, and teamwork are created in Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts. The Middle School Program At the Middle School, there is a continuation of the opportunities provided at the elementary level. The emphasis, however, shifts to developing the student’s sense of confidence and independence. The program specifically addresses the skill sets that each student needs to successfully adapt to the demands of a mainstreamed school environment. We utilize a mini-departmentalized plan with three teachers and three rooms, each dedicated to a core curricular area. Students follow the regular building’s schedule and are mainstreamed in accordance with the IEP. There are two mainstreaming considerations; academic preparedness and the social-emotional capacity to handle the challenges. Decisions are developed in partnership with our team, the parents/guardians and, of course, the CSE. There are opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular activities where appropriate and can be scheduled according to the student’s availability. The High School Program At the secondary level, the Gifted Special Education program provides preparation and information for post-secondary education and/or employment. Coursework is again departmentalized within the program. However, there is more of an emphasis upon students being actively engaged with the mainstream in the host school. A Regents-based curriculum is the backbone of instruction. At the same time, there are many opportunities provided for our students to explore their unique talents and natural curiosity in all areas of learning. The achieving of this goal requires that the gifted special education team collaborate very closely with each student to plan and adapt their academic program. A core theme is to enable our students to accept increased responsibility for the course of their lives and to have the problem-solving skills to pursue realistic goals. Emphasis is placed upon strategies to organize, prioritize, and modify life planning through regular monitoring and frequent feedback. Counseling Services Counseling Services are an integral component of the Gifted Special Education program. Trained and certified psychologists serve as the point people for delivering individual, group, and “as needed” intervention. The entire team, however, is the “delivery system”. The therapeutic effect of multiple personnel reinforcing the same intervention is invaluable to effect meaningful change for our students. Pursuant to this goal, the staff has utilized Mel Levine’s “All Kinds of Minds” neuro-psychological approach, which fosters an appreciation and understanding of each child as well as provides additional means to differentiate interventions. There is an emphasis placed upon helping children examine the causes and effects of their behavioral choices. Alternatives are examined as part of the process. The entire team, including the parents/guardians, is intimately involved with this approach. Communication, patience, and practice are key ingredients for achieving success.