50¶È»Ò

Brevard Public Schools' Gifted Student Program is committed to honoring excellence in all students regardless of race, sex, economic status, or cultural background. Gifted students need an educational program that takes into account their unusual intellectual abilities and challenges them to be their very best. An effective program for the intellectually gifted requires that teachers be trained to recognize special characteristics of gifted children and to provide programs design.

Program Goals

The Gifted Student Program includes the following goals:

• Provide an educational program with a wide variety of educational opportunities that will enable each gifted student to develop his/her own unique potential. 
• Provide gifted students with opportunities to interact with intellectual peers and experience advanced learning situations.
• Develop and extend the thinking abilities of each gifted child
• Develop and nurture creativity and productive divergent thinking
• Help each gifted child become a self-directed learner

FAQ's    About Qualification and Placement

Q1-How does a child qualify for the gifted program?

• A student is eligible for special programs for the gifted if he/she demonstrates the following: superior intellectual development with an intelligence quotient of two standard deviations or more above the mean
• a majority of characteristics of gifted children
• a need for a special program for the gifted

Q2-Who can refer a child for evaluation for possible gifted placement?

A2-Referrals for screening and evaluations for the gifted student program can be  made by the child's  teacher or other staff member, the parents/guardians or in    some cases by the child. The process begins in theschool guidance department.

Q3-When can a child be referred for the gifted program?

A3-In Florida children can be referred when they are of school age.

The gifted student is one who has superior intellectual development and is capable of high performance. These student require educational programs and experiences different from and/or in addition to those provided by the regular school program.

What does it mean to be "gifted"?  Gifted children tend to share many characteristics in common.  The gifted child often:

• reads well and widely        
• has an unusually large vocabulary        
• has a good memory for things heard or read        
• is curious and asks tough questions        
• is an independent learner and has lots of initiative        
• has a long attention span        
• is widely informed about many topics        
• produces original or unusual products or ideas        
• has a keen sense of humor        
• likes to collect things         
• is creative and imaginative
• enjoys complicated games and puzzles

Common Misconceptions About Gifted

Myth #1    

Students who are gifted can make it on their own. They can succeed without help.
Fact: Students who are gifted do not automatically succeed if  proper instruction and counseling do not occur. Studies have shown that as many as fifteen to thirty percent of high school dropouts are gifted and talented. Students who are gifted are "at risk" in other areas as well. They are at risk for underachievement during the educational years and on their jobs during their adult years. And, what may be the most shocking, students who are gifted are at risk for depression and suicide.Students who are gifted will not always succeed without help.

Myth #2 Students who are gifted are not aware of being different unless someone tells them they are.
Fact: Students who are gifted are aware of being different and need to understand their unique abilities. They may think in complex terms for their age and wonder why their peers do not have the same thoughts. If their exceptionality is not understood, they may consider themselves to be strange or weird. This perception of being different can lead to counseling needs.

Myth #3 Students who are gifted should get all " A's" on their report cards.
Fact: Students who are gifted have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. Their giftedness may be in math and not in language arts or vice versa. Too often students who are gifted have been conditioned to feel they must be perfect. This over-concern with perfection can create many problems. One of the problems is a reluctance to take risks. Fear of failure may prevent these children from trying new thing or risking being unsuccessful in a new situation.

FAQ's about Parents'    Role
Q1-  How can I Help My Gifted Children 

A1- Motivate your gifted child by....            

• Encouraging novel ideas            
• Encouraging goals set by the child            
• Helping your child recognize his/her strengths and weaknesses   
• Recognizing achievement            
• Encouraging independence and creativity            
• Being enthusiastic and optimistic

Q2-  What Else Can I Do?

A2- Furnish books that cover a wide range of subjects and reading levels            

• Provide reference materials             
  
• Plan  field trips and library visits            
• Set  aside time for reading            
• Encourage participation in outside activities            
• Model a life-long love of learning            
• Be an advocate for your child and his/her need for gifted services as it arises