At Telopea Park School, we operate within the ACT Education Directorate’s Gifted and Talented Education Policy and Guidelines.
Telopea Park School has high expectations of all students. Classes across K-6 are carefully constructed along mixed-ability lines ensuring that we balance: student abilities, native tongue (French, English or other), and male/female. Highly able students are grouped with like-minds to facilitate effective pair and group work. It is the responsibility of the class teacher to group students appropriately, to provide differentiated class tasks and assessment as well as experiences which will ensure that all students are challenged.
Our K-6 Bilingual Program is one form of extension. Should a student need further extension in any facet of the curriculum (e.g. Mathematics), ability groupings provide an opportunity for extended skill development. It may be appropriate for the student to attend individual classes in the next year level while retaining his/her place with their age peers. In all cases, it is imperative that collaboration between the school, parents and the student, occurs in the design of a learning pathway that is best suited to the child's needs.
Where a student displays, giftedness (raw ability) or talent (demonstrated ability) that is above, ahead or outside age specific expectations, then the options are discussed in collaboration with staff, parents and students. Applications are treated individually, and decisions are made in line with the current ACT Education Directorate policy. Parents are required to complete the checklist titled Things my child has done…prior to meeting with the Principal.
At Telopea Park School, students of exceptional abilities will have a Gifted Individualised Learning Plan (GILP) created that caters for their individual learning needs. In line with best practice, The GILP is created following a year of Case Management to ensure the GILP is appropriate and sufficiently challenging for the individual student.
We want all our students to achieve the highest level of learning so that they are equipped to deal effectively with the academic and social opportunities and challenges they will encounter in a changing world. We cater for individual needs through a differentiated curriculum which allows the programs to be modified to meet individual learning needs that may lie below, above or outside the common learning areas. A student’s academic, physical, social and emotional skills are considered carefully before decisions regarding acceleration are made by the principal.
Other Factors to Consider Prior to Grade Acceleration:
- Things my child has done…checklist
- Student’s date of birth
- Cognitive testing
- Student maturity/ social readiness
- Student numbers-year level/class size
- Appropriate student cohort
- Impact on French cycle of learning
Click here to access the ACT Education Directorate’s Policy statement.