Science & Arts Academy 1825 Miner Street Des Plaines, Illinois 60016 (847) 827-7880 http://www.scienceandartsacademy.org Science & Arts Academy is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational, not-for-profit day school for gifted students in Junior Kindergarten through eighth grade.

1. Appropriate Instruction in Gifted Learning Programs
There are two conflicting schools of thought where gifted education is concerned. On the one
hand, gifted education is seen as nothing particularly critical or substantial when compared to all
mental fare. Conversely, there are those who feel gifted education programs should be offered
to all students. Unfortunately, these two schools of thought stem from those classrooms where
gifted learners are not taught appropriately.
In gifted school curriculums and instructions in Chicago, the way that a student is taught will
vary to some degree based on:
 the child’s age
 the child’s culture *
 the gender of the child *
 the student’s style of learning
 the subject matter
(*not in all cases)
The appropriateness of the instruction will also vary for the child who has enjoyed some rich
experiences in their lives compared to a child that is an equally capable learner but has not had
any truly rich experiences in their lives. Regardless, there are generalized indicators and
measures for the proper instruction of students that should apply to any gifted school in
Chicago:
The appropriate teaching pace should be based on the student’s individual needs and
requirements – students that are classified or labeled as “gifted” tend to learn at a quicker pace
than other students in their age group. It stands to reason then that they need an instructional
pace that is more rapid than that of their peers. This is oftentimes referred to as “acceleration”
by some educational authorities. Although this makes it sound somewhat risky, it is the pace
that most gifted learners are comfortable with and what is common in many gifted school
curriculums in Chicago.
It all starts with good curriculum and instruction – it’s extremely difficult if not near
impossible to develop a gifted student’s talents without an appropriate curriculum and proper
instruction. As with any other student, the gifted learner needs enriched learning experiences.
In other words, they need an educational experience that’s organized and based on the main
concepts and principles of a specific discipline and not one that is based entirely on facts or
factual information. They need activities that enable them to process ideas at a higher level as
well as content that relates specifically to them.

2. The teaching of gifted students involves a greater degree of difficulty – as an example of
this; consider the more accomplished Olympic divers. The dives that they perform have a
higher degree of difficulty than those for the lesser advanced divers. This higher degree of
difficulty implies that the content and processes for gifted students should be more abstract,
complex, multi-faceted, and open-minded than those for non-gifted students. Furthermore, the
gifted learner is sometimes (but not always) afforded the ability to function more independently
than non-gifted learners.

3. What Parents should Look for in a Gifted Education Program
With the beginning of the new school year in 2017, gifted students will be transferring into a
different gifted education program in Chicago or starting one that meets their needs. In some
cases, parents are considering the transfer aspect because they are unhappy with the current
curriculum and feel that their child isn’t progressing like they should. No matter what the
reason behind the search for a program is, the following four elements should be in place prior
to making your final decision.
All programs must be designed to provide gifted students with multiple options that are
based on their individual needs and requirements – for instance, these options could include
 continuous progress/acceleration
 curriculum alternatives
 grouping options
 mentorships
 offline and online programs
Counselors should be properly trained and available to deal academically as well as emotionally
with gifted students.
Comprehensive and equitable identification procedures – the existence of notable
achievements and talents as well as the potential for such should be found in different
curriculum areas. Instructors should be trained in the identification of characteristics attributed
to giftedness while test data should not exclude any students from entering a gifted education
program in Chicago.
Gifted education course programs should be differentiated based on multiple levels of
ability – for a portion of every day, gifted students should be homogeneously grouped for
participation in a more rigorous curriculum. The program should:
 be accelerated and enriched
 include individual study topics
 incorporate creative and complex thinking skills
Most importantly, the curriculum should provide the opportunity for authentic or real applications
through the development of products that can be used in a particular topic area or field of study.

4. Staff members who are responsible for running a program should be thoroughly trained
in gifted education curriculum in Chicago– there are a number of specifics that their training
should include such as:
 concerns regarding emotional and social awareness,
 identification processes
 individualized assessment procedures
 what accommodates the gifted students
Although the four points above are brief, they provide a broad overview of what a gifted
education program in Chicago should be comprised of. There are additional criteria that could
be added to this list including how the program could be evaluated and examined for
improvement. However, though brief in nature, it does provide parents with an idea of what they
need to look for in a gifted education program.
In addition to these four points, you should ask for any other pertinent information that may
apply and discuss this with the appropriate person. They can recommend the appropriate
course of action and suggest any additional steps that need to be taken. If you think there is
anything that should be added to the above list, make a note of it so you don’t forget to discuss
it.

5. The Value of Gifted School Curriculums
Authorities and professionals in the field of gifted education are always searching for ways to
enroll more students in their schools. Rather than simply attaching a label to a student only
once, their abilities are evaluated at several junctures during their school careers. With the help
of applied research that federal gifted education programs have funded in the past, we have
seen the development numerous identification strategies. This is especially true for those
focusing on students from a number of communities that are underrepresented in gifted school
programs in Chicago suburbs.
What you need to remember is that gifted education is more than simply enrolling a few
selected students out of a larger group in advanced courses. An effective program for gifted
education curriculums must be comprised of evidence-based options such as ability grouping
and grade acceleration that is used in judicious fashion. It might also include the online delivery
of supplemental content as well as a number of other such strategies. All of these require the
presence of well-trained instructors. Unfortunately, most students find themselves in a position
where they have to fend for themselves.
The Downside
Although this may or may not be indicative of the gifted education landscape in general,
policymakers in certain areas want to know about the applicable data that applies on a national
scale. So far they have established the following three points:
 Although many students have been identified as gifted by the wealthier suburban school
districts, relatively few of them are being catered to.
 Reporting of gifted school data in Chicago suburbs appears to be inconsistent.
 Up to this point in time, the available data does not reveal a relationship between the gifted
service rate and the growth of the student population.
Despite the legal requirements for reporting educational and school data, there are still some
inconsistencies. However, this in no way detracts from the quality of any gifted education
programs.

6. Role of the Educator
Today’s educators play an important role in the identification of gifted children and do so using
many tools that are at their disposal. By extending the acquired knowledge that they have, the
identification process has become relatively easy. They have developed an awareness of a
gifted child’s characteristics and by recognizing them can help form educational teams that have
the ability to instruct these children.
As a result, gifted children are able to pursue their development and thrive within their
educational environments. It is also possible for educators to discover emerging course
curriculums and a provision for specific activities that are more school-like and formal. While
some research studies have shown different schools of thought in regards to the definition of
“giftedness”, they do concur on the fact that the identification of it can occur during the child’s
pre-school years.

7. Disciplining the Gifted Learner without Arguing
Gifted children are oftentimes compared to attorneys. They can argue with you as if they were
contesting a case in a courtroom. In most instances, the case they argue in favor of is usually
their own. They will argue with you about being disciplined, going to bed, liking or not liking their
dinner, their punishment, the rules, and so on. Basically, if it’s something they don’t like, are
unhappy about, or want to avoid, they’re going to argue with you about it.
While it may surprise you how well they can argue with an adult, you still have to remain in
charge no matter what. Regardless of how intelligent your gifted child is, he or she is still a child
and needs your guidance. Not only do you need to lay down the rules, there must be
consequences whenever those rules are broken. Gifted learner experts in Chicago will tell you
that even if the child makes a good point as to why they broke the rules, they should never be
excused for bad behavior. Otherwise, they’re in control.
Don’t get caught up arguing with the child – this is the tough one of the bunch. If there is
one thing a gifted child is good at, it’s drawing you into the argument. Regardless of the
circumstances you cannot allow this to happen. If they ask questions, answer them provided
they don’t become argumentative. The best response is to follow through with the intended
course of action while setting up a discussion regarding the evening’s debacle for the next day.
If the child breaks the rules, they should know there will be consequences – while a child
may admit to breaking the rules, they’ll argue with you about the consequences. They’ll tell you
that the consequences aren’t fair or that the rule was unfair to begin with. They have their own
sense of justice. Thus, you have to make it very clear that there are going to be consequences
or punishment for breaking the rules just as there would be in their gifted learner program in
Chicago. Once a rule has been broken, there can be no negotiating of the consequences.
Make your rules explicitly clear – if you have to argue your case with a little attorney, you
have to start thinking like one. Anticipate the fact that they will find a loophole if one exists. If
you tell them to go to bed, that’s exactly what they’ll do. However, since you didn’t say “cover
up and go to sleep” or “no playing and no TV”, that’s the loophole. You have to make them
understand the true meaning of “go to bed.”
Above all else, the important thing is to remain calm but be reasonable yet firm when
disciplining when disciplining your child. Avoid being overly aggressive as this can have
negative consequences for you.