Scenario: The administrator at your school would like you to put together a brochure for the gifted and talented program that will be distributed to parents at an open house at your school. Research the gifted and talented program in your local district or state. Create a 6-panel brochure that includes the following: • Characteristics of gifted and talented learners • Testing of gifted and talented learners, including planned assessments to monitor student learning • Services for gifted and talented learners, including LRE • Accommodations used for gifted and talented learners to deepen knowledge and skills • Parent involvement strategies • Community resources available

1. Characteristics
Have a smarty pants in the family?
Gifted and talented children often
begin communicating at an early
age, and use vocabulary far beyond
their age. But, gifted children are
diverse, and do not exhibit the same
characteristics. Education.com
states that they have an “unusual
capacity for processing information”
and are often able to process
information more quickly and
accurately than their peers.
Tests & Assessment
By state law, all students must be screened for
needing support, learning differences, and
giftedness. If your child scores at or above the
district’s threshold, parents are contacted for
permission to give them the state eligibility
assessment. It includes paperwork that parents
and the teacher must complete, with a hearing
and vision screening. The forms are scored by
school psychologists. Students with passing
scores are referred for IQ and individual
achievement testing by district psychologists.
Or, students can be privately tested, as long as
the test used meets state standards. Using
formative assessments can result in important
increases in student learning when teachers
engage gifted students in determining whether
they have met learning goals. Also using lessons
and other classroom experiences to monitor and
collect evidence on gifted students’ learning.
Services of CLUE & LRE
Support for gifted students may vary, based on
the requirements of the child’s Individualized
Education Plan (IEP). The following is the
typical schedule of services. Pre-K: Students
attend a CLUE class 2.5 hours/day, two days
each week. K-5th grades: Students attend the
pull-out CLUE class 2.5 hours/day, two days
each week in their own school or another one
nearby. 6th-9th grades: Students attend a 1-
hour daily CLUE English/Reading class,
designed to prepare them for Advanced.
Students not under an IEP, will receive the same
services as children who were identified via the
state process. Students needing LRE (Least
Restrictive Environment) support will receive it
in an inclusive environment; the general
education classroom.

2. Accommodations Used for
Gifted and Talented Learners
Students qualifying for gifted and
talented services under the state’s
eligibility process will get an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP),
which is formulated with input from
various school staff members and
parents. Many IEPs will specify that the
student take part in a pull-out gifted
class, but in some cases, there may be
other supports (provide additional work,
independent work in advanced grade
levels, emerge research-based
curriculum, etc.) that are more
appropriate to deepen knowledge and
skills. The IEP process is the parents’
chance to advocate for what the child
needs, so if the gifted class alone isn’t
going to cover it, now’s the time to speak
up about accommodations.
Parental Involvement Strategies
 Create a welcoming school climate.
 Provide families information related to
child development and creating
supportive learning environments.
 Provide a personal greeting and welcome
packet for all parents visiting the school,
including a community services
directory, important school contact
information, school calendar and
coupons to local businesses.
 Establish effective school-to-home and
home-to-school communication
 Strengthen families’ knowledge and
skills to support and extend their
children’s learning at home and in the
community.
 Engage families in school planning,
leadership and meaningful volunteer
opportunities.
 Connect families to community
resources
Community
Resources
Available
To ensure that families have resources to be
involved in their children’s education, here
some are links to free or inexpensive resources
in Memphis, TN: BRIDGES — A nonprofit
that provides opportunities for young people to
find their voice through unique experiential
learning activities that are adventurous,
relational, and transformative. Child Care
Services — This Tennessee Department of
Human Services site offers information about
different child care providers. Internet
Essentials — low-cost Internet access and
computer equipment for qualifying families
from Comcast. Team Autism Memphis — an
outpatient clinic supporting families while
providing services for autism and related
disorders. Understood.org — a free, online
resource for parents of children with learning
and attention issues. Memphis School Guide —
A parent's guide to Memphis and Shelby
County schools, including public and private.

3. References
REFERENCES
Memphis School Guide. (2019). Local Gifted Programs. Retrieved from http://memphisschoolguide.org/extra-credit/local-gifted-programs/
State Board of Education. (2016). Parent and Family Involvement Policy. Retrieved from http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-
Resources/Family-and-Community-Engagement/Getting-Parents-Involved/Sample-Best-Practices-for-Parent-Involvement-in-Sc
Shelby County Schools. (2019) Exceptional Children & Health Services: CLUE. Retrieved from
http://www.scsk12.org/exceptional/clue?PID=886
Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust. (2019) Community Resources. Retrieved from
https://www.memphisscholarships.org/resources/community-resources/
Webb, J., Gore, J., Amend, E., DeVries, A. (2007). A parent's guide to gifted children. Retrieved from www.greatpotentialpress.com.