| Admission Information |
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What is the Purpose of Extended Learning?
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| The purpose of the Extended Learning Program is "to provide alternatives or supplements to students, who, as a result of there exceptional abilities, demonstrate a need for and can profit from a differentiated, gifted program. The overall goal is to develop a sense of the pursuit of excellence in all performances and endevors. In order to reach this goal, the Extended Learning Program was originally designed to give students opportunities to acquire special academic skills and competencies, to develop increasing motivation to create, and opportunities through which the student can move toward a positive and indestructible sense of self worth." |
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What Do Students Actually Do in Extended Learning?
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| Here at Riverbend, our Intermediate EL students are currently involved in an array of activities such as Shared Inquiry Discussions using the Junior Great Books series, math problem solving through Continental Math League, writing for and creating the RiverZine school newspaper, creative problem solving using the Future Problem Solving process, and preparation for the Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, and Battle of the Books.
Intermediate EL students are pulled out of their regular classroom to come together with other EL students three to five times per week. There are other options for providing Extended Learning services to qualified and eligible EL students: Acceleration: It can take many forms: grade compression, grade skipping, moving through material at a rapid rate within a classroom setting. Cluster Grouping: Within the regular classroom, a homogeneous grouping of children is formed, pulled from within a heterogeneous group, with the charge of working on specific projects with peers of like ability. They work on unites of common interest with the rest of the class, but at a differentiated level. Cluster groupings may change frequently depending on the instructional units or projects. They might involve the use of learning centers. Compacted Curriculum: After diagnosis and prescription, a student receives rapid delivery of regular curriculum, for the purpose of grade compression and/or within grade acceleration. The point behind compacting is to intellectually challenge a student and avoid repetition of skills she/he has already mastered. Differentiated Curriculum: Within the classroom setting differentiation may take the form of acceleration, substitution with more challenging material or enrichment of the regular curriculum, in order to meet individual needs and talents. Enrichment: The addition of disciplines or areas of learning not normally found in the regular curriculum. One may also find more difficulut or in depth material available on the typical curricular subjects, i.e. . . Future Problem Solving, Junior Great Books, Continental Math League, Writer's Workshop, and/or multi-disciplinary research projects. Grade Compression: After appropriate evaluations, the student does two years of work in one year. Grade Skipping: After appropriate academic, social, behavioral, and emotional evaluation, students "skip" an entire grade level. This is a relatively rare occurrence. Independent Study: A student contracts with a teacher to complete specific work on a project, with supervisio and monitoring on a regular basis. Multi-Age Groupings: The placement of students in a classroom with peers from different grades. It is based on the philosophy that children grow and develop at different rates and can benefit from daily interactions with others who are older and younger than themselves. It also encourages each student to proceed at his/her individual pace. Mentorship/Internship: A student is paired with an expert in a field of common interest, with the student being guided in a project or research study. Internships are often career-related and are part of the School-Tp-Work program in the community. This option is more readily availible at the secondary level. Pull-Out Grouping: A homogeneous group of children is pulled from regular classroom to work on specific projects, which may or may not be related to the instruction being provided in the regular classroom. This may be an accelerated or an enrichment program. If you have any questions about our EL program, please do not hesitated to contact Sheryl Wittig. I would be happy to speak with your and/or refer you to parents of Riverbend EL students. |
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Who is Eligible?
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| In order to formally qualify for EL services, your child would need to be tested and receive qualifying scores. Beginning with the 2007 school year, the procedure for qualifying for EL has changed substantially. Students in grades 3-12 may be referred for Extended Learning services. For qualification in math and/or reading, we use two tests: the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Test. Students can also qualify with a strength in creativity if they have qualifying WJ-Achievement or CogAT scores AND qualifying scores on the Torrance Test of Creativity. See the attached matrix for qualification criteria. Once a student has formally qualified for Extended Learning services under the 2007-2012 criteria, they stay qualified for JSD EL through high school. Student qualifying subtest scores are good for one year. Six months needs to elapse before students can be retested on the same test materials. All students also need a completed gifted behaviors checklist and written recommendation from their classroom teacher in order to qualify. |
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How do I Participate?
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| If you would like your child to participate in Extended Learning, please complete and return the Referral and Consent for Extended Learning Evaluation form, available from the EL teacher. Because some of the tests are administered to groups of children all at once, the sooner we know whether or not you would like you child to participate at this time, the sooner we can get the testing underway. Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Mrs. Wittig responds most quickly to e-mail, but phone calls or face-to-face appointments are also welcome. The best times to call her are 8:45-9:15 and after 3:45 daily. |
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What Happens After I Test?
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| Within 45 school days of receiving the parent's written permission to test, the student will be tested and results will be shared with the parents. If the student qualifies for extended learning, parents and teachers will need to meet to establish an annual student learning plan. View a sample Student Learning Plan (cover page and goals and objectives). |
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Sheryl Hall Wittig ~ Page last updated on
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