Gifted and Talented
Austin High School serves students who are currently identified as academically advanced in one or more areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. GT services include instruction by a teacher who has completed the 30-hour GT Foundations training within advanced-level courses which includes curricular tasks with greater depth, complexity, and pacing while working independently and with other GT students as well as students not identified as required by the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students.
GT students in the classroom will experience some of the following instructional strategies and curriculum modifications:
GT students in the classroom will experience some of the following instructional strategies and curriculum modifications:
- Academic Acceleration - Students move beyond the regular grade level curriculum through different learning options, such as special projects and activities written at a higher grade level, grade skipping, or advanced course.
- Advanced-Level Differentiation - Different learning options that allow the student to work at a more challenging pace and level within the grade level curriculum.
- Vertical Teams Curriculum Manuals - Designed to support the work of Pre-AP and AP teachers in the core content areas. These manuals assist teachers by providing course expectations, specific strategies, and resources aligned with The College Board’s curricular requirements.
- Depth and Complexity - Set of strategies that promote higher levels of thinking and knowledge to help students develop deeper understanding (depth) or understand relationships between different ideas (complexity).
- Enrichment - Activities designed to allow students to dig deeper into a topic of study. As part of Austin High’s enrichment activities, we have designed an innovation lab for students to work on independent research topics and meet with the GT coordinator.
- Extension Menus - Students are provided with an organized set of learning options to choose from in a menu format.
- Flexible Grouping - Students move from group to group flexibly in the classroom according to the student’s academic ability, learning style, or interests based on the lessons planned by the teacher.
- Higher Level Questions - Challenging questions that increase the level of rigor and challenge in the classroom.
- Independent Study - Students conduct research or study an issue or idea, usually on a topic of choice, with little to no assistance from other students in the class.
- Learning Styles - Teachers plan differentiated lessons according to individual student learning styles to help students learn new information more easily.
- Research Projects - Students study a topic or issue to collect information, facts, and data to develop a project to share with others.
- Student Choice - Teachers provide students with pre-selected choices on topics or assignments to complete in class.
- Technology Integration - Different technology tools, programs, or apps are included in a lesson or assignment.
- Tiered Assignments - Different learning opportunities are provided to students according to their academic level. Gifted students may work on an advanced activity while other students are working on a grade-level activity on the same topic.
