Advanced Learning

Program OverviewMath 24 Competition 

The Beloit Turner School District is committed to providing excellence in education for all students.  Advanced learners are those students, who by virtue of their outstanding abilities, are capable of high performance.  The District’s mission is to improve instruction for all students, including the advanced learners, by identifying educational needs and differentiating instruction in curriculum, instruction, and assessments within the regular classroom.  The District recognizes the right of advanced learners to receive educational opportunities that will complement the level of their capabilities.  Therefore, appropriate programming and services will be provided to develop their particular level of ability.  Advanced learning programming supports students in five areas: General Intellectual Ability, Specific Academic Areas, Creativity, Leadership and Visual or Performing Arts.

The Beloit Turner  philosophy is that the majority of identified students will have their academic needs met in the regular classroom through a differentiated curriculum. This may involve modifications to the content, process and/or product. Advanced learners will remain in the classroom most of the time, but some may need additional resources and modifications. In special circumstances a few students may require additional educational experiences. The program will provide appropriate options to meet the needs of identified students.

Identified Areas of Advanced Learning 


General Intellectual
Demonstrated excellence in most academic areas

Demonstrated excellence in most academic areas Intellectually gifted children exhibit early and rapid development of language ability, strong powers of reasoning and advanced ability in critical thinking and problem solving in multiple areas. They may manipulate information in divergent ways when challenged by complex issues. Typically these children are noted for being several years beyond their peers in their cognitive ability.
  • Understands complex concepts
  • Draws inferences between content areas
  • Sees beyond the obvious
  • Thrives on new or complex ideas
  • Enjoys hypothesizing
  • Intuitively knows before taught
  • Uses an extensive vocabulary
  • Does in-depth investigations
  • Learns rapidly in comparison to peers
  • One or two repetitions for mastery
  • Manipulates information 
Specific Academic
Exceptional ability and performance in a single academic area

Academically able students are capable of making outstanding progress in one or more of the disciplines taught in school, which include math, science, social studies, reading, and language arts. Students in the 97th percentile, two standard deviations or above on nationally normed standardized tests in a particular subject, are an easily identifiable group. Effective education of academically able students should allow them to progress through the content area(s) at a pace and/or at the depth and breadth which reflects their considerable abilities. 

  • Strong memorization ability
  • Advanced comprehension – one or two repetitions for mastery
  • Intense interest in a specific academic area
  • High academic capacity in special-interest area
  • Pursues special interests with enthusiasm
  • Operates at a higher level of abstraction than peers
  • Asks poignant questions
  • Discusses and elaborates in detail
Creativity
Exceptional ability to use divergent and unconventional thinking in arriving at creative and unusual ideas or solutions to problems

Creativity may cross all areas (academic, arts, leadership) or may manifest itself in one specific area such as writing or math. Highly creative students tend to develop original ideas and products. They may express their creativity in oral, written, or nonverbal expression. They are flexible and original in their thinking, tending to reject one-answer solutions. These children tend to possess strong visualization. Frequently these individuals are strongly independent and often resist conformity. Creativity is characterized by originality of thought, human behavior, and product. 

  • Independent and/or flexible thinker
  • Exhibits original thinking in oral and/or written expression
  • Generates many ideas to solve a given problem
  • Possesses a keen sense of humor
  • Creates and invents
    intrigued by creative tasks
  • Improvises and sees unique possibilities
  • Risk taker
  • Resists conformity
Leadership
Exceptional ability to relate to and motivate others

Demonstrated excellence in most academic areas Intellectually gifted children exhibit early and rapid development of language ability, strong powers of reasoning and advanced ability in critical thinking and problem solving in multiple areas. They may manipulate information in divergent ways when challenged by complex issues. Typically these children are noted for being several years beyond their peers in their cognitive ability. 

  • Takes an active role in decision making
  • High expectations for self and others
  • Expresses self with confidence
  • Foresees consequences and implications of decisions
  • Follows through on a plan
  • Appears to be well liked by peers
  • Ideas expressed accepted by others
  • Sought out by others to accomplish a task
Visual and Performing Arts
Exceptional ability and performance in a single academic area

Demonstrated excellence in most academic areas Intellectually gifted children exhibit early and rapid development of language ability, strong powers of reasoning and advanced ability in critical thinking and problem solving in multiple areas. They may manipulate information in divergent ways when challenged by complex issues. Typically these children are noted for being several years beyond their peers in their cognitive ability. 
  • Communicates their vision in visual/performing arts
  • Unusual ability for aesthetic expression
  • Compelled to perform/produce
  • Exhibits creative expression
  • Desire for creating original product
  • Keenly observant
  • Continues experimentation with preferred medium
  • Excels in demonstrating the visual/performing arts
 

Identification Process 


Intellectual and Specific Academic

The purpose of identification is to locate students who need more than the core curriculum and determine what types of services are needed to ensure a minimum of a year’s worth of growth in a year’s worth of time. Beloit Turner will focus on providing services for all students regardless of identification. Identification is an ongoing and continuous process to develop awareness of student capabilities and needs. All students are considered for formal identification in 3rd through 12th grade.  

It is important to note that while students in early elementary school are considered for identification, it is difficult to make accurate determinations on true ability in young children.  Students in kindergarten, first, and second grades who demonstrate academic needs beyond grade level standards in math and Language Arts will be provided differentiated services by their classroom teachers. They will generally not be formally identified but will be placed on a Watch List.  Their academic progress will be closely monitored and recorded by the Advanced Learning Team.  Upon entering 3rd grade, data will be reviewed and a decision will be made if formal identification is justified. 
 
Performing Arts and Visual Arts, Leadership, Creativity
In Grades 3 through 5, students who demonstrate performance beyond current grade level expectations in performing arts and visual arts, leadership, and creativity, will go through the nomination process and if identified, will be placed in Level I.  Enrichment and extension activities will be provided by their classroom teachers.  Upon entering 6th grade, these students will be re-evaluated each year and will either be kept at Level 1 or will be identified at Level II or Level III.  

Statutes and Rules

Wisconsin Statute 121.02 (1)(t)
Each school board shall provide access to an appropriate program for pupils identified as gifted and talented.
Wisconsin Statute s. 118.35
118.35  Programs for gifted and talented pupils.
(1)  In this section, “gifted and talented pupils" means pupils enrolled in public schools who give evidence of high performance capability in intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership or specific academic areas and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided in a regular school program in order to fully develop such capabilities.
(2) The state superintendent shall by rule establish guidelines for the identification of gifted and talented pupils.
(3) Each school board shall ensure that all gifted and talented pupils enrolled in the school district have access to a program for gifted and talented pupils.
(4) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (fy), the department shall award grants to nonprofit organizations, cooperative educational service agencies, institutions within the University of Wisconsin System, and school districts for the purpose of providing to gifted and talented pupils those services and activities not ordinarily provided in a regular school program that allow such pupils to fully develop their capabilities.

Administrative Rule 8.01(2)(t)2
Each school district board shall establish a plan and designate a person to coordinate the gifted and talented program. Gifted and talented pupils shall be identified as required in s. 118.35 (1), Stats. This identification shall occur in kindergarten through grade 12 in general intellectual, specific academic, leadership, creativity, and visual and performing arts. A pupil may be identified as gifted or talented in one or more of the categories under s. 118.35 (1), Stats. The identification process shall result in a pupil profile based on multiple measures, including but not limited to standardized test data, nominations, rating scales or inventories, products, portfolios, and demonstrated performance. Identification tools shall be appropriate for the specific purpose for which they are being employed. The identification process and tools shall be responsive to factors such as, but not limited to, pupils' economic conditions, race, gender, culture, native language, developmental differences, and identified disabilities as described under subch. V of ch. 115, Stats. The school district board shall provide access, without charge for tuition, to appropriate programming for pupils identified as gifted or talented as required under ss. 118.35 (3) and 121.02 (1) (t), Stats. The school district board shall provide an opportunity for parental participation in the identification and resultant programming.

Want to Learn More?

Advanced Learning Handbook


The advanced learning handbook has all of the information about our advanced learning program.

 

Advanced Learning Programs


Information about Advanced Learning Programs including Soutehrn Lakes Anthology, Math24, Sweet 2B Me, and more.

 

Contact Our Advanced Learning Coordinator


If you have any questions that aren't answered on this site, please reach out to our Advanced Learning Coordinator.

 
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