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Philosophy and Rationale
The philosophy of the Valley Park School District
Gifted Education Program focuses on the District Mission Statement, in
that the Gifted Education Program provides a supportive, personalized
environment in which students will grow strong intellectually,
emotionally, physically, and socially today in preparation for
tomorrow.
Gifted students have special needs,
which include having an advanced knowledge and learning capacity.
Therefore, gifted students require differentiated curriculum and services
that are advanced in content and pace. The Valley Park School District
Gifted Education Program for Grades K-8 is designed to motivate and
challenge identified gifted students.
Curriculum and services in the Valley
Park School District Gifted Education Program are centered around a
variety of interdisciplinary activities that challenge gifted students in
the areas of gathering, analyzing and applying information;
communicating effectively; analyzing problems and applying appropriate
problem solving strategies; thinking critically; working responsibly;
applying and analyzing research skills; and thinking
affectively.
Definition of
Giftedness
There are many definitions of
giftedness. The following definition is used in the state of
Missouri to aid in identifying students who are gifted. The
following information can be found in the General Administrative
Procedures for State-Assisted Gifted Programs through the Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website,
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/gifted/stateassisted/manual.pdf
The state special
education law (H.B. 474) enacted in 1973, authorized the State Board of
Education to establish standards for state aid for special programs for
gifted students. The following sections of state law pertain to
gifted education programs eligible for state assistance:
Section 162.675.
RSMo, defines gifted children as "those children who exhibit precocious
development of mental capacity and learning potential as determined
by competent professional evaluation to the extent that continued
educational growth and stimulation could best be served by an academic
environment beyond that offered through a standard grade level
curriculum."
 
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