Gifted and Talented Programming in the North Tonawanda City School District provides a wide variety of opportunities for all students and focuses on student exhibited gifted behavior (creative and productive). Implemented in grades 1-8, Gifted and Talented Programming recognizes and responds to the unique strengths, talents, and interests of students. Donald Treffinger’s Individualized Programming Planning Model (IPPM) promotes a gifted learning environment throughout each school and serves as the basis of our district’s programming to meet the needs of our creative and productive students. The purpose of the IPPM is to promote programming efforts that stimulate, identify, and extend gifted behavior in all students through four levels of service.
- Level I provides experiences for all students and may include guest speakers, assemblies, field trips;
- Level II provides experiences for individual classroom and team selected students and includes differentiated instruction by content, process, or product;
- Level III provides experiences for students with identified strengths and interests and may include mini-courses and long-term programs or areas of study selected to extend student abilities in specified content areas;
- Level IV provides experiences for students demonstrating a strong interest and strength in a particular area and may include mentorship opportunities, independent research projects, and the Gifted and Talented Fair.
The Gifted and Talented Curriculum in the North Tonawanda City School District is diverse and flexible. The program is driven by differentiated instruction with a focus on critical and creative thinking skills, problem solving, and advanced study skills. Our Gifted and Talented Programming is an extension of the classroom curriculum; therefore, students are selected and recommended to take part in special projects throughout the school year that focus on their interests and strengths in the areas of Math, ELA, Social Studies, Science, the Arts, and Technology.
