When school divisions think about gifted education, conversations often focus on program structure: pull-out or push-in services, cluster grouping or self-contained classes, talent development or identification-based models. While these decisions are important, they are not the full story of how gifted learners are supported.
This blog series, Gifted Delivery of Services Opportunities, was created to shift the focus from structure alone to the opportunities students experience within and beyond any gifted program model.
The reality is this: it does not matter which gifted program model a school division uses (most school divisions use a combination of models, anyway). The opportunities highlighted in this series can apply to every model. Whether students are served through general education classrooms, specialized gifted programs, magnet schools, or homeschool settings, gifted learners need access to diverse pathways that allow them to explore interests, develop strengths, and apply learning in authentic ways.
Across this series, I explore fourteen gifted delivery of services opportunities that can enhance gifted programming in any context. These include independent study, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, scouting, community service, academic competitions, internships, mentorships, early college programs, diploma seals and recognitions, academic honor societies, Governor’s School programs, civics-focused experiences, and fine arts opportunities.
Together, these opportunities form a flexible and responsive continuum of services. They recognize that giftedness is not one-dimensional and that talent emerges in many forms. Some students shine in mathematics or science. Others find their voice through leadership, service, civic engagement, or the arts.
One caveat: most of what I discuss in this blog series focuses on secondary-level opportunities. However, every opportunity I share has a counterpart of some sort at the elementary level that is easy to google-search.
This series is designed for gifted coordinators, administrators, teachers, and families who want to think more expansively about how gifted services can look in practice. Gifted education does not live only in a schedule or a label. It lives in the opportunities we provide and the doors we open for students.
Please let me know if there are any opportunities for gifted students that I forgot by dropping them in the comments below. Thank you! ~Ann
Teaching for Talent 