Gifted and Talented
Mission
Boerne ISD recognizes the right of all children to a challenging instructional program, which provides opportunities for the full development of their capabilities, talents and gifts. In Boerne ISD, all schools follow BISD Board Policy to identify students as gifted.
Program Description
Elementary G/T students are cluster-grouped into a trained teacher's classroom where a differentiated curriculum is provided and attend a pull-out program in the GATE classroom on average 90-120 minutes a week. Secondary G/T students are served through Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Credit and Honors courses in the core areas. Middle School students are also placed in trained teacher's classroom for the core academic areas where a differentiated curriculum is provided. Middle school and high school junior and senior students may also participate in an Independent Study Mentorship program.
Is My Child Gifted?
Concerned adults can misinterpret high achievement as giftedness. High-achieving students are noticed for their on-time, neat, well-developed, and correct learning products. Adults comment on these students' consistent high grades and note how well they acclimate to class procedures and discussions. Some adults assume these students are gifted because their school-appropriate behaviors and products surface above the typical responses of grade-level students.
High achievers are valuable participants whose high-level modeling is welcomed in classes, but they learn differently from gifted learners. Gifted students' thinking is more complex with abstract inferences and more diverse perceptions than is typical of high achievers.
To allay some of the confusion, Dr. Bertie Kingore has assembled a chart comparing the characteristics of Gifted Learners with those of High Achievers and Creative Thinkers. Please note that these categories are not mutually exclusive; a child can be a mixture of characteristics from all three categories.
Visit Kingore.com for More Resources
Explore Gifted and Talented Resources
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Is My Child Gifted? Dr. Kingore's Lists
Concerned adults can misinterpret high achievement as giftedness. High-achieving students are noticed for their on-time, neat, well-developed, and correct learning products. Adults comment on these students' consistent high grades and note how well they acclimate to class procedures and discussions. Some adults assume these students are gifted because their school-appropriate behaviors and products surface above the typical responses of grade-level students.
High achievers are valuable participants whose high-level modeling is welcomed in classes, but they learn differently from gifted learners. Gifted students' thinking is more complex with abstract inferences and more diverse perceptions than is typical of high achievers.
To allay some of the confusion, Dr. Bertie Kingore has assembled a chart comparing the characteristics of Gifted Learners with those of High Achievers and Creative Thinkers. Please note that these categories are not mutually exclusive; a child can be a mixture of characteristics from all three categories.
A High Achiever...
A Gifted Learner...
A Creative Thinker...
Remembers the answers.
Poses unforeseen questions.
Sees exceptions.
Is interested.
Is curious.
Wonders.
Is attentive.
Is selectively mentally engaged.
Daydreams; may seem off task.
Generates advanced ideas.
Generates complex, abstract ideas.
Overflows with ideas, many of which will never be developed.
Works hard to achieve.
Knows without working hard.
Plays with ideas and concepts.
Answer the questions in detail.
Ponders with depth and multiple perspectives.
Injects new possibilities.
Performs at the top of the group.
Is beyond the group.
Is in own group.
Responds with interest and opinions.
Exhibits feelings and opinions from multiple perspectives.
Shares bizarre, sometimes conflicting opinions.
Learns with ease.
Already knows.
Questions: What if...
Needs 6 to 8 repetitions to master.
Needs 1 to 3 repetitions to master.
Questions the need for mastery.
Comprehends at a high level.
Comprehends in-depth, complex ideas.
Overflows with ideas--many of which will never be developed.
Enjoys the company of age peers.
Prefers the company of intellectual peers.
Prefers the company of creative peers but often works alone.
Understands complex, abstract humor.
Creates complex, abstract humor.
Relishes wild, off-the-wall humor.
Grasps the meaning.
Infers and connects concepts.
Makes mental leaps: Aha!
Completes assignments on time.
Initiates projects and extensions of assignments.
Initiates more projects that will ever be completed.
Is receptive.
Is intense.
Is independent and unconventional.
Is accurate and complete.
Is original and continually developing.
Is original and continually developing.
Enjoys school often.
Enjoys self-directed learning.
Enjoys creating.
Absorbs information.
Manipulates information.
Improvises.
Is a technician with expertise in a field.
Is an expert who abstracts beyond the field.
Is an inventor and idea generator.
Memorizes well.
Guesses and infers well.
Creates and brainstorms well.
Is highly alert and observant.
Anticipates and relates observations.
Is intuitive.
Is pleased with own learning.
Is self-critical.
Is never finished with possibilities.
Gets A's.
May not be motivated by grades.
May not be motivated by grades.
Is able.
Is intellectual.
Is idiosyncratic.
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State Requirements for Cluster Teacher Training
New Teachers
The Texas Education Code requires teachers who provide instruction and services to gifted and talented students in the four core subjects to complete 30 hours of training in gifted education. In Boerne ISD, this means that all cluster teachers must have completed their 30 hours of required coursework by the end of the first semester. The 30 hours must include a minimum of six hours of training in each of the following areas:
Identification & Assessment – 6 hours
Nature & Needs – 6 hours
Curriculum and Instruction – 18 hours
Yearly 6-Hour Update for Teachers
The Texas Education Code requires teachers who provide services to gifted and talented students in the four core subjects to take six hours of GT workshop hours each year. This update must be completed once a year.
NOTE: Courses eligible for the required 30 hours or the 6-hour update include Region XX and district workshops approved for GT credit. In addition, courses taken outside the district, such as AP courses, may be eligible for whole or partial credit, but teachers must have prior approval by the Advanced Academics Dept. If a course is taken outside the district, teachers must add it to their online portfolio in Eduphoria - Strive.
Internal Resource:
BISD Teaching & Learning Professional Learning Site
HB3 Goals & Annual Targets
Under HB 3, school boards are required to adopt plans in early childhood literacy and math, as well as college, career, and military readiness. All plans are required to include:
- at least one assigned district-level administrator or employee of the regional education service center for the district’s region to coordinate implementation and submit annual report to the board on the district’s progress;
- an annual review by the board at a public meeting;
- an annual report posted on district and campus websites; and
- specific, quantifiable, annual goals for five years at each campus
Early childhood plans are required to include:
- annual goals for aggregate student growth on 3rd grade math and reading STAAR;
- annual targets for students in each group evaluated under closing the gaps domain;
- targeted professional development for classroom teachers in kindergarten through 3rd grade for campuses that the board identifies as not meeting the plan’s goals and that considers the unique needs of students in bilingual education or special language programs.
- annual targets that may be set for students in bilingual or ESL programs.
College, career, and military readiness plans are required to include:
- annual goals for aggregate student growth on CCMR readiness indicators evaluated under the student achievement domain; and
- annual targets for students in each group evaluated under closing the gaps domain.
View Boerne ISD's House Bill 3 Literacy & Math GoalsView Campus & District Improvement Plans