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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

  • The Gifted Cohort at the elementary and middle grades is a full day gifted service model. Gifted Cohort Models are offered at select schools with high gifted populations and enrollment.  Students are eligible for placement when they score at the 94th percentile on a state-approved gifted assessment. 

    Gifted identified students are placed into one class, at their grade level, with only other gifted identified students. The classes are taught by a teacher (or teachers) who have or are working on earning their Gifted Endorsement. This cohort may stay with their homeroom teacher all day or move from teacher to teacher as a group depending on the configuration at each school and grade level. Gifted students are in a classroom with teachers who are trained to adapt the curriculum and environment for gifted learners.

    In the Gifted Cohort, the school’s Gifted Specialist works with the Cohort teachers to team-teach and support each classroom multiple times each week and in multiple subject areas. Students are placed in the level of math they are ready for, and encouraged to move ahead in groups through the curriculum as appropriate and with the support of the teachers.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

  • Since the entire class is full of gifted learners, the teachers can more easily adjust the curriculum to enrich and accelerate as needed for their students. This model allows for increased:

    • Individualized learning
    • Integration of Problem Based Learning
    • Collaboration with like-minded peers
    • Support from teachers trained to help gifted learners with social & emotional supports
    • More flexible support from the Gifted Specialist at the school

QUALIFYING FOR THE COHORT

  • No application is required. Schools offering the Gifted Cohort have this as their primary gifted service for students who are enrolled at the school. Grade levels offering the Cohort model may vary year to year based on individual school needs and grade level enrolment. Some grade levels may still offer primary grades Gifted Cluster classrooms, Middle School Advanced Classes, or other services based on their programming needs.

    Grade levels with the Gifted Cohort accept students with qualifying scores of at least the 94th percentile in one or more of the three approved areas (Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal) on an Arizona State approved identification test. Students scoring below the 94th percentile may be placed into the cohort each year, provisionally, if room is available. Final decision on provisional placements is up to the school Gifted Specialist and School Principal. Provisional placements may change year to year based on qualifying student enrollment into the Cohort. Provisionally placed students, once placed at the beginning of a school year can only lose their spot in the program based on classroom performance and a team-based decision.