HES Gifted & Talented

 

Quest is a multi-layered approach to enrichment and gifted education that includes enrichment and accelerated instruction opportunities for all students. It is an inquiry and interest-based approach to education. The three core components of Quest are Enrichment & Innovation, Explorations, and EXCELerate. 

 

Grades K-6 Enrichment & Innovation programming will include weekly interest-based and problem-based learning opportunities for all students. This replaces technology or i-Lab with additional push-in enrichment opportunities during center time or social studies/science. This curriculum focuses on critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry and research, strengthening communication, and collaboration. 

 

 

Explorations is a voluntary self-paced program open to all students in grades 2-6. Students identify what they want to learn about, how to research, discover the topic of interest, create a hypothesis, and generate new knowledge, ideas, products, or solutions. These can be individual or small group passion or capstone projects. Students will engage in self-paced full-year or half-year projects with support from teachers and experts that they choose. Culminating presentations will occur at the end of the school year. 

 

 

EXCELerate includes more intensive accelerated learning opportunities for identified grades K-6 students. Core content will be presented in a way that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and more authentic application. 

 

 

 

Push-in programming for identified grades K-2 students will occur 1-2 times per week, and pullout programming for identified grades 3-6 students will occur 1-2 times per week. Programming will not be subject-specific. Instead, programming will be multidisciplinary with cross-content standards. The focus is on accelerated application of higher academic standards, exploration, research, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. Students will set individual S.M.A.R.T. goals for learning and work with teachers to customize individual learning plans during instruction. Students must maintain certain benchmarks and criteria to remain in the program based on prescribed rubrics.