District       HOME	Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools Report to Board of Education, June 7, 2007	Madeline Meyer Hope Swarts
	"Thinking Is Basic" (TIB) Academically Talented Program Grades 3-8 The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public School System is committed to providing learning opportunities which will stimulate all children while simultaneously meeting the unique needs of the academically talented student. The TIB Program is a pull-out program for academically talented students in the district elementary and middle schools. The goals directing the TIB Program include: to promote creative thinking skills, higher cognitive operations, problem solving skills and to increase knowledge, comprehension and application in content areas. In addition to in-school opportunities, students are involved in special activities which enable them to interact with other identified students in our district and in neighboring districts. These activities will prepare our learners for meaningful participation in both the classroom and community by valuing their individuality, recognizing their skills, and instilling in them an appreciation of their ability to contribute to society. In our elementary schools, students meet 90 minutes weekly by grade level or in combined grade level groupings. As students in the program move to fifth grade, they begin meeting on a rotating schedule for 90 minutes and an independent project is completed in addition to group activities. In the departmentalized middle school program, TIB students continue to meet on a 90 minute rotating schedule. Multiple criteria are used to identify academically talented students in grades 3-8. These include a parent and teacher checklist, group ability test, and a review of the NJ Proficiency Assessment of State Standards (NJ PASS) in second grade and the NJ Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) in third through seventh grade. System wide entry points into the program are third and sixth grades. At other grade levels, students are identified for evaluation for program participation based on parent and teacher request and a review of state testing results. During the 2006-2007 school year, 57 students participated in TIB in our elementary schools (grades 3 and 4) and 106 participated in our middle schools (grades 5-8) for a total of 163 participants. Recognizing that very capable students may not meet the profile for TIB, but may benefit from enrichment activities, for the past three years students in our elementary schools who excel in written language and/or mathematics may also participate in an enrichment unit. Students are identified through standardized and/or state testing results and teacher recommendation. This program is fluid as students may participate only in language arts or math or both based on their strengths. During the 2006-2007 school year, 163 students participated in these enrichment activities across the district at grades 3 and 4. Additionally, students in fifth and sixth grades have had the opportunity to participate in Science Olympiad. Moving forward, we need to rethink the criteria for student participation in our district's academically talented program for several reasons. Our current Otis Lennon group ability test norms are dated, and last year a required New Jersey state test replaced the fifth grade Stanford Achievement test in our district. In addition, the NJ Department of Education is currently considering changes to the state testing program. Therefore, in the fall a committee of administrators, teachers (both current TIB teachers and classroom teachers), and parents will be formed to review the TIB program and criteria. See Criteria for Grade 3 and Grade 6 charts (pdf) TOP OF PAGE