CONDIT’S VANGUARD NEIGHBORHOOD GIFTED AND

TALENTED PROGRAM
 

PROGRAM DESIGN, as stated in the HISD Elementary School Guidelines:

HISD’s Vanguard Neighborhood G/T K-5 Program is designed for gifted and talented students who excel in general intellectual ability, in combination with creative/productive thinking and/or leadership ability. The focus is to serve the top 5% of each campus with a differentiated curriculum by modifying the depth, complexity, and pacing of the general school program. Kindergarten students must be identified and provided services by March 1 of their Kindergarten year. The individual campus determines the program design for their campus based on the number of G/T identified students per grade level.

SCREENING PROCESS:

 Students may be nominated by parents or by a teacher. Parents who wish to nominate a child may request an application from the school or print a copy of the application from the Gifted and Talented Department/Advanced Academics link on the HISD website, www.houstonisd.org.The website posts the applications for the following school year by November 1; at that time, the application for the previous year is removed, but may be obtained from Condit. All HISD kindergarten and fifth grade students are administered the NNAT and the Stanford Achievement tests at their school whether they apply for GT or not. Applications are not required for kinder nominations. Parents will receive notification letters in the spring if their child qualified for the program and will then have the choice to either “opt-in” or “opt-out” of the program... 

HISD uses multiple criteria in screening for G/T identification. The criteria include:

·         Ability test scores [Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT)]

·         Nationally-normed achievement test scores for reading, mathematics, and environment/science and social science

·         Teacher rating

·         Student’s report card grades

·         Overcoming obstacles.

For further information, please access the Elementary School Guidelines found in the Federal and State Compliance Department link on the HISD website; Advanced Academics information is located in chapter 19.

Students who are identified, accept a position in the program, and maintain the program expectations automatically continue in the program through fifth grade. All fifth grade students must apply for re-identification for Gifted and Talented services in middle school. Students who are not identified in the screening process for any given year may be reevaluated by applying for the following year.

Although the Vanguard Neighborhood G/T Program has ongoing assessment and acceptance, the District establishes the guidelines for student eligibility for screening and the calendar for testing. Each applicant must take the NNAT for the current grade level. The Gifted and Talented Coordinator will contact the parent with specific notification regarding any achievement testing that may be required. In accordance with these guidelines, the timeline for screening at Condit this year is as follows:

    Students Eligible for Screening                Application/Deadline Date            Testing Window____          

q       Students New To HISD,                 2008-2009/09/05/08                    NNAT, 9/10 – 9/19/2008

       grades 1-4                                                                                         SAT-10; 9/10 – 9/19/2008

q       Current Kindergarteners                   no application needed                  NNAT;11/03-11/07/2008                                   

                                                                                                                 SAT-10, 1/12 – 1/23/2009

q       Current 1^st. – 4^th.                            2009-2010 application                  NNAT and SAT-10

                  Due 12/7/08                                 January 12-23, 2009 

Because class assignments for the following year are usually made before the end of the current school year, parents and teachers are encouraged to nominate students prior to the January testing window.

q       **Current 1^st. – 4^th.                       2009-2010 application                   NNAT and SAT-9

                 Due3/31/09                                   May 4 – 8, 2009

**final opportunity to apply for next year

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VANGUARD MAGNET G/T AND VANGUARD NEIGHBORHOOD G/T?

As detailed in the Elementary School Guidelines, Vanguard Magnet G/T and Vanguard Neighborhood G/T follow the same curriculum. Teachers in both programs are trained together using the same materials. Whereas Vanguard Magnet schools accept applications once a year with enrollment limits, there is ongoing assessment and acceptance into the Vanguard Neighborhood G/T Program, and all qualified zoned students are placed in the Vanguard Neighborhood G/T program, as there are no enrollment limits.

FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS:

Condit is proud to have on staff an exceptionally qualified faculty. In addition to the fact that the Condit staff is very experienced in general, it is important to note, every teacher at Condit has gifted and talented professional development training that meets or exceeds both the state and the District requirements. The experience of working with gifted students is perhaps the greatest “professional development” possible. Condit has historically taught large numbers of identified students at each grade level and the teachers have met the challenge. Several teachers at Condit have taught in Vanguard schools, as well. Last, but not least, Condit hosted the HISD Gifted and Talented Institute and Summer Scholars Demo School for three consecutive years. The Demo served as the classroom demonstration model for the HISD Gifted and Talented training Institute. The “master teachers” emphasize scholarly behavior and implement concept-based themes, differentiating the HISD curriculum with depth and complexity, creative thinking skills, creative activities, and advanced level products. Of the eight teachers selected for the 2006 Demo school teachers, five were members of the current Condit faculty.         

 Patricia Johnson, GT Coordinator                                   Fred Bowyer, Principal