AUBURN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S
GIFTED PROGRAM
Terri
Bennett, Gifted Coordinator
Gifted services at Auburn Elementary School include a K-5 gifted
program and a K-3 Talent Pool.
Students are identified for placement in either program using multiple
criteria. At this time, in
Montgomery County, students can be identified as gifted in the specific
academic areas of language arts and mathematics. Talent Pool placement means that a student shows
advanced-learning characteristics and is placed in a learning environment where
those talents can be given time to develop. Each Talent Pool placement is reviewed for gifted
identification during the student’s fourth grade year.
Nominations for gifted placement can
come from teachers, as well as parents, or, in some cases, students
themselves. You can express your
interest in making a gifted nomination by contacting the school’s gifted
resource teacher. After the nomination, the identification process includes:
parent and teacher checklists, portfolio items from school and home, a student
interview, teacher observation, and standardized aptitude and achievement
testing. In order to complete this
process during the current school year, referrals need to be received by
February 1. However, the
identification and placement of students is a continuous process.
Your gifted resource teacher at Auburn
Elementary is Terri Bennett. As a
“resource teacher” she is a resource for classroom teachers, working closely
with them to enrich, expand, and differentiate the curriculum for identified
students in grades K-5. Her duties
also include screening, evaluation, and identification of gifted students,
along with providing in-class collaboration and pullout services to gifted and
talent pool students.
Additionally, Ms. Bennett is available as a resource for parents and
families. Feel free to contact Ms.
Bennett throughout the year with any question or for further information. Her email address is: tbennett@mcps.org and she has
voicemail at 381-6565.
You can also learn more about gifted
education in Montgomery County by visiting the gifted education section of the
MCPS website at: http://www.mcps.org/curriculum/gifted/index.htm
