1.   Purpose 

This policy sets out Christ Church Grammar School’s (the School) objectives, strategies and programs for providing challenging learning and educational experiences appropriate to the abilities, maturity, individual strengths and weaknesses of academically gifted and talented students across the school.   The School encompasses an approach where students are nurtured with a focus on building strengths, developing resilience, humility and promoting the overall wellbeing of the student.

Furthermore, the policy seeks to clarify the position of the School through definition of contested social and educational terms in Gifted and Talented education and how these fit within the School’s overall culture of excellence.

2.   Definitions

Ability (Testing)

Ability relates to the intellectual potential a person holds.  Ability testing indicates overall capacity in areas such as verbal, quantitative and/or abstract reasoning, rather than specific curriculum knowledge and/or skills.

Achievement (Testing)

Achievement relates to a student’s level of mastery or knowledge of various subjects.  Achievement testing indicates a student’s ability in a particular curriculum domain (English, Mathematics, Science etc) and is underpinned by a student’s general ability.

Acceleration

Acceleration involves allowing students to move through the curriculum at a faster pace or to access higher level content typically reserved for older or more advanced students.  Acceleration can take different forms, such as grade skipping or individual subject acceleration.

Co-curricular

Co-curricular activities or programs complement and enhance the curriculum within a school.  These are often voluntary and take the form of various clubs, societies, teams, competitions and more.  The activities are intended to foster skills and qualities not directly addressed in the formal curriculum, such as teamwork, communication and social interaction.

Enrichment

Enrichment refers to providing additional depth, breadth, and complexity to the existing curriculum.  It involves enhancing the regular curriculum with activities designed to stimulate critical thinking, creativity and problem solving, allowing students to explore topics in greater detail.  Enrichment can be done within the regular classroom setting or through specialised programmes.

Extension

Extension activities build upon the core curriculum by extending students’ learning beyond what is typically covered in the classroom.  Extension tasks encourage students to explore concepts at a deeper level, making connections between different areas of knowledge.

Gifted and Talented 

The Australian Curriculum Website outlines the complexities in identification of Gifted and Talented learnings.  “There is no universally accepted definition of students identified as gifted and talented.  A common understanding is that giftedness and talent in students result in them displaying a selection of characteristics at home and school that are significantly above the average for their age.”  It goes on to state, “It is difficult to estimate the total number of gifted and/or talented students in Australian schools.  Estimations are dependent on the methods and models used to identify gifted and/or talented students; however, many consider ten per cent to be a reasonable guide.”  Whilst broadly accepting this national position, the School is further guided by Gagne’s “differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent”.  One of its most significant attributes is that it makes a clear distinction between the terms ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’.

Giftedness  designates the possession and use of untrained superior natural abilities, whereas talent refers to the mastery and development of these abilities.  In both instances, at the School, individuals are considered to be gifted and/or talented if they fall within the top 10% of their same age peers.

Highly gifted and/or  talented students are those whose gifts or talents fall within the top 1% of their same age peers.

Objective Measures

Assessment measures that produce comparable scores e.g., from standardised tests that indicate potential or performance relative to a large population of students inclusive of school, state and external psychometric testing measures.

Subjective Measures

Qualitative identification instruments completed by the teachers, parents, peers of gifted students and/or gifted students themselves, which allow for subjective perceptions of student performance, behaviour, and/or potential to be meaningfully considered.

Twice Exceptional

The coexistence of an area of giftedness and a disabling condition (Foley et.al., 2011); or “the comorbidity of high ability and a disability such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, or high functioning autism” (Kalbfeisch & Loughan 2012, p 392).

3.  Policy Principles 

3.1   Inclusivity

The School’s goal is for all students to be immersed in a learning environment that ensures they encounter regular challenges and content which is appropriately challenging and paced.  To achieve this goal the following is considered:

• Within each classroom teachers are required to differentiate their lessons to cater for a range of student abilities
• Differentiating for the most able students within classrooms as well as students following differentiated programs and/or completing assessment tasks tailored to their ability level
• Within subject areas where there is a particularly wide range of abilities, classrooms are streamed to provide a learning environment that is more tailored to students’ abilities and needs
• Various co-curricular opportunities are offered to enable students to pursue areas of particular interest
• The School is committed to offering support to twice-exceptional students

 3.2   Identification of Giftedness and talent 

Recognising that students’ gifts and talents manifest in different ways and at different stages, the School has adopted a comprehensive and ongoing identification program.

A range of objective and subjective measures are used to collect data on each student throughout their enrolment at the school enabling the identification of learning needs, gifts and talents and determining the most appropriate pathway for each student.  The following measures are used:

• Standardised tests such as ACER Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT)
• IOWA Scales for acceleration and early entry to school
• National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
• International Competitions and Assessments for Schools examinations (ICAS)
• Olympiads and other Academic Competitions
• Psychological assessments
• School based formative and summative assessments
• Pre-testing and off-level testing
• Teacher feedback
• Parent information

 3.3   Educational provisions/responses 

The School acknowledges that some students, while showing evidence of giftedness, may not be suitable for all types of provision. These students may have the potential to succeed but not the necessary skills and may need support to address both their learning difficulty and their giftedness.

 3.3.1   Pastoral Care 

The School is committed to supporting and nurturing its students, including those who are identified as gifted and talented.  Strategies and initiatives in place include:

• The House system, where vertical age groupings provide younger boys with older peers who act as role models and mentors.
• Tutors/Classroom teachers (Preparatory School) monitor the social-emotional wellbeing and academic performance of the students in their group and assist them with goal setting, time management and issues such as perfectionism
• The Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) and the Co-ordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Preparatory school) fulfil an outreach role
• Offering mentorship to identified selected gifted and talented students
• Where students who have been accelerated (accelerants) have particularly high intervention needs, the Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) and the Co-ordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Preparatory School) will develop teaching strategies profiles for the students and work with their tutors / classroom teacher to ensure appropriate pastoral care

3.4   Challenging Gifted Students

3.4.1   Class streaming

In subject areas where there is a wide range of abilities, classes are streamed to provide a learning environment that can be tailored to students’ abilities and needs.  Teachers are able to design programs which assess the learning that a student is ready for and provide the learning experiences to support their progress.  Classroom streaming exists within the Preparatory School, within Mathematics in Years 1 to 6.  Whilst partial streaming exists in the Senior School with an extension class in Mathematics, English, Science and Humanities along with approximately eight mainstream classes and at least one support class in each of these contexts.

3.4.2   Extension Options

Throughout extension classes across Pre-primary to Year 10, the purpose is to cover core content and extend higher order understandings through wide-ranging exploration of topics of interest.  These are designed to teach students to be a part of a collaborative community of inquiry – to think, justify their thoughts, be flexible in making conclusions and learn the etiquette of good conversations.

3.4.3   Selective co-curricular options

In addition to a range of open entry co-curricular options, there are selective options available to gifted and talented students:

• Competitions such as the Da Vinci Decathlon, Have Sum Fun, Mathematics and Informatics Olympiads
• The Enigma Program in the Senior School involves boys of high intellectual ability in Years 7 to 9, who work together on projects of mutual interest.  The program aims to develop students’ ability to be flexible, take intellectual risks and demonstrate curiosity.  Older students in Years 10 to 12 act as mentors and support the younger students

3.5   Personalised learning plans 

3.5.1   Acceleration

Acceleration at the School may entail partial acceleration in a single subject or by one or more-year levels.  In some instances, acceleration may involve early entrance into the School at an age below the official approved age.

A current student may be identified through a combination of objective and subjective measures, by the Head of the Centre of Excellence (Senior School) and/or Co-ordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Preparatory School).  After such identification, relevant teachers, the Deputy Principal/Director of Studies (Senior School) or the Deputy Head (Studies) (Preparatory School) and parents would be consulted to decide if the student is a candidate for subject or whole grade acceleration.

Parents seeking whole grade accelerated admission for their son, including early entry to Pre-Primary, will be required to submit: a formal psychometric assessment; evidence of the child’s exceptional achievement; and anecdotal information about early development milestones.  Such information will be provided to the Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) and/or Co-ordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Preparatory School) who will then follow the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) guidelines for acceleration, including the use of the IOWA Acceleration Scale, in determining the appropriateness for whole grade accelerated admission.

Guidelines for the Acceleration of Students Pre-Primary to Year 10, provided by SCSA, and the accompanying checklist are used to guide decision making around acceleration

3.5.2   Personalised program in Years 11 and 12

Students with exceptional results in Year 10 and a proven interest in studying a breadth of subjects may select more than 6 ATAR subjects in Years 11 and 12.  For example, a student may elect to study Year 12 Computer Science or Year 12 Music while in Year 11 and then select an additional Year 12 course to study the following year, finishing with seven Year 12 ATAR courses.

3.5.3   University-level units

In instances of exceptional achievement in Years 10 and onwards, the School, through the discretion of the Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) may investigate possibilities for tertiary study for gifted students.

3.5.4   Mentoring

Gifted students identified by the Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) and/or Co-ordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Primary School), may be assigned a mentor with shared interests or expertise to best facilitate cognitive and/or personal development.  Such mentors may include current and former teachers, students and/or external experts.

3.6   Responsibilities  

The teaching of students, including those most intellectually capable, is the responsibility of all teachers in the School.

The Head of the Centre for Excellence (Senior School) and the Coordinator of the Centre for Excellence (Preparatory School) work together to:

• Support the talent development of gifted students by evaluating academic extension programs and seeking out new opportunities to ensure the School’s programs meet the needs of gifted students
• Collaborate with teachers to develop their classroom skills related to the education of gifted students
• Encourage and facilitate collaborative, reflective and shared practice on effective teaching of gifted students and provide support where appropriate
• Case manage and develop learning plans or teaching strategy profiles for students identified by the Centre for Excellence as having particularly high intervention needs
• Collaborate with teachers and tutors in their pastoral care and communicate regularly with the parents/guardians of gifted and talented students
• Collaborate with the Studies Office to plan and conduct academic testing of all incoming Year 7 students
• Work with teachers and Heads of Departments to select students for extension classes and monitor their progress
• Identify students and participate in decision making regarding student acceleration

 3.7   Professional Learning

The School is committed to providing internal professional learning to all teachers to refine their understanding of different aspects of gifted and talented education through a series of in-house, customised learning modules which apply the principles of the Certificate of Gifted Education.  These modules include relevant theoretical principles as well as guided activities to support appropriate learning, pedagogy and pastoral care for the most able students. External professional learning opportunities are also afforded to all teachers looking to improve their practice within gifted and talented education.

4.   Related Policies and Resources

Assessment and Reporting Policy

Curriculum Policy

Rewarding Academic Achievement and Endeavour Policy

Identification – Giftedness and talent

Psychological and Counselling Services Referral Process Flow Chart

Australian Curriculum – Meeting the needs of gifted and talented students

SCSA Guidelines for the Acceleration of Gifted and Talented Students

Gagne F (2009). Building gifts into talent: Detailed overview of the DMGT 2.0 In B. MacFarlane & T. Stambaugh (Eds.) Leading the change in gifted education (pp 61-80).  Prufrock Press Inc.

 

 

Date originally approved 12 September 2023	Approving Authority Council
Date this version approved 12 September 2023	Date to be reviewed 12 September 2026
Policy Custodian Deputy Principal and Director of Studies	Policy Category Academic Policies