Mission Statement

The mission of  RSU 1 Gifted and Talented Services is to identify and meet the needs of exceptional children by providing appropriate learning opportunities.

RSU 1 recognizes there are students who excel or have the potential to excel beyond their age level peers.  Gifted and Talented Services are designed to nurture the learning and emotional needs of these highly able students.  Maine law limits this group to 5% of total enrollment.

RSU 1 is deeply committed to providing educational opportunities that meet the needs of each individual student.  We have established high expectations that all children will meet the exacting standards of the Maine Learning Results with appropriate instruction, modifications and supports.  Our program for gifted and talented students is based on the principle that all students are to receive an education appropriate to their individual capabilities, interests, and needs, and that students have learning opportunities that help develop their abilities to the highest level.

 Beginning in grade three, screening of all students takes place using objective data from NWEA, OLSAT and MEA.  This is in addition to subjective data gathered through teacher nomination, parental input, and continued observation by gifted and talented staff.  The Gifted and Talented Committee is convened annually to review all data collected and to identify students. 

Programming

Students who are identified for gifted and talented services have individual goals and objectives which are aligned with the Maine State Learning Results and based on the student’s needs. These  goals and objectives are developed along with the student’s individual learning plan by a child study team consisting of gifted and talented staff,  the classroom teacher(s), the parents and the student.

Teachers and gifted and talented staff are responsible for continued assessment of students in order to ensure progress and design an appropriate, intellectually challenging differentiated curriculum.    Gifted and talented staff are case managers, consultants, advocates and facilitators for gifted students.

Renzulli Learning

The Renzulli Learning System is an exciting new on line program that matches students' interests and learning styles to many different opportunities designed to provide enriched, challenging learning. All of the activities and options in the Renzulli Learning System are based on The Enrichment Triad Model, which has been cited as the most widely used plan for enrichment and talent development in the world.

In the Renzulli Learning System, the Renzulli ProfilerTM generates an individual profile for each student.  Then an individualized Enrichment Differentiation collection of Internet and downloadable resources are made available that matches student interests, learning styles, and preferred modes of expression.