Message from the Coordinator for Gifted and Talented Education

Lake Geneva School District recognizes that a great diversity exists among our learners.  Our Gifted and Talented Education (GaTE) Program has its foundation within the classroom.  All of our students are expected to receive instruction that helps each child work toward his or her next level of challenge in all subject areas.  Gifted students learn at a different pace and at a different depth from other students.  To meet these needs teachers use differentiation as a tool to meet varying student needs. Differentiation may include acceleration of a subject area through Advanced Placement courses, honors classes, compacting units of study, tiered assignments in the classroom, grade acceleration for a certain subject, working in a cluster of students with the same high level of instructional needs, or intervention group work.  In most cases differentiation strategies are integrated daily throughout the curricular areas rather than occurring as special events. 

Badger Program Goals:

• to develop students who are creative, inventive, inquisitive, and capable of designing new ideas;
• to academically and creatively challenge students who are capable of high performance through many venues;
• to offer educational opportunities which challenge students to reach their highest academic potential; and
• to expose students to experiences which broaden their intellectual horizon in a way which can be pursued throughout their life.

Gifted Identification

Students may be identified as being gifted or having special talents in one or more of these five areas. 

Intellectually Gifted

The intellectually gifted are students who exhibit early and rapid development of language ability, strong powers of reasoning, and advanced ability in critical thinking and problem solving.  They may manipulate information in divergent ways when challenged by complex issues.  Typically these students are noted for being several years beyond their peers in their cognitive ability. 

Academically Able

Academically able students are capable of making outstanding progress in one or more of the disciplines taught in school, which include math, science, social studies, reading, and language arts.  Students who consistently score in the 97^th percentile, two standard deviations or above on nationally normed standardized tests in a particular subject area are considered academically able. 

Creativity

Highly creative students tend to develop original ideas and products.  They may express their creativity in oral, written, or nonverbal expression.  They are flexible and original in their thinking, tending to reject one-answer solutions.  Creative students tend to possess strong visualization.  Frequently these students are strongly independent.  

Artistic (Visual/Performing Arts)

Students who demonstrate unusual adeptness or skill in the filed of drama, music, dance, and/or visual arts may be considered as artistically gifted.  Identification is through nominations, portfolios, and expert assessment. 

Leadership

Individuals gifted in leadership usually have the ability to convince people to act or not act in specific ways.  Leaders are often self-confident and comfortable with their peers.  They express themselves well and frequently are charming and charismatic.  Anecdotal evidence, derived from adult/peer observation or from student performance, is often the primary means for identifying leaders.  Leadership characteristics include influencing peers, being sought out by others to accomplish a task, addressing a need, holding high expectations for self and others, demonstrating or delegating responsibility, and internalizing concepts of right and wrong.  
 

Educational Opportunities at Badger High School for Gifted and Talented Students 

• Project Lead the Way
• ProStart Co-op  (Culinary Arts)
• APEX curricular opportunities

AP Courses

• AP English Language & Composition
• AP English Literature
• AP Calculus
• AP Statistics
• AP Chemistry
• AP Biology
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Physics
• AP Micro Economics
• AP Macro Economics
• AP Psychology
• AP US History
• AP Government
• AP European History
• AP Art History
• AP Studio Art 2-D/Drawing
• AP Studio Art 3-D

College Credit with Honors

• Auto Tech I
• Digital Electronics
• Electronics
• CAN
• Lodging Management 1 & 2

Honors Courses

• Honors American Studies
• Honors World History
• Honors Physics
• Honors Biology
• Honors Chemistry
• Botany
• Honors Algebra
• Honors Geometry
• Pre-Calculus
• Pre-engineering Integrated Algebra and Geometry
• Pre-engineering Algebra II with Trigonometry
• Trigonometry
• Spanish IV
• Spanish V
• French IV
• French V
• Honors Freshman English
• Honors English 10
• Music Theory – Independent Study
• Engineering Design and Development
• Civil Engineering and Architecture
• Principles of Engineering
• Introduction to Engineering
• MicroSoft Office Specialist
• Advanced Marketing
• Greenhouse Management
• Advanced Electronics
• CISCO Networking I & II
• Culinary Arts I & II
• Assistant Child Care Teacher