Gifted & Talented
We believe in the power of the question, what would you do if you knew you could not fail?
We are dedicated to providing a school experience that promotes the social, emotional and academic growth of all students by recognizing their unique talents, abilities and needs. It is our responsibility to seek, identify and serve students throughout the day who demonstrate the ability to perform at an advanced level, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic means or English language capability. It is our responsibility to support the development of each child’s capacity and to build a system that provides as many open doors to the future as we can for our students.
Elementary School
In elementary school, the primary focus is to nurture talents, challenge students and prepare them for the acceleration of pace and complexity found in middle and high school advanced academic courses. Students are identified utilizing a number of data points over several years, if needed. Universal screening is done in the winter of second grade. At this level, the needs of academically advanced younger students are met in the general classroom with flexible curriculum (such as more advanced books, longer writing pieces and more complex mathematics). Once identified, students continue to participate in our talent development program throughout elementary school.
Middle School
In middle school, the focus shifts slightly by emphasizing specific academic aptitude. Because we understand the nature of the adolescent person, we continue to help students build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We nurture their self-confidence and help them believe that they can do great things. We offer Advanced English Language Arts (ELA), which is more of a humanities course, and advanced mathematics. Middle school is a time for exploration. We offer an array of courses for students, including the arts and computer science, to meet the talents that students possess.
High School
Richfield High School continues to recognize the specific academic aptitude that students have, and we believe that all students can perform at high levels. But we also know that students continue to develop at their own pace. Sometimes, it isn’t until high school that students really find they are ready for more advanced courses. We also know that sometimes, students need adult guidance to help them believe in their potential.
We offer a wide array of Advanced Placement (AP) and College in the Schools (CIS) courses, as well as more traditional honors courses throughout the school day. All of our advanced courses are self-select, meaning that there is no application process. We encourage students to talk with teachers, counselors and their families about possibilities.
We believe in the power of the question, what would you do if you knew you could not fail? To that end, we also offer seminar courses for our most advanced classes to provide additional support for students who may have never thought they could succeed in these courses. We know the power of advanced courses on a high school transcript, and we want as many students as possible to earn college credit while in high school. As a result, they will have a strong high school transcript that they earned as a result of being actively engaged in our schools.
