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Gifted Education Program

Gifted Services

The school-wide cluster model, as identified by Winebrenner & Brulles 2008, will be utilized.  A general education teacher at your child's home school will teach clustered grade-level classes. The cluster gifted model is available at all schools. The cluster teacher provides differentiated instruction in the way of an enriched curriculum that is more challenging, offers extension activities, and/or independent research projects. Projects require higher-order and creative thinking skills. Gifted services are provided throughout the day.

The multi-age gifted classroom serves 4th-8th students in a self-contained setting at the Westar school campus. Selection is based on a primary area of giftedness with a score of 97 or better on at least one area (verbal, nonverbal or quantitative) on the Cognitive Abilities Test.  The multi-age classroom groups gifted-only students to provide an alternate setting to the cluster gifted classrooms to ensure highly gifted student needs are met.  Gifted instruction is provided throughout the day. Students may attend some classes with other non-gifted students throughout the day. 

Gifted Scope and Sequence 

The Governing Board approved the scope and sequence on July 11, 2022. Click here to view the document.

The mission of the Liberty Elementary School District’s gifted education program is to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of each of our identified gifted and talented students by providing rich learning opportunities to enhance their potential to become innovative thinkers, community leaders and lifelong learners through a continuum of differentiated services.

Gifted Referral Process and Schedule

Gifted testing is offered three times per academic year.  Recommendations for testing may be made by a parent, teacher, or administrator. All testing requires parent permission.  If you would like your child tested, please complete the form here.  Your child will be tested at his/her school during one of the three regular testing periods using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) or the Naglieri.  Students may only test once per academic year.

Testing Period Test Form Due by
Testing Period 1: 
September 5-11
CogAT Gifted August 17
Testing Period 2: 
January 10-18
CogAT Gifted November 30
Kindergarten:
March 22-28
CogAT Pre-Screener

*Opt out February 29

Kindergarten:
April 22-25
CogAT Post-Screener N/A
Testing Period 3: 
April 29 - May 2
CogAT Gifted  April 4

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Jacobs, District Assessment Coordinator, at cjacobs@liberty25.org or (623) 474-6656.
 

Philosophy

The Liberty Elementary School District recognizes that gifted students have unique educational needs that are met by educating the whole child through a variety of services and options. The role of the gifted program is to identify gifted students and to challenge them at their individual academic level while teaching creative and higher-level thinking skills.

Program Objectives

  • Enhance critical thinking and reasoning abilities

  • Utilize differentiated strategies for learning

  • Build and extend cognitive language skills

  • Facilitate opportunities for learning

  • Establish and promote scholarly behavior

  • Develop social and emotional skills

Gifted Students

A gifted student is a student who scores at or above the ninety-seventh (97th) percentile on national norms in any one of three areas: verbal, nonverbal, or quantitative, on any test from the State Board-approved list. 

Contact Information

If you have further questions regarding the program, please feel free to speak with your child's teacher, school principal, or you may contact the Educational Services Department at (623) 474-6600.

 

Gifted Education Program Lead Teacher

Blue Horizons Elementary School
Lindsey Van Oyen
lvanoyen@liberty25.org

Estrella Mountain Elementary School
Adrianna Tinguely
atinguely@liberty25.org

Freedom Elementary School
Loren Velasquez
lvelasquez@liberty25.org

Las Brisas Academy
Megan Mally
mmally@liberty25.org

Liberty Elementary School
Alyssa Nunez
anunez@liberty25.org

Rainbow Valley Elementary School
Stephanie McCorkle
smccorkle@liberty25.org

Westar Elementary School
Connie Crowley
ccrowley@liberty25.org