Who is considered talented and gifted?

257.44 Gifted and talented children defined.

1. "Gifted and talented children" are those children who are identified as possessing outstanding abilities and who are capable of high performance. Gifted and talented children are children who require appropriate instruction and educational services commensurate with their abilities and needs beyond those provided by the regular school program.

2. Gifted and talented children include those children with demonstrated achievement or potential ability, or both, in any of the following areas or in combination:

a. General intellectual ability. b. Creative thinking. c. Leadership ability. d. Visual and performing arts ability. e. Specific ability aptitude.

89 Acts, ch 135, §44; 2010 Acts, ch 1069, §72

Talented and gifted students need:

1. Activities that enable them to operate cognitively and affectively at complex levels of thoughts and feeling.

2. Opportunities for divergent thinking (originality, fluency, flexibility, and elaboration.)

3. Challenging group and individual work which demonstrates process/product outcomes.

4. Discussions among intellectual peers.

5. A variety of experiences that promote understanding of human values.

6. The opportunity to see interrelationships of all bodies of knowledge.

7. Special courses in areas of strength and interest which accelerate the pace and depth of the content.

8. Great exposure to new areas of learning within and outside the school structure.

9. Opportunities to apply their abilities to real problems in the world.

10. Emphasis on the skills of critical thinking, creative thinking, research, and problem solving.

Therefore, the Grundy Center Community School District will identify the academic strengths of students and then use appropriate strategies, addressing a variety of abilities, preferences, and learning styles. Consequently, whole groups, small groups, and individual students will engage in a variety of curriculum enrichment and acceleration experiences.

Google Science Fair: is a completely online science fair, where students create and share their science fair project by the creation of a short video project. This project is only available to students ages 13-18 years of age. Information https://scholarshiparena.in/google-science-fair/

National History Day: is a national competition that challenges students to explore various concepts within history and present research findings through one of the following: a documentary, display, written paper, performance or a website. Some options may be completed as a team. The theme for 2022-23 is ‘Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.

National information **** Iowa NHD information

State Science and Technology Fair:https://sstfi.org/ ****State Science + Technology Fair of Iowa (SSTFI) serves as a platform for student researchers (grades 6 – 12) to meet with professional researchers and communicate their findings and understanding of the research process.” Registration opens in December and closes in February.

iTec Fair: Students create and share their passion for technology by developing and design a technology-based project. Students compete in a local technology fair at the University of Northern Iowa in the spring.

World Food Prize Youth Institute ‘The Iowa Youth Institute is a life-changing experience at Iowa State University where high school students engage with leading experts on critical global challenges, participate in hands-on activities, and explore exciting ways to make a difference in Iowa and around the world.’ Registration is in Feb-Mar and the event is in April.

**Algona Quiz Bowl--**TBA Typically this quiz bowl is held in the fall. Students work as a team to battle other schools in their knowledge of science, math, literature and history.

River of Words® (ROW) conducts an environmental poetry and art contest for youth aged 5 to 19 in grades K-12 every year. The contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of their own watershed, and to express what they discover through poetry and art. Each year, eight U.S. winners, one international winner, and a “ROW Teacher of the Year” are selected to be honored during National Poetry Month (April) at an Award Ceremony at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. (ROW is affiliated with The Library of Congress Center for the Book.) Entries are due early December.

Battle of the Books Students read a selected set of books and then compete against other schools as they challenge their reading comprehension. Working as a team, students strategically become experts on the required books and challenge their ability to recall specific details.

Students in grades 3rd-12th, are identified, based on the multiple criteria: Nominations (Teacher nominations, Parents, and/or Students), Test Scores of 95% or above (CogAT, ISASP, NWEA/MAP). Identification is reviewed yearly.

Grundy Center CSD supports many different extracurricular activities that can be considered enrichment. The fine and visual arts, speech, drama, and hands-on activities, all provide advanced level learning opportunities for everyone involved.

Academic Decathlon has been a well supported and outstanding program for almost 30 years at GCCSD. Grundy Center AcDec is open to any high school student. With numerous state and national awards, the Grundy Center AcDec team continues to be an excellent way for students to become engaged, deepen personal knowledge, and collaborate with talented peers from around the state.

First Tech Challenge - FTC is a robotics program that connects real world problem-solving, collaborative teamwork and the principles in engineering. FTC is a state, national, and international competition that truly engages the total mind. Marketed as a “sport for the mind,” the Grundy Center FTC team includes primarily advanced level who meet weekly. Competitions typically start in December and run through February. FTC students spend countless hours designing, building, and testing their robots.

First Lego League - FLL is similar to First Tech Challenge, but on a smaller scale. Students in 6th through 8th build, design, and test small Lego robots as they compete against other FLL students from around central and eastern Iowa. Students also develop an in-depth research project and presentation. In addition, students are also judged on their teamwork skills. Registration is Aug - Sept. Championship competition is held in January.

Battle of the Books Students read a selected set of books and then compete against other schools as they challenge their reading comprehension. Working as a team, students strategically become experts on the required books and challenge their ability to recall specific details.