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Gosnell GATE program an educational successBy LARRY DODSONCN Staff WriterGifted and Talented Educauon programs in the Arkansas school systems were first mandated in 1984.Since then a version of the program has been established, in one form or another, to serve the estimated 3 to 5 percent of students who show exceptional qualities, in all Arkansas schoolsAccording to Wendy Evans, administrator for the Gosnell Gifted and Talented program, they implemented their program in 1982, two years before the mandates.“We are currently serving 7 percent of the students from second through eighth grades — the norm is 2 to 3 percent. National figures suggest 3 to 5 percent are gifted,” she said. “And we are well above the national average.”Angela Brackin works with kindergarten through fourth graders. It is her job to determine which students are gifted.It is an arduous task.Brackin said they begin by spending 30 minutes a week with all kindergarten and first grade students. They look for critical thinking skills, logic, creativity and leadership to see who stands out.“We often find educationally disadvantaged children that excel when given the opportunity,” she said. “We also find some who were enriched at home could qualify on achievement tests but after two or three years prove to be more average students.”Preschool was also cited as a factor.By the end of the first grade a pool of students are referred to the GT program.“We ask teachers to look for intellectual strength, academic See GATE, Page 10
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Fri, Jan 20, 1995
Page 9
Full Page
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USA 11 Dec 2024
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