Gifted Services

Gifted Services Mission:
Meeting the specialized needs of gifted students through a rigorous learning environment continuously promoting life-long learning.

Goals:
1. Increase the identification and services of under-represented populations of gifted students.

2. Gifted students show adequate yearly growth in learning.

3. Grow students' academic potential to their fullest.

4. Foster collaborative relationships between students, families, staff, and our community.

5. Explore services and options to further students' ability to succeed in a global era.

Entrance Criteria

Children must be identified as gifted, according to Ohio's State Standards, in Superior Cognitive and/or Reading and/or Math. Per Ohio Law, incoming test scored must be less than 24 months old at time of application. Opportunities for possible identification will be provided throughout the year for services the following year.

Academic Acceleration and Curriculum Compacting Opportunities

All students learn and progress at different rates and the time it takes to reach academic standards varies among students. Academic acceleration adjusts the pace of instruction to the student’s capabilities, provides an appropriate level of challenge by removing the barriers to accessing appropriately challenging curriculum and reduces the time period necessary for students to complete traditional schooling. Early entrance to kindergarten and/or first grade, subject and/or whole grade acceleration, and early graduation are options available to students of Sandusky City Schools. If you are seeking early entrance to Kindergarten or first grade, please contact Mrs. Toft at 419-984-1349 or [email protected]. For an early entrance to Kindergarten application, visit our forms page.

Some classes at RCAAS and Sandusky Middle School have been designed to compact more than a year’s worth of content into one year of instruction. This instructional strategy is intended to prepare our capable students for successful subject acceleration at a later date and help them to become well-poised to take full advantage of college credit offerings during their high school years.

Direct Intervention Services, Grades 1-2 at Sandusky Primary School

Students identified as gifted in Reading, Math, and/or Superior Cognitive Ability will be in classes together so that teachers can deliver rigorous, specialized curriculum and instruction designed to meet the needs of gifted learners.

Direct Intervention Services, Grades 3-6 at the Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies (RCAAS)

The Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies has been developed to provide a world class education to identified gifted students in the areas of Reading, Mathematics, and/or Superior Cognitive Ability through innovative curriculum and instruction designed to meet the individual needs of each student. We are expanding these gifted services to include Visual & Performing Arts, Creative Thinking Ability, Science, and Social Studies. Students who score in an emerging range will also be invited to participate as part of our talent development model.

Options available for Junior High and Senior High School Gifted Students

Students who are identified as gifted are served through comprehensive curriculum offerings at the Junior and Senior High School levels. Sandusky High School offers a range of Honors, AP courses, Dual enrollment and College Credit Plus (CCP). In addition, many extra-curricular options are available for these students.

The DORN Fellowship Series

The DORN Fellowship Series was created in an effort to connect college faculty with gifted students. College professors from different disciplines are selected to design and develop curriculum throughout our K-12 gifted services. The generous donation from the DORN Foundation funds instruction and field trips that foster hands-on learning in a project-based format.

Please contact your child's building principal of Tara Toft, 419.984.1349, to begin the conversation about whether these opportunities could benefit your student.