Aspire Higher
@HAPPYINDIANA
Volume 4, February 2019
It's LOVEly to see the incredible new heights in High Ability Education!
Over 95 Visionary Competitive Grant Applications Received!
The High Ability Competitive Grant applications have been received and are being reviewed. Thank you for your thoughtful and dedicated plans. Once the applications are scored by a minimum of two reviewers and all scores are finalized, awardees will be notified. Our aim is to have the awards announced by April; ready to spring into action!
Brighten Up Your Future With the Tuition Reimbursement Grant!
$2,500 Opportunity
Please note: High Ability Licensure may be through any accredited university program.
The Indiana Department of Education is excited to support efforts in developing and enhancing high ability education through the High Ability Licensure Reimbursement Program. The aim is to have ALL Indiana High Ability coordinators and teachers licensed within three years of assuming a high ability role. To help support districts in their educational efforts, IDOE will pay FULL tuition reimbursement, up to $2500, upon successful high ability course completion. Funds will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis, so early application is advised.
Application materials may be sent to the Center for Gifted Studies & Talent Development Ball State University (TC 928-B), Muncie, IN 47306 or sent digitally to giftedcenter@bsu.edu. Questions regarding the grant may be sent to Dr. Krista Stith at kmstith@bsu.edu.
Mentorship Tips for Rural High School Options
Mentor Recommendations:
- Our school has built up our AP course selection over time, so as our student interest in AP has grown, so has our course selections.
- Dual enrollment in high school and a nearby college is an effective option. Student attends high school in the morning and college in the afternoons (or reverse). When I served in a rural school, we allowed more flexibility in the daily schedule to accommodate students’ needs, especially considering travel time and safety.
- How about using the ICE program (if that’s what it’s called now; student attends high school for half the day and then goes to a workplace; all arranged and supervised by the school) as a workplace-based experience in the student’s area of talent?
- What about planning an independent study in the content area? Course titles such as “Topics in History” or “Advanced _____” are often flexible enough to “create your own” course. Media specialist or content area teacher may assist with planning and supervision. I even supervised a student in the Guidance Office, working at a computer station outside my door.
- Online courses or partnering with nearby universities could be an option such as https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/program/honors-electives
- Ball State offers online dual credit courses that our advanced students often take their senior year. This not only provides them with rigor, but also helps them earn some college credits before going off to college.
Have Your High Ability Programming Goals Changed? Do You Need to Make an Amendment?
You only need to submit an amendment if you significantly want to change the scope of the grant or desire to make a change greater than 10%.
The new process is very easy!
1. Fill out the Jotform: Amendment Form, 2018-2019
2. Provide a rationale for the change in the designated box
3. Enter your new revised budget
4. Wait for approval via email from Cindy Schuler
5. Re-submit your cash request form, if needed: High Ability Cash Request Form
AP-TIP-IN Opportunities
Meetings are from 4-7:00 p.m.
Pizza, pop, and PGP points are provided
March 19: Washington Township
April 9: Speedway
April 10: TBD
AP-TIP IN Mock Exam Reading
Up to 30 exams will be scored
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., site: IUPUI
March 11
$249
AP Summer Institute
July 9-12
Pike High School
8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
$695
FREE seats for this comprehensive training may be offered, so please stay tuned!
SENG: Social-Emotional Needs of the Gifted
FREE Facilitator Training for Social-Emotional Needs
Content learning session topic areas: characteristics, motivation, discipline, stress management, peer relations and sibling rivalry, and traditional breaking;
• Practice of facilitation techniques
• Potential problems and solutions in SMPGs
• How to organize a local SMPG; and become a volunteer Facilitator, or earn income from organizing your own Groups
• A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children and Parent Groups: The SENG Model, 2nd Ed.
Meet the Social Emotional Needs of High Ability Students
FREE Professional Development: SENG Facilitator Training Offered
For more information: SENG Flyer
Space is Limited; Please Register by March 8!
SENG, April 10th: April 10 SENG Training, Fort Wayne, Region 8
SENG, April 11th: April 11, SENG, Indianapolis, CIESC
SENG, April 12th: April 12, SENG, Jasper, SIESC
Indiana Service Center Region TWO Spotlight
Highlight From New Albany/Floyd County School Corporation
Was Odysseus a Hero?
Jennifer Scott, a 5/6 high ability teacher from Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany/Floyd County School Corporation, challenges her students' thinking after reading The Odyssey.
"After reading the Odyssey, our students retraced the journey of Odysseus and created 3-D maps retelling his journey complete with summaries of each encounter. Students then completed opinion essays, citing text evidence from the novel, on whether or not they believed Odysseus to be a true hero."
Dubois County Unwrapping Potential With the Gift of Wonder!
This Professional Development is Coming Your Way!
Higher Level Questioning/Curriculum Unit Professional Development
Critical thinking and inquiry are cornerstones of high ability education. This session will allow participants to understand the necessity and ease of instilling wonder, independent study, and rigor into their everyday routines, empowering students to truly think, create, and achieve!
Attendees will:
· Develop an understanding of the elements needed in high ability curriculum, including a comprehensive view of effective models to develop critical and creative thinking
· Gain a more holistic view of the common curriculum unit facets, unveiling the cohesive vertical articulation inherent across grade levels
January 31: Noon-3:00 p.m., Site: Wilson Center, www.wesc.k12.in.us
February 6: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Site: CIESC, CIESC Registration
March 6: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Site: SIEC, SIEC Registration
March 8: 9-11:00 a.m., Site: Area 30 Career Center, WCESC Registration
Region Three, we look forward to your spotlight next month! Please submit your highlight by February 5.
Lesson Templates, Projects, Rubrics, and More~ Come Explore!
Spark students' creativity and passion by providing meaningful ways to integrate technology, inquiry, conceptual thinking, and interdisciplinary connections?
Padlet to Share High Ability Ideas! K-12
https://padlet.com/mplantan/IAG2018
Are you eager to try collaborative, shared inquiry in your classroom? Dr. David Dinkins wrote a heart-stirring eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that can be used to promote critical thinking and conversation.
Meet Indiana's High Ability and Advanced Placement Coordinator: Cindy Schuler
Please call or email me to schedule some time to meet. I am here for you and look forward to coming out and visiting with your district!
Keep Aspiring Higher~ Indiana is Going Places!
Email: CSchuler@doe.in.gov
Website: https://www.doe.in.gov/highability
Phone: (317)234-6792
Twitter: @HAPPYINDIANA