Gifted Education
History of the Gifted and Talented (Major Work) Program
In October 1921, the Cleveland Public School System began its first program for gifted children at Denison Elementary School where gifted children in grades four, five, and six participated. This program was supported by the Women’s City Club of Cleveland.
From 1921 to 1927, fourteen elementary and two junior high schools were established as centers for gifted children. In the decades of the 1940’s and 1950’s, the Cleveland Public Schools developed and articulated a program for gifted pupils from the primary grades through high school.
Thus, from a modest beginning, the program, which at one time was called the “greatest experiment in education,” has grown and developed into a program that currently provides enriching educational experiences for over 2,500 children with high intellectual and/or academic ability.
Overview of the Gifted Education Program in CMSD
The Gifted Education Program in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District consists of the ‘Major Work’ Program, currently in grades 2-8, and the Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Programs in grades 9-12. There are seven PreK-8 Schools, one Grades 6-12 School, and five Grades 9-12 Schools that service gifted identified children. The AP courses vary amongst high schools.
Entrance into the ‘Major Work’ Program is based upon a 95 percentile score in the National Range in a major subject area on the Stanford 10 Group Test or the Woodcock-Johnson-III Individual Test. A Full Scale IQ score of 125 or above on the Otis-Lennon Group Test or the WISC-IV Individual Test also qualifies a child for the program.
Applications are also accepted by building administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, parents, and peers of the student being nominated. To request an application, please call the Gifted Education Office.
All teachers instructing in gifted classrooms grades 2-6 are licensed in gifted education. Teachers in grades 7-12 hold their gifted endorsement and/or are highly qualified in the content area in which they teach.
Children in the gifted program follow the same grade level content standards as their general education peers. However, there are components to the gifted program that differ. To name a few, children engage in Research Talks, Weekly Forums, Experiential Learning, and Socratic Seminars.
In order to maintain academic rigor and the social-emotional well-being of our gifted children, parent involvement is a major component of our program. Our Family Interactive Programs are seasonal celebrations open to all of our students and their families and scheduled four times each year. A parent core group also meets periodically to discuss programmatic issues at the individual school sites.
2010-2011 Directory of ‘Major Work’ Schools
Grades 2 - 6, Honors courses Grades 7 - 8
- Benjamin Franklin
- Garfield
- O. H. Perry
- Riverside
- Wade Park
- Whitney Young
HIGH SCHOOLS, Grades 9-12
(Gifted Coded Students feed into these High Schools unless they apply to another special program or thematic school):
- Collinwood
- East Tech
- Glenville
- James F. Rhodes
- John Marshall
- Whitney Young
Advanced Placement Program
AP courses are either in-class or on-line. Courses offered on-line are new for the 2010-2011 school year.
Please consult with the Principal or Guidance Counselor of the individual school for a complete listing of AP courses offered.
(Courses vary from school to school; check with the Guidance Counselor of each individual school for course offerings):
- Carl Shuler
- Cleveland School of Architecture and Design at John Hay
- Cleveland School of Arts
- Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, John Hay Campus
- Collinwood
- Early College, John Hay Campus
- East Tech
- Garrett Morgan School of Science
- Glenville
- James F. Rhodes
- Jane Addams
- John Adams
- John F. Kennedy
- John Marshall
- Lincoln West
- Martin Luther King
- Max Hayes
- Margaret Ireland
- Success Tech
- Whitney Young
FORMS
Contact Us:
Beverley Veccia – Gifted Program Manager
Marilyn Greene-Powell – Administrative Assistant
Phone: 216.592.7288
Fax: 216.592.7746
Resources:
Ohio Association for Gifted Children: www.OAGC.com
National Association for Gifted Children: www.NAGC.org