The purpose of the GATEWAY program at AES is to provide enriching and challenging  education for gifted and academically talented students. These students have differentiated learning needs that must be met in all academic areas. Students are provided with opportunities to develop and apply skills in the following areas: advanced research and communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem solving, as well as in the areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). In the gifted enrichment class, students will rotate through centers to further develop these skills. Differentiation is developed for these students through the curriculum components of content, process, and product. 

Students may be served through state approved models  such as resource, cluster grouping, and collaborative teaching (Resource and Cluster Models are used at AES). 


All students in the GATEWAY program must receive a minimum of 5 segments of gifted  services each week. 

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Advanced Research Skills
Goal I: Gifted students will develop advanced research skills and methods. Curriculum for gifted students should allow for the in-depth learning of self-directed topics within an area of study. 

Why do we teach advanced research skills? 

​Gifted learners often exhibit a very strong need to understand the world around them.  They are very curious and self-motivated, especially when given time to pursue interesting topics. These students need an opportunity to explore and delve into the topics that are interesting to them within an area of study. They require projects and tasks that provide the time and opportunity to explore personal interests through guided research and independent study.

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Creativity
Goal II: Students will develop and practice creative thinking and problem-solving skills with a variety of complex topics within an area of study. 

Why do we teach creativity and problem-solving? 

Gifted learners have the ability to generate original ideas and solutions to problems. They often see problems or situations in a very different way than their peers (this is often referred to as divergent thinking). They should be provided with opportunities to develop and apply these skills in a meaningful way. This is done by providing gifted learners with time to explore alternative solutions to problems and the opportunity to take risks and experiment so that their creativity can be developed and not hindered in the educational environment. 

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Critical Thinking 
Goal III: Gifted Students will develop and practice higher order and critical thinking skills across academic areas. 

Why do we teach critical thinking? 

Gifted learners master new materials and skills at a faster rate than their peers. One strategy for differentiating their instruction is to structure lessons and units in such a way that these students spend more of their time developing higher order thinking skills, using information they have already mastered to develop a more in-depth understanding of concepts and practicing and applying the skills of critical thinking. 

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Advanced Communication 
Goal IV: Gifted students will develop advanced communication skills. Curriculum for gifted students should encourage the use of new techniques, materials and formats, in the development of products that will be shared with real audiences. 

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