St. Brigid’s National School, Greystones
Exceptional Ability Policy
Definition
“An able child is one that achieves or has the ability to achieve at a level significantly in advance of their peer group …
This may be in all areas of the curriculum or in a limited range”. Eyre 1999
Children with exceptional ability may have been assessed by a psychologist and found to have a high level of intelligence (I.Q. score of 130+, 98th PR).
School Ethos
We, the teaching staff at St. Brigid’s School provide opportunities for all pupils including those who are exceptionally able in academic areas (i.e. the top 5% of the school population).
We also encourage pupils who show exceptional talent in non-academic areas e.g. sports, art, music & drama.
Procedure for identification and selection of pupils
A range of strategies may be used to identify exceptionally able pupils;
Teacher observation
Annual standardized tests
Curriculum textbook assessments
Psychological Assessments
Parent appraisal
Responsibility and Management
- The class teacher is responsible for provision for the exceptionally able child through
acquisition and distribution of teaching resources for differentiation
communicating with parents as necessary. The class teacher can also pass on information e.g. referral, assessment and programmes at CYTI (Irish Centre for Talented Youth) @D.C.U,.
Gifted Kids.ie, Coder Dojo, Code.org, Khan Academy, NRich and local sports groups.
Classroom provision can take the form of
(a) curriculum differentiation i.e differentiation in terms of
task,
outcome,
pace,
support,
resources,
grouping and information,
role,
homework,
the use of dialogue and questioning (i.e. Bloom’s Taxonomy’s higher order questioning.
(b) enrichment (learning or activity, which is outside the core of learning)
(c) competitions e.g. Texaco Art
Extension (enabling the student to move through the curriculum at a faster rate) is not considered a wise approach.
Success Criteria: Positive feedback from students concerned, their parents and teachers.