March/April 2024

The last nine weeks is upon us! As students and staff continue learning and prepare for upcoming assessments, we are also looking at what's happening during summer.

In this issue:

• G/T annual evaluation
• Looking at your child's strengths
• Preparing for testing

If this is your first time receiving the Gifted/Talented newsletter for Parents, please subscribe at the bottom to continue receiving it! Next month will have summer opportunities!

For more information about Gifted and Talented, please visit the Lubbock ISD GT website.

Want to understand a little more about GT services in Lubbock ISD? Is your student currently served or being referred? Check out the video below!

Calling all parents and/or guardians of Lubbock ISD GT students! We have an official GT Parent Advocacy Group! Check them out on Facebook @lbksigts or click the image!

For questions, email lisd.gt.parents@gmail.com

The identification practices LISD currently uses allow us to serve strengths in the areas of:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning
• Creativity

We can generally identify classes and strategies that will best serve and grow students in

these areas based on their performance in the identification process. Please reach out to your

campus or the office of Advanced Academics if you have any questions about GT services for your child, or if you would like a copy of your child's assessment information with the identified strength(s).

Using their identified strength and other information about their interests, we can develop and provide opportunities in their classrooms to continue using these skills as well as build some of the others. Curriculum in class can include connections to interests and research of topics and careers.

Services designed for gifted/talented students meet an educational need to provide academic

challenge through differentiation and/or extended, enriched or independent curriculum. Needs for

GT services are shown through heightened intensity and cognitive ability, and then are evaluated

using Lubbock ISD's identification process.

What could this look like during STAAR or testing?

• Teachers can provide choice boards for areas students still need some help with, or to extend areas they have already mastered.
• Teachers can allow students that have mastered a skill to work together on something above the level of the test.
• Students are grouped together for academic purposes related to the testing material.

What can you do at home to help your student?

• High ability students can exhibit some strong emotions surrounding testing - perfectionism, anxiety, apathy, anger, and more.
• Don't increase pressure on your child about their score. Encourage them to do their best then walk away (in their mind).
• If they don't like to take tests, talk about other aspects of life that sometimes we just have to do, but then it is over with and we can move on.
• If the activities being assigned in this season of the year are coming with increased behavior, talk to your child's teacher about the assignments and see if there needs to be some different choices. If your child is old enough, have them advocate for themselves for different work.

Looking for some help or guidance with your GT child? Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented host parent webinars and post recordings afterward in both English and Spanish. Check out the list of past webinars by visiting their website: txgifted.org/webinar

In July 2020, I joined the Advanced Academics team as the G/T Instructional Specialist for Lubbock ISD. I am so excited to work with our teachers and students, and make positive changes in the area of Gifted and Talented in our district!

Email: sarah.gibson@lubbockisd.org
Website: https://www.lubbockisd.org/o/lisd/page/gifted-and-talented-information
Phone: (806)219-0333
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lubbockgt