What is Levels of Service? Many experts in the field of education have called into question why we often provide enrichment opportunities only to our identified gifted students. Traditionally, gifted education programming has consisted of high-interest and dynamic options such as chess and robotics clubs, hands-on problem solving and creativity programs like Odyssey of the Mind and Inventor's Fair, and differentiated curriculum that allows students to learn through interests and learning preferences. Leaders have asked, "Don't all children deserve this level of programming?" On the other hand if all students deserve to learn in an enriched, differentiated curriculum and to develop unique talents, what do gifted or advanced learners need? How do we provide programming that shares with all students the best practices from gifted education while recognizing some students truly have advanced learning needs? How do we meet those needs while raising the levels of achievement for all students? Levels of Service is a progressive answer to these questions. Levels of Service is: • A school-wide model • A commitment to deliberately developing talent in all students • A system that evaluates and meets the needs of students with advanced learning needs, promotes and supports differentiated instruction for all students, and puts the focus on what our students can do • A process of organizing and harnessing community resources • A challenge to incorporate creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making on a daily basis (Treffinger et al., 2004) • Proven to be effective across the country in large, multicultural, urban school districts Levels of Service is not: • Just for advanced learners • A model that promotes the belief that all children are gifted or advanced • The end of "gifted education" • A wild, new, untested model • A pull-out program
2014-2015 Staff Professional Development - Talent and Development and Advanced Learner Education
Lake Harriet Community School Upper and Lower campus teachers are spending this year learning how to develop levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 of service for our advanced learner students as well as how to differentiate their instruction to better meet the needs of all learners. We are doing this in partnership with the MPS Talent Development Department. Most of the staff will spend this year working in teams and will have the opportunity to receive the MPS Advanced Learner Certificate. Lake Harriet Community School’s primary emphasis in professional development this year is to increase our capacity to differentiate instruction so that all students will make a year’s growth this school year.