Challenge

Announcements

Gifted Essentials for Parents - meeting date 3/28 - More info here

Newsletters
Newsletter I
Newsletter II
Newsletter III
Newsletter IV
Newsletter V
Newsletter VI

Overview

The Gifted and Talented Education Program in the Atlanta Public School System provides differentiated instruction for the intellectually advanced and creatively gifted student. The Morris Brandon Challenge Program (Gifted & Talented Program) is designed to meet the needs of gifted learners through an advanced curriculum. Our Challenge students meet one full day a week with their challenge teacher on projects and activities that promote critical thinking through shared inquiry. Gifted services are available for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. For more information about how the gifted program is implemented in elementary school see these FAQs.

We have 5 excellent Challenge Teachers Ms. Connelly, Ms. Hopkins, Ms. Kendall, Ms. McDonald & Dr. Porter. Dr. Porter is our Challenge Team Leader.

Prospective Students - Eligibility and Screening

The Gifted Program is defined by the Georgia Department of Education and funded by the State of Georgia in Georgia Board Rule 160-4-2-.38. For more information visit the Georgia Department of Education website.

Challenge participation is based on the Georgia Eligibility Criteria for Gifted Programs. For more information please see the Identification and Assessment FAQs.
Screening - The Atlanta Public School system screens students for eligibility twice a year. For more information about this process please see Gifted and Talented Education Program FAQ’s Screening and Referral. Testing occurs in the areas of mental ability, achievement, creativity and motivation.
Referral for testing - Students not identified for testing through the automatic or classroom screening can be referred for testing by their parent or guardian. This Gifted and Talented Permission to Test Form should be completed and returned to school for parent referral. Referral must occur during the referral window.
A summary of information regarding assessment can be found in this APS Video for parents of students who will be assessed during the spring '13 testing window.

If you have specific questions, please contact the Challenge teacher in charge of your grade .

K	Dr. Tusha Porter	tporter@atlanta.k12.ga.us
1	Teri Hopkins	tthopkins@atlanta.k12.ga.us
2	Carla Kendall	cckendall@atlanta.k12.ga.us
3	Karen McDonald	mcdonaldcm@atlanta.k12.ga.us
4	Linda Connelly	lconnelly@atlanta.k12.ga.us
5	Dr. Tusha Porter	tporter@atlanta.k12.ga.us

Current Students

Curriculum Goals

Advanced Research Skills and Methods
Creative Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
Higher Order & Critical Thinking Skills in Academic Areas
Advanced Communication Skills

Details regarding curriculum and evaluation:
Link to the Curriculum Map
Link to Standards and Elements Matrix
Example of the Rubric
Example of the Progress Report

Fourth and Fifth graders participate in One Fair. For more information click here .

APS also provides travel opportunities for Gifted and Talented students. For more information click here.

Gifted and Talented in Elementary School - FAQs

Class Schedule:
Mondays: All 5th grades
Tuesday: All 2nd Grades and 1st grade (Allman, Blease, Charnitsky, Kenimer)
Wednesday: All 4th Grades and 1st grade (Hudson, Bouldin, Leathers, Ledford, Phillips, Thompson)
Thursday: All 3rd Grades

Link to a list of room parent by Challenge teacher and grade.

More information regarding the program including parent and student resources can be found on the APS website.

For questions regarding the Challenge Program please contact:
Dr. Tusha Porter (Challenge Team Leader) tporter@atlanta.k12.ga.us
Katie Crenshaw (PTA Challenge Coordinator) kcren@comcast.net