Many ask about how the gifted program works at Cary Junior High. Here is the plan for the 2017-2018 school year. It is different than last year as we continue to refine it to best meet the needs of our students.
All students who are identified for the gifted enrichment program are automatically placed in accelerated classes. In math, this begins with course 2/3. Basically, the students will be skipping 6th grade math and doing 7th and 8th grade math in one year. Then as 7th graders they will be enrolled in algebra and in geometry as 8th graders.
Students who are identified as gifted in Reading are also put in an accelerated language arts class where discussions and content are at a higher level than the general education reading classes.
Additionally, during the intervention period, the Gifted teacher will meet with all students on a team identified as gifted. This is a full class size group. It is not content-based since students are already getting the accelerated content in their core classes. What they will receive during intervention are additional challenges in problem solving and critical thinking. We will analyze some fiction and non-fiction pieces as they relate to more global ideas such as "patterns of change" or "heroism". We also delve into some studies which can be considered science or social studies based, but these are units they would not receive in their general education studies. Finally, CJH has received a grant from the Cary Education Foundation for some STEM equipment which will allow students to work with the skills of "practicing professionals" in engineering.
While students are assigned to the Gifted classroom each day, gifted services are provided two to three days per week. The remaining days (Mondays, Fridays, and every other Wednesday) are used as a study hall. Students who participate in the band program at CJH will not miss gifted services when they attend full band rehearsals which are on “study hall” days.
