Glossary of Enrichment Terms

Sources: Chapter 392-170 WAC; The Schoolwide Enrichment Model, by Dr. Joseph Renzulli; Northwest Education, Fall 1997, p. 38; Wenatchee School District Enrichment Staff.

Action Information Message: A recording device that facilitates communication about student interests and task commitment among teachers, resource teachers, parents, and students. Indicates a student's desire to invest time and effort in an advanced level task-specific enrichment activity.

Advanced Placement: Formal AP curriculum for which high school students can complete a course and take the exam for college credit. Also, placement in a class more advanced than the student's age.

Cluster Grouping: A group of 5-6 students are grouped according to ability in a regular classroom.

Curriculum Compacting: Mastery of required curriculum is demonstrated at a faster pace in order to create classroom time to work on Type III enrichment projects.

Differentiating Curriculum: Strategies designed to accommodate the various needs of learners in a classroom are employed. Examples include learning centers, tiered assignments, and curriculum compacting.

Enrichment: Experiences or activities that are above or beyond the "regular curriculum." Challenging classes or activities that not all students could, should or would want to do.

Enrichment Teaching Specialist: Person providing the leadership in planning, developing and providing services in an enrichment program. Works with building principals, classroom teachers, specialists, parents and community members in an effort to promote educational excellence for all students in a school.

Gifted Behavior: Behavior that emerges when above average ability, high task commitment and creativity interact with one another in relation to a particular topic, area of interest, or a specific talent.

Grouping by Readiness: Grouping within a skill area. May be within the classroom, grade-level, cross grade-level. Most commonly done in language arts and math. May include both acceleration and enrichment.

Honors Classes: Curriculum offered in greater depth and complexity. Typically for high-achieving, motivated students.

Independent Study: Student contracts to complete specific work or project with supervision and monitoring.

Interest Groups: Students who participate in an class or group based on a common interest in a topic such as quilting, dance, or photography.

Multiple Intelligences: Each intelligence involves the ability to solve problems, fashion a product, or make a contribution that is valued in at least one culture or community. Based on the work of Harvard psychologist, Dr. Howard Gardner.

Multidisciplinary Selection Committee: Defined by the WAC Chapter 392 as consisting of a classroom teacher with training and experience in teaching highly capable students; a psychologist, or other practitioner with training to interpret test results; the program administrator; and additional professionals deemed desirable by the district. This committee is responsible for the final identification of Talent Pool students in the 4th and 5th grades.

Newsroom: an environment that facilitates self-directed learning projects for Talent Pool students and teacher-referred students.

Parent Nomination: Involves giving parents the opportunity to nominate their own child for participation in the Talent Pool. A parent nomination form is available at each school and at the enrichment office. Parent nominations are part of the information considered by the Multidisciplinary Selection Team.

Pull-Out: Students leave the regular classroom to attend Talent Groups or Newsroom based on a need for additional challenge in that area, i.e., math, language arts or self-directed study.

Push-In: The enrichment teaching specialist comes into classrooms by teacher invitation for a whole class enrichment activity.

Revolving Door Identification Model: Designed to provide supplementary services at the time and in the particular areas where such services have the greatest potential for benefiting students. The revolving door allows students to move into and out of services as the need arises. (Talent Groups)

Schoolwide Enrichment (SE) Team: A working group of faculty members and parents who have specific responsibilities for organizing the overall enrichment effort for the whole school.

Schoolwide Enrichment Model: Developed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli, this model is designed to meet the needs of traditionally defined gifted students as well as to enrich the lives of all students within a given school or district. Key features of this program include: various levels and types of enrichment services; involvement of classroom teacher, parents and administrators; procedures for curriculum compacting; Enrichment Teams; and open and frequent communication.

Self-Referral: Involves giving students the opportunity to nominate themselves for participation in an enrichment activity.

Talent: Demonstrated skill or advanced ability in one of the multiple intelligences.

Talent Development: Establishing the conditions and providing opportunities to explore the multiple intelligences in order for talent to emerge.

Talent Groups: Students who are referred to the enrichment specialist based on a demonstrated talent in a particular area such as math or reading or art.

Talent Pool: 4th and 5th grade students whose demonstrated abilities or potential for highly capable behavior based on criteria established by the Washington Administrative Code quality them for special provisions within and in addition to the regular curriculum. These students are invited to participate in the Newsroom. Continuation is performance based.

Type I Enrichment: Consists of general exploratory activities that are designed to expose students to topics, events, books, people, etc. not ordinarily covered in the regular curriculum.

Type II Enrichment: Process skills necessary for students to successfully conduct an in-depth investigation on a topic of interest in a self-directed manner.

Type III Enrichment: Recommended as the mainstay of programs for advanced ability students and consists of activities in which students become actual investigators of real problems or topics by using appropriate methods of inquiry. Type III enrichment is characterized by (1) identification of a general area in which advanced level work will be done, (2) focusing upon a specific question or problem, (3) use of multiple advanced level resources, (4) acquisition of raw data using appropriate methodological techniques, (5) development of a polished piece of work and (6) sharing of products and findings with appropriate audiences.

Questions? Contact Terri Bawden (bawden.t@mail.wsd.wednet.edu)