Gifted Endorsement Program
Our Gifted Endorsement Program is designed to increase the level of knowledge, expertise, and understanding of educators working with gifted students.
Course Objectives
The program helps to raise awareness of the unique characteristics, emotional/social needs, and other challenges and issues often associated with gifted students. Program participants will examine and develop expertise in historical, state, and national trends as well as policies and guidelines to ensure implementation of appropriate academic curriculum, differentiation strategies, current best practice, educational interventions, and support for this diverse population.
Course Information
Our PDE-approved Gifted Endorsement Program is structured as 80% asynchronous online work and 20% synchronous virtual face-to-face events intended to engage participants with highly qualified instructors.
Participants will share their experiences of job-embedded assignments, post reflections about assignments, and comment on cohort posts.
Prerequisites
Level I or Level II Certificate
Credits
Participants earn three graduate credits per course from Neumann University.
Participants who maintain a grade of “C” or higher throughout the program are eligible to apply for the Gifted Endorsement from PDE.
Course Schedule and Descriptions
Course 1: Foundations of Gifted Education
Term: Jan. 11–Apr, 23, 2022
Graduate Credits: 3
Participants will learn the relevant history of the changing definitions, interventions, and cultural attitudes regarding gifted learners and their relationship to educational services. Participants will be able to explain the relevance, importance, and application of state and federal documents, regulations, and reports and to articulate the importance of collaboration and communication with all interested stakeholders. Participants will also be able to provide information on and advocate for gifted individuals and services to professional staff, parents, and the community and to identify and locate organizations and materials that will present current data, resources, and pedagogy for gifted education.
Course 2: Identification and Assessment
Term: Aug. 25– Dec. 12, 2022
Graduate Credits: 3
In this course participants will learn to recognize diverse characteristics and behaviors of gifted individuals by understanding their social and emotional needs and the impact of cultural differences. Participants will be able to understand cognitive and affective differences and recognize and understand the potential of creative thinking. Participants will also develop an understanding of multiple and alternative assessments that can be used for identification purposes and how these assessments align to academic needs within the educational placement.
Course 3: Service Delivery Options
Term: Jan. 10–May 13, 2022 or Jan. 10–May 7, 2023
Graduate Credits: 3
In this course participants will learn the use of instructional models and classroom services based on research and current literature on gifted education with a gifted child. Participants will develop an understanding of facilitating the use of different organizational options for gifted services that provide enrichment, acceleration, or a combination of both in a school setting. Participants will also understand the importance and use of measurable individualized plans, how to utilize ongoing district data to determine alignment between student ability, and how to utilize different student grouping options. Finally, participants will learn how to promote the intellectual leadership of students who are educationally, economically, and culturally disenfranchised, as well as how to accept and respect different cultural backgrounds.
Course 4: Curriculum Design and Strategies in the Classroom
Term: Aug. 4–Dec. 9, 2022 and Aug. 24–Dec. 9, 2023
Graduate Credits: 3
In this course participants will learn how to select and use data from a variety of assessments to inform instructional decision making to meet the needs of individual students. Participants will design differentiated learning plans/curricula for gifted learners in a school setting. Participants will learn how to select appropriate curriculum resources, strategies, products and service options that respond to cultural, cognitive, and affective differences among gifted and advanced learners. Additionally, participants will integrate academic and career guidance experiences, demonstrate knowledge of questioning techniques that facilitate higher-level learning and enhance critical and creative thinking, understand and implement flexible grouping practices, and use best practice models in lesson development and instruction. Finally, participants will be able to design learning opportunities that foster the development of self-awareness, positive peer relationships, intercultural experiences, self-efficacy, lifelong learning, self-advocacy and leadership.