Getting the Most
from the BHS Gifted Program
Dr. Jolinda Collins
Brookwood High School
2016
What is the Gifted Program
in High School?
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Gifted program
classes in many
subjects 9-11
AP Classes
(College-level classes)
Independent Study
Internship
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Students select as
few or as many as
they want.
No appearance of
gifted placement is
on college transcript
unless student is
enrolled in a gifted
program class,
Directed Study, or
Internship.
Typical Gifted Curriculum
(varies by school)
9th Grade
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Gifted Language Arts
Gifted Geography or
AP Human Geography
Gifted Biology
Accelerated Geometry
10th Grade
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(II)
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(pre-requisite: Accelerated Math I & II)
(pre-requisite: Accelerated Math I)
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Directed Study
Band (elective)
Gifted Language Arts
AP World History
AP Art History
Gifted Chemistry
Accelerated Precalculus
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Directed Study
Drama (elective)
Typical Gifted Curriculum
(varies by school)
11th Grade
12th Grade
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Gifted Language Arts
AP U.S. History
Gifted Physics
Gifted Chemistry or
AP Chemistry
AP Statistics or
AP Calculus AB or BC
AP Art History
AP Studio Art
Directed Study
Internship
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AP English Lit or Lang
AP Spanish, French, Latin,
German
AP Government
AP Economics
AP Psychology
AP European History
AP Chemistry
AP Physics
AP Biology
AP Statistics or
AP Calculus AB or BC
AP Music Theory
AP Art History or AP Studio Art
AP Environmental Science
Internship
Directed Study
Why take Gifted
and AP® Classes?
Competitive College Admissions
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Selective colleges prefer a student who
has taken the most challenging courses
available at the student’s local high
school, especially AP® classes.
Schools send colleges a list of available
courses and the level of each course.
Why take Gifted Classes?
To prepare for AP classes
Gifted Classes prepare students for
college-level AP classes that can earn
college as well as high school credit at
the same time if the student earns an
eligible score on the national exam.
Why take Gifted
and AP® Classes?
To improve rigor of schedule:
Colleges prefer a B in a
challenging course rather than
an A in an easier course.
Competition
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Being competitive for college
admissions and scholarships
requires rigor of schedule.
What is Rigor of Schedule?
•
“
Taking the most challenging
courses available in your high
school’s curriculum
College Admission
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Rigor of Schedule has increased in
importance in college admission
decisions.
BHS students compete for admission
and scholarships with students from all
over the U.S. who have multiple AP®
classes on transcripts as well as strong
SAT scores, activities, and honors.
Factors Influencing Admission Decisions
NACAC Admission Trends Survey, 2013
Average number of
AP classes on transcripts of freshman
class at UGA
5
Source: Admission Director’s Speech to AP Summer
Institute at UGA, 2008
Average number of
AP classes on transcripts of students
waitlisted at UGA
2
What is an AP® course?
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College-level coursework completed at
the secondary level
Opportunity to earn college credit
through national AP Exams
Preparation for the national AP Exams
Superior college preparation
Development of habits of mind
necessary for managing the rigors of
college
Why take an
Advanced Placement® course?
AP Classes facilitate
 College Admission
 College Transition
 College Success
College Transition
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College preparation, not simply college
admission, is our goal.
Get in
. . . Stay in . . .
◊ Succeed
An easier transition to
college success
Habits of Mind
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Time Management
Research
(see College Board website for more)
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A study at Yale found that AP students
performed better than non-AP students.
Compared to classmates of similar ability, AP
students were more likely to maintain a B
average or higher and to graduate with honors.
A high percentage of students lose the Hope
Grant after the first semester of college. AP
students have a higher incidence of maintaining
a 3.0 in college than non-AP students.
College Success
Save $ by earning enough AP Credits
to graduate early or save time and do
a double major.
Go to med school early!
Brookwood High School
AP Program
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Most GCPS schools offer 20+ AP®
courses such as
English Literature and Composition
English Language and Composition
Spanish, French, Latin, German
American History, European History, World History,
Psychology, Government, Economics, Geography
Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science,
Environmental Science
Statistics, Calculus AB, Calculus BC
Art History, Studio Art, Music Theory
How much college credit
can students earn?
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Colleges award credit for either one class or
two classes, depending on the student’s AP
Score on the national exam.
Each college or university decides its AP
credit policy.
It is possible for a students to enter college
with enough credit to earn Junior Status.
Bonus Points for AP Classes
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To encourage
students to take
these challenging
courses, GCPS Board
of Education policy
awards 10 bonus
points to AP report
card grades.
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Example:
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89 + 10 = 99
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93 + 10 = 103
How are gifted classes
different from honors classes?
Different,
Not more
How are gifted classes
different from honors classes?
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Same textbooks usually - some alternative reading
Different assignments and instructional strategies
that include greater variety and choice
Emphasis on long-term assignments
A more rapid pace with less rote work
Focus on the why and how more often than on what
Concentration on causes and significance of events,
issues, and interrelationships of ideas
Higher level thinking skills more often employed
Preparation for AP® classes
More class discussion
VARIETY AND CHOICE
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Concrete to abstract
Simple to complex
Units to patterns
Informational to
conceptual
Basic to transformational
Few facets to multi-facets
Smaller leaps to larger
leaps
More structured to more
open
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Slower to quicker
Shallow to in-depth
Less independent to
more independent
Isolated detail to
multiple connections
Single focus to
interdisciplinary
perspective
Individual to
collaboration
Do students have to take
all gifted classes?
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No.
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Example: all gifted classes except math
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It’s a choice.
Example: gifted math and science classes only
However, students need to be aware of the potential
impact on college admissions if they choose to
weaken their transcripts with less challenging classes.
A weak transcript does not compare favorably for
college admissions or scholarships.
What is Independent Study?
(aka Directed Study)
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an elective class for gifted students only
an opportunity for students to study
subjects outside the regular classroom
that are connected to GCPS AKS.
Cannot be subject already available
Student designs an individual learning
contract of study with teacher help.
Learning Contract Examples
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Sign Language
Japanese, Russian, Thai
Equestrian science
Reading Quest or Writing a novel
Science Olympiad or Science Fair
Academic team research
Internship with teacher in building
What is QUEST Internship?
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an elective class for gifted students only
a student internship in a career interest
a way to earn STEAM internship credit
working with a mentor in a profession or
business
leaving school the last period of the day
Students must be old enough to provide
their own transportation (or parents).
QUEST Gifted Internship
Examples and Locations
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Law or architecture firm
Hospital or doctor’s office
Jimmy Carter Center or CDC
Accounting, Marketing, Management
Elementary or middle school
Engineer or Computer Science
Georgia State Capital, Atlanta
Reach for Higher Academic Goals
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* An easier class load may produce a
higher grade point average in high school,
but it also produces a student who enters
college less prepared than his peers who
have taken more challenging classes.
Representatives of
UGA, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Georgia Southern
A Tradition of Excellence
When asked why he was having his team
play a tougher schedule than he had to,
a winning high school football coach
said,
“We don’t get any better
if we play easy teams.”
Coach Dave Hunter
Retired BHS Athletic Director
A Tradition of Excellence
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his
grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
Robert Browning
Choose Challenge
Questions
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General questions – Dr. Collins
Jolinda_collins@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Language Arts – Mrs. McClain
Leann_hedrick@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Math – Mr. Michael
Chris_michael@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Science – Mrs. Settles
Kim_hamman@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Social Studies – Mrs. Blankenship
Colleen_blankenship@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Foreign Language – Mrs. Barrett
Linda_barrett@gwinnett.k12.ga.us