What is LoS? LoS programming is flexible, inclusive, responsive, proactive, and unifying. It is flexible in not following a fixed formula, curriculum, or set of services and activities for all students. Instead, it involves many different kinds of EXPLORATORUY activities, people, and places, as appropriate for each student, based on their interests, level of need, and ability to benefit. Inclusive programming spans a broad range of talents and interests. It is proactive, responding to students' positive, emerging, and expanding needs and acting as a guide for planning and modifying instruction. LoS challenges teachers, schools, districts, parents, and the community to take deliberate, constructive action for talent development. And it provides a unifying structure and terminology for effectively communicating talent development among constituents. LoS involves programming at four levels: Level I (programming for all students), Level II (programming for many students), Level III (programming for some students), and Level IV (programming for a few students). See below for a detailed description of the opportunities.
Level I (Tier 1)
ALL STUDENTS
OFFERED DURING CLASS TIME
OPPORTUNITIES
Differentiated instruction based on multiple sources of individual formative and summative student data. Instruction is provided during classroom time by the classroom teacher. (Milwaukee Public Schools, 2022, para 4).
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OPPORTUNITIES
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Ability Grouping
Children of high ability or with high achievement levels are put into a separate group for differentiating instruction. This can be full time, part time, or flexible.
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Flexible Grouping
Students of various ages, abilities, and backgrounds are grouped and regrouped to meet students' individual instruction needs.
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Tiered Lessons
While students work at various degrees of difficulty on their tasks, they all explore the same essential ideas and work at different levels of thought. Groups eventually come together to share and learn from each other.
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Level II (Tier 2)
Interest based opportunities Offered after school
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OPPORTUNITIES
Services are EXPLORATORY OPPORTUNITIES for MANY students. These are opportunities based on students' interests AND
are after or before school and include athletic, theatrical, Esports, music, art, and intellectually enriching clubs such as HS Mock Trial, Chess, Cribbage, Scrabble, First Lego League, etc. Schedules and participation requirements vary. Exploratory opportunities can be located on the Extended Learning Calendar, school website, or in the main office.
Level III (Tier 3)
Recommended Students
Talent specific advanced opportunities offered during ELECTIVES
OPPORTUNITIES
STEM EXPLORATORY
Stock Market Game
Maine Math & Science Competition
Future City Engineering
BSCES Bridge Building Competition
First Lego League Competition
Math Video Challenge
Odyssey of the Mind
Advanced Science Projects
HISTORY, ART, CIVICS, and ELA
History Day Competition
Mock Trial
Mystery Dinner Theater
Debate
We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution
Model UN
Holocaust Studies
Historical Theater
Junior Great Books Seminars
Journalism (Braodcasting & Podcasting)
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RECOMMENDATION FORM
LEVEL IV (Tier 4)
GIFTED Services for students who need services beyond level 3
OPPORTUNITIES
Early admission, grade advancement, dual enrollment, early graduation, mentorships, advanced independent research or inquiry projects, internships.
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Replacement Curriculum
A special curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the student at the level at which he/she is challenged; e.g., William and Mary curriculum, ALEKS, WCATY, above-grade-level coursework, etc.
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Single-Subject Acceleration
A student bypasses the usual progression of skills and content mastery in one subject where great advancement has been observed. The student will progress at the regular instruction pace through the remaining subject areas.
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Whole-Grade Acceleration
A learner is double-promoted to bypass one or more grade levels. There is a process for approving students for whole-grade acceleration. Please contact the MPS Gifted and Talented coordinator.
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Problem-Based Learning
This challenges students to learn through engagement in real-life problems. One of the many features of problem-based learning is that it is student centered refers to learning opportunities that are relevant to the students, the goals of which are at least partly determined by the students themselves.
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Specialized Program
This is school placement in a setting that is specialized to meet the needs of the particular student;e.g., language immersion, gifted and talented, specialized arts programs, Project Lead the Way, etc.
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Curriculum Compacting
Compacting is the practice of pre-testing student knowledge of material before it is taught.
This can be done by using end-level tests, a written nattactive of what the students already know, KSL, interview, etc. If the student has mastered the material, he/she
should be able to participate in curriculum that is challenging and new. With skill-based subjects, such as math and early reading, the end-of-the-unit tests work well. With more content-based areas, such as literature, social studies, and some sciences, students could have the option to student the material in the book, take the test, and move on to replacement or extension material.
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