Project GOAL (4-5)

Project Goal (4-5)

Overview of Project GOAL (Great Opportunities for Advanced Learning)

Project GOAL, the district’s 4th and 5th grade magnet program, is housed at Newbury School. This program provides a self-contained model of program delivery designed for high ability students. Students of like-ability are grouped together all day in a homogeneous setting to maximize their interests and learning development. The instructional processes and products are distinct from the manner through which students experience curricula in the general education classroom. The Project GOAL program, consisting of approximately 25 students per grade, will service the top 2-3% of the fourth and fifth grade population district-wide, in terms of academic achievement and cognitive ability. Students in the Project GOAL program will have mathematics content accelerated one full year, resulting in each student having completed the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade curricula upon his/her entrance into the middle school. Acceleration is the practice of allowing a student to move through learning material in a content area prior to the prescribed time frame based upon early mastery.

Project GOAL Identification

There are three ways a student can qualify for consideration in gifted and talented programming:

1. Performance Data - gathered from the following sources, where available:

- - Renaissance Learning Star Reading and Math assessments
  - NJSLA Reading and Math performance data
  - Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment
  - CogAT - Cognitive Abilities Test

2. Teacher Input

- - Throughout the qualification process, teachers offer insights and feedback to the selection committee, drawing from students’ classroom performance and anecdotal observations. Please note, teachers do not recommend students for Gifted & Talented Program placement.

3. Parent or Guardian Nomination

- - Parents or guardians may nominate their child by providing a written request to the classroom teacher. The letter of nomination must include the following:

○ Student Name

○ Parent/Guardian(s) Name, Address, and Telephone Number

○ School, Grade, and Homeroom Teacher

○ Information about your child’s personal qualities that you believe are associated with exceptionality

○ Learning/behavioral characteristics of your child associated with general intellectual ability

NOTE: Recommendation for screening in steps 1-3 does not provide automatic admission into any program.

Exiting Policy for Project GOAL

Multiple criteria will be reviewed and shared with parents, teachers, and administrators in order to determine appropriate placement. It is our mission to grow leaders, both academically and socially. To this extent, students may be exited from Project GOAL if academically a student no longer is capable of performing the tasks and activities asked of him/her with a measure of success. In addition, if a student exhibits behavior deemed detrimental to the well being of his/her peers, they may also be dismissed from the program. In all dismissal cases, a meeting between parents, teachers and administrators must be held to discuss exiting. It is our intention to support the group of students throughout their 2 years at Newbury and beyond. Communication is key and welcomed in this program.