Students who are eligible to participate in the Pangea Gifted Program are immersed in the rigorous study in the core academic subjects. Sunset Pangea students are actively engaged in the ongoing development of the “Outdoor Classroom Project”, which stemmed from The “Challenge Grant For Gifted Collaborative Curriculum” which was awarded by the Department of Education. They are continuously involved in the hands on process of the acquisition of science and math skills through this outdoor classroom which incorporates global environmental issues. Serving as active participants in numerous academic based competitions such as the Fairchild Challenge, the Green Schools Challenge, Every Drop Counts poster contest, Clean Up Green Up poster contest and the Math Bowl prepares them for our competitive global world.
How Is A Student Referred?
Students are mostly referred by teachers, however, parents can request to have their child evaluated for gifted. A gifted characteristics rating scale, standardized test scores and/or current grades are considered when referring a student.
What if the student has been privately evaluated?
All private evaluations are submitted to the School Counselor. The parent will receive a written notice, “Receipt of Private Psychological Evaluation” which outlines the procedures for evaluation/placement in a Gifted Program. The Counselor, Dr. Pardiñas, will obtain the teacher rating scale, standardized test scores and/or current grades, accordingly. A District psychologist will review the private evaluation. Â
What happens when your child has been referred?
The school Counselor, Dr. Pardiñas, will notify you to schedule a meeting to sign consent for an evaluation. If the student was evaluated privately, consent needs to be executed in order for it to be reviewed by our school psychologist. The file is sent to the Central Regional Center office. The CRC Office assigns the case to a psychologist. A District psychologist evaluates students and reviews private evaluations in the order they are received. Â
How are students evaluated for Gifted?
Students are administered a psycho-educational evaluation in order to determine their intellectual abilities and qualifications for the Gifted Program.
How are parents notified of the evaluation results?
If the student obtained the required score, parents will be notified by the School, for a placement meeting (Staffing). If the student does not obtain the necessary score, a letter will be sent to the parents with a copy of the report included.
How often are placement meetings (Staffing) held?
Currently, placement meetings are taking place once every other week. Each meeting takes approximately an hour; therefore, 2-4 students may be placed every other week.
Referrals, evaluations and staffing are not conducted during the summer months.