West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Gifted Program

What are the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Gifted Programs?

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District’s (WWPRSD) Gifted & Talented Program provides services to children who have or show high ability levels in one or more content areas compared to peers in their age group or grade level in the local district. Gifted learners require modified, enriched educational programs to allow them to achieve their full potential.

The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District defines giftedness in line with Joseph Renzulli’s “Three Rings Theory of Gifted Behavior”, namely:

1. High ability: Outstanding talent, remarkably high levels of accomplishment compared to age or grade level peers
2. Creativity: Remarkably high levels of accomplishment
3. Task commitment: Intrinsically motivated performance or potential to perform 

Enrichment Programs in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District

Students participating in Gifted and Talented Programming participate in a progression of services from grades K-12. Services are designed to assist students with developing skills aligned with their individual gifts and talents. 

In the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, Gifted and Talented Resource Specialists work with students in collaboration with classroom teachers to design and implement learning experiences that provide differentiated instruction. 

Grades K-3: Gifted and Talented Program

In grades K-3, the Gifted & Talented program provides students with interdisciplinary programming that allow students to go beyond the standard curriculum and allow students to make use of their gifts and talents to explore and expand their interests.   

Grades 4-5: ECHO Program

Students in grades 4-5 participate in enrichment opportunities through ECHO, the interdisciplinary programming that goes beyond the curriculum and is open to all students interested in participating. 

Grades 6-8: PRISM Program

Students in grades 6-8 in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District participate in the Performance Revealing Individual Student Magic, or PRISM program. The program incorporates research, problem-solving and communication skills. In grades 6, students are introduced to the PRISM philosophy, which supports students’ motivation to follow their interests and abilities to deepen and enrich their education beyond the classroom. In grades 7 & 8, students may attend Prism-for-All classes, offered during Flex periods during September and early October. 

PRISM provides students with opportunities for gifted students to connect with like-minded peers, cultivate their social-emotional growth, apply research, problem-solving, and communication skills targeted at building real-world problem solving abilities. 

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Gifted Programs Eligibility

Multiple criteria are used in the process of identifying gifted learners including teacher input, Gifted and Talented Resource specialist observation, new student intake information and records, parent input, student work, and case studies, in addition to measures such as InView™, MAP®, Fountas and Pinnell, and NJSLA.

Identification for the gifted program takes place on an ongoing basis, and students are not labeled as “gifted”. The purpose of identification is to provide students with targeted opportunities for enrichment in and outside of the classroom.

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District adheres to a multi-criteria system of identification, with the most frequently used types of identification being tests of cognitive ability and/or academic achievement. 

The district’s system of identification typically incorporates verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal CogAt scores, math and reading achievement scores, teacher ratings, recent academic performance, and SRBCSS Learning Ability, Creativity, and Motivation scales in the review and selection process.

Gifted and talented programming for gifted students includes whole class lessons, extensions to or enrichment of standard curricula, and student-selected opportunities. The program also involves targeted experiences including social emotional learning, interest-based and needs-based independent study.  

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