Innovation in Giftedness Award
2019 Innovation in Giftedness Recipients
More Mathematical Minds in the Multi-age Mod Klein ISD - Roth ElementaryKlein Advanced Academics partnered with Roth Elementary School to create two high-ability, multi-age classrooms. The program was built on a foundation of relationship-focused teachers, seamless differentiation, project-based learning, and a technology-rich environment.
Their next step is to enhance Math instruction. To meet that need they hope to bring in advanced Math curriculum resources, Mentoring Young Mathematicians (M2) and Mentoring Mathematical Minds (M3) and to include open-ended challenges and real-world connections to Math. These resources will help build critical thinking and mathematical reasoning for our most able students.
Be the Change Advocacy Expo
Fort Bend ISD - Academy for the Gifted & Talented at Quail Valley Middle School
In groups, students research a self-selected issue of social justice based on self-selected novels featuring issues of social justice. They read the book in cooperative groups, annotating for literary devices and concerns of social justice. Then, based on research of self-designed questions about the issue of social justice using scholarly databases, the groups design--bottom up--a completely original, interactive exhibit that teaches younger students (grade 5 from visiting campuses) about the issue of social justice and how they can "be the change" related to the issue.
The project is designed to not only recognize and learn about the issue of social justice but to also empower students to create a response to it that will impact a real audience in addition to themselves.
Previous Innovation in Giftedness Recipients
Math and Clustering With Gifted/Talented Students, Northside ISD
Piloting an initiative at five elementary campuses, Northside ISD’s Math and Clustering With Gifted/Talented Students pilot clusters identified G/T students into general education classrooms with high-ability math students. Although the idea of clustering gifted students is certainly not new, it is innovative to Northside ISD, whose G/T department worked with the mathematics department to create new advanced-level coursework. They have also recently established a team of G/T specialists to work on designing a plethora of enrichment resources for these cluster classrooms, and plan to use the TAGT Innovation Award to help purchase high-quality math tools to meet their high-ability cluster groups’ needs.
Robotics Innovation Challenge, Prosper ISD
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The Robotics Innovation Challenge at Prosper ISD incorporates a unique collaboration of fifth- and eighth-grade students as they work together in teams to enter a robotics competition that consists of creating a robot that works autonomously and in conjunction with rescue workers to help the victims in a small town after a natural disaster has struck. The elementary students partner up with middle school students to find each other’s strengths during this challenge and learn to solve problems in teams while creating mastery of their coding, building, and programming skills. With this award, Prosper plans to extend this program to other grade levels, increasing the number of G/T students receiving hands-on, real-world programming experience.
2016
- Alpha Digital Learning Commons, McKinney ISD
- The Journey School of Houston
2015
- ASPIRE Academy: Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
- Genius Hour: Ed White E-STEM Elementary, Clear Creek ISD