Advanced Academics and GT

Advanced Academics

Our teachers work hard to design and lead students through rigorous, relevant and meaningful learning experiences. Teachers in all classes differentiate instructional practices to meet the needs of individual students. This may include the use of scaffolding and/or extension activities.

Advanced classes are currently offered in mathematics and Language Arts in 6th grade and in all four core areas in 7th and 8th grade. Advanced classes in mathematics are taught at an accelerated pace, as the curriculum includes content from one grade level above. Advanced classes in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies include the same academic standards as grade-level classes and are consistently taught at deeper levels.

All students are encouraged to enroll in at least one advanced class during their middle school career. Students do not need to be identified as gifted to access or succeed in advanced classes.

Gifted and Talented (GT)

The Cherry Creek School District defines gifted and talented students as: children possessing outstanding, abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment which are so exceptional or developmentally-advanced when compared with same-aged peers that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional). Exceptional abilities or potential are present in all ethnic and cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all arenas of human endeavor. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of one or any combination of the following areas of giftedness: 

• • General or specific intellectual ability
  • Specific academic aptitude
  • Creative or productive thinking 
  • Leadership abilities
  • Visual Arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities

Horizon Community GT Advisory

The GT Advisory class is for students who are identified as gifted or are in the gifted talent pool (students who meet some, but not all criteria for gifted identification). In this class, students will learn about the importance of creative and innovative thinking while also engaging in social-emotional learning that is vital to being a well-balanced, independent, life-long learner. In addition, students will have daily access to Horizon Community's Gifted Learning Teacher who will help them understand the Advanced Learning Plan and progress monitor the academic and social-emotional goals that are at the heart of that plan.

Our learning community is our home away from home. Some of the activities and topics we will explore are:

• Community Circles (weekly)
• Social-Emotional Learning/Affective Goals
  • Understanding relationships
  • Goal-setting
  • Navigating life and middle school
  • Building a stronger sense of self
• Autonomous Learner Model & Innovator’s Mindset
  • Understand yourself as a learner (intelligence, creativity, giftedness, learning preferences)
  • Skills to tackle learning independently
  • Develop your interests and passions through small-scale independent explorations