[496] Thirty-two teachers meet employment standard for serving gifted students in Tennessee

Thirty-two teachers from Murfreesboro City Schools will meet the employment standard for serving gifted students in Tennessee after recently completing the MTSU/MCS Gifted Academy on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

Sponsored by The Jennings and Rebecca Jones Foundation, the Gifted Academy aims to expand Murfreesboro City Schools gifted education program by equipping teachers with tools to identify and engage gifted students. It was held June 1-5.

“We expect the identification of the gifted learner to continue to increase at MCS as a result of the academy,” said Lea Bartch, coordinator of gifted services for Murfreesboro City Schools and instructor for the academy. “As a district, we are working to train at least one teacher at every grade level, at each school. We want to meet the needs of all students, at their level of learning.”

Dr. Lesley Craig-Unkefer, an academy instructor and an associate professor in the MTSU College of Education’s Department of Elementary and Special Education, said the collaboration stems from spring 2014 discussions that included MCS Director of Schools, Dr. Linda Gilbert, and Dr. Lana Seivers, dean of the MTSU College of Education.

“The training forms a bank of knowledge that will empower teachers to effectively work with the gifted population,” said Craig-Unkefer, the primary MTSU liaison for the academy. “The training introduced specific research-based strategies to teachers and allows for ongoing learning and follow-up throughout the year.”

Murfreesboro City Schools is a district of 12 schools. The average number of gifted students in a school district nationwide is 3 to 5 percent. At its current enrollment, MCS could serve around 300 gifted students.

“We want to continue to provide stimulating learning environments for our gifted students allowing them to be challenged and to succeed. We are here to serve all students and expanding our gifted program will help us with that goal,” Bartch said.

In order for participants to receive credit from the state, the collaborating institutions had to seek state approval for the program. The program’s curriculum of 80.5 contact hours surpassed state requirements and once completed, the Gifted Academy provides enough training to meet the Tennessee Gifted Employment Standard through the state Department of Education.

“During this training, teachers are presented with many tools in helping to plan higher level thinking activities and detailed tasks for gifted learners.  We are making sure these students can be challenged and continue to grow as learners,” said program participant and first grade teacher Mallory Rundell.

MCS currently has over 50 teachers that have received additional training related to gifted education prior to MTSU/MCS Gifted Academy. For additional information regarding Gifted Services at Murfreesboro City Schools, please call 615-893-2313.