Gifted and Talented Education in the Omaha Public Schools is committed to developing students through a curriculum framework focused on:

• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Inquiry
• Cultural proficiency
• Self-reflection and
• Academic Habits
  

Transition to Middle School
Moving from elementary to middle school is an exciting and challenging time. Instead of a single teacher, students now have five to eight teachers. Middle school is an opportunity for students to gain more independence but still have structure. As gifted and talented students enter middle school, they are no longer pulled from their classrooms for specialized instruction. Teachers will work with the Gifted and Talented Facilitator to differentiate instructions for students. Students can also select to take advanced courses. Placement is determined by student's academic performance and class criteria. Beyond the classroom, students can participate in specific events and clubs like academic penthalon, book blasters, Geography Bee, African American History Challenge, Science Bowl and more.

Classroom teachers meet the needs of learners daily by tailoring through classroom differentiation. Additionally, all middle schools in ou district offer honors courses in English language arts, mathematics and science. These courses enhance and enrich learning experiences for students by offering an accelerated learning pace and diving deeper and with more complexity into the content

All our middle schools offer:

• Honors Language Arts 7
• Honors Language Arts 8
• Honors Physical Science (Grade 8)
• Advanced Math 6
• Advanced Math 7
• Honors Algebra 1-2
• Honors Geometry 1-2

Placement in honors and advanced courses is determined by standardized assessments, classroom performance and other established criteria.

In some cases, students may desire academic course offerings not available at middle school. Students and families may work with the school’s GATE Facilitator to determine options for the student. In some cases, students may have options to complete distance learning or high school placement. Grade-level acceleration or skipping a grade can also be considered through a process involving an Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS).

Honors Special Projects is a course middle schools may offer that aligns with the Gifted and Talented framework and provides learning experiences for students that focus on the process of learning through a variety of content options.