BVSD Parent Resources and Opportunities  
 
BVSD TAG Parent Handbook  - Updated annually.  Copies available in English and Spanish from your school's TAG Educational Advisor.

http://www.talentedandgifted.net/ A Parent's Guide to Talented and Gifted (not created by BVSD but does reference it)
 
Conference Links  
 
NAGC Annual Convention
CAGT (Colorado Assoc. for the Gifted and Talented) Conference
Beyond Giftedness Conference   
  
 
"Our Gifted" Online Conferences 
 
To Register:  Go to http://www.neiu.edu/~ourgift/pages/HowTo.htm 

Advanced Academic Services is offering to support professional development for schools through Study Groups. Study groups allow teachers to self-initiate professional development in areas of interest without taking time out of the regular classroom. Study groups can be for a minimum of five participants up to the entire staff. Two or more schools may also combine staffs for their study group.

We will support professional development at two different levels depending on the subject to be studied. Schools are invited to be creative and innovative and to design a professional development opportunity that will best meet their needs in a manner that is meaningful to them.

Our office will be happy to help select resources and materials, if desired. Please submit application for funds(see below) at least three weeks before the first meeting so that ample time is given to receive materials.

These grants will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funding lasts. Second or multiple requests from the same school will be considered after Winter Break in order to ensure that all schools have equal opportunity to access funds. If you have any questions please contact Becky at x 5067 or becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org.  Licensure renewal and salary credit are available in accordance with district guidelines.

Level One Support:

Provides materials (books) for each study group participant (materials remain the property of the school), a video series for the school or guest facilitator/expert as appropriate.
Pays teachers for up to three hours of participation at the regular curriculum writing rate of pay (groups must be held outside of contract time).
Provides facilitation of discussion if requested.
Participants receive Ongoing Professional Development certificates for the number of hours of participation.
Additional hours may be added for professional development credit and/or salary credit.

Level Two Support:

Provides materials for study groups as in level 1.
Provides facilitation of discussion if requested as in level 1.
Does not provide teacher compensation (may be held during contract time or during district professional development days).
Please call or e-mail Becky at district extension 5067 if you have any further questions or if you have a unique proposal.
Submit application to Becky in Advanced Academic Services or by e-mail to becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org.

BVSD TAG Study Group Application needs to include:

Name of school
Name of contact person
Number of people participating
Please attach names of participants
Level of support requested (circle) One Two
Area of study
Dates and times of meetings of study group
Materials requested
Goals of study group

Submit your request to becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org  Becky at the Ed. Center.

 
Socratic Seminar Leader/Facilitator Training

Advanced Academic Services is offering a comprehensive professional development series for teachers August, 2008. 1.5 hours of licensure renewal and salary credit are available for this course. There is no cost to BVSD participants. The class will be led by John Zola. Socratic Seminar is used by teachers K-12 across all curricular areas. All materials will be provided. Socratic Seminars are recognized for bringing depth and complexity to the classroom, and developing critical thinking, logic, and reasoning skills in students. Strategies for including students with limited English proficiency will be emphasized. Participants in this training must make a commitment to attend all sessions.

BVSD employees go to Course Insite to register.  If you are out-of-district and would like to enroll, e-mail becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org.

An additional session in September Date to be determined by participants

Location: New Vista HS

Note: "Socratic Seminar," and Great Books discussion group "Shared Inquiry," are quite similar. Training in either method will support the other, not be in conflict, and will lead to higher level discussion of challenging texts.
 
 
Socratic Seminar and Language Arts Standards  

As we continue to respond to the needs of standards based education, the question of how Socratic seminar addresses these standards naturally arises. The following list was developed by Jaye Zola using the draft document of the Language Arts Standards to respond to these questions:

Standard 1: Students read and understand a variety of material
Benchmarks:
using word recognition and comprehension strategies
reading a variety of texts
paraphrasing texts
synthesizing information from texts
 

Standard 2: Students listen, speak, and write for a variety of purposes and audiences
Benchmarks:
using responsible listening skills
speaking and writing using a variety of forms (for example: expository, argumentative, persuasive, descriptive, reflective, personal, etc.)
organizing ideas to achieve cohesion in writing and speaking using a variety of strategies to draft and revise written and spoken message

Standard 3: Students use grammatical and mechanical conventions of language
Benchmarks:
The benchmarks ask students to be able to use correct grammar, word usage, capitalization, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure, spelling

Standard 6: Students read, recognize, and understand literature as an expression of human experience
Benchmarks:
reading a variety of literature
understanding the historical context in which a text was written
understanding the ways in which literature reflects the ethnic background of the author and the culture in which it was written
responding to literature (for example: suggesting an interpretation, recognizing possible ambiguities, nuances and complexities in a text, etc.)
understanding influences on a reader's response to a text

Creating Socratic Seminar Curricula 

The Great Books Foundation
Parent Leader Training

You can information about upcoming trainings in the metro Denver and surrounding area by going to   http://www.greatbooks.org or calling 1-800-222-5870.

Junior Great Books Volunteer Programs
Interpretive Reading and Discussion for grades K-12

The Junior Great Books program benefits both students and adult leaders. As a volunteer, you will have the chance to work directly with students. Your own enthusiasm for literature and for sharing ideas will foster students’ love of literature and learning.

Volunteers usually meet with students once a week for six to twelve weeks to lead them in Shared Inquiry Discussions. It is the students’ responsibility to read the stories to prepare for discussion. (Younger students often have their parents read to them.) Sessions are typically scheduled for between a half hour and an hour. Volunteers will be required to spend some time each week reading the selection and preparing questions for discussion.

Visit the Great Books Foundation Website

The Great Books Foundation discussion groups, "Shared Inquiry," and discussions led as "Socratic Seminar," are quite similar. Training in either method will support the other, not be in conflict, and will lead to higher level discussion of challenging texts.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities

BVSD offers many professional development opportunities.  Go to Course Insite to access the course catalogue.

TAG Educational Advisors meet from 8:30-11:00 on the second Tuesday of each month for professional development and networking.  Please contact becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org for details.

Carolyn M. Callahan and Michael S. Caldwell. A Practitioner's Guide to Evaluating Programs for the Gifted.
Washington, DC: National Association for Gifted Children (1995)

Carolyn M. Callahan, "Issues in Evaluating Programs for the Gifted," Gifted Child Quarterly 27:3 (Winter 1983)

Kyle R. Carter, "Evaluation of Gifted Programs," chapter 12 in Nina K. Buchanan and John F. Feldhusen,Conducting Research and Evaluation in Gifted Education: A Handbook of Methods and Applications. New York: Teachers College Press (1991)

David M. Fettrman, "Evaluate Yourself," Number 9304, Research-Based Decision Making Series, NationalResearch Center on the Gifted and Talented (March 1993)

Arlene Fink and Jacqueline Kosecott, "How to: Evaluate Education Programs," Washington, DC: Capitol
Publications (1980)

The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. The Program Evaluation Standards: How toAssess Evaluations of Educational Programs, 2d ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications (1994)

Finlay McQuade and David W. Champagne. "Evaluating the Curriculum," Chapter 2 in How to Make aBetter School. Boston: Allyn and Bacon (1995)

Ann Robinson, "Tests in Perspective: The Role and Selection of Standardized Instruments in the Evaluationof Programs for the Gifted," chapter 14 in Nina K. Buchanan and John F. Feldhusen, Conducting Research and Evaluation in Gifted Education: A Handbook of Methods and Applications. New York: Teachers CollegePress (1991)

Joyce VanTassel-Baska. "Assessing and Evaluating Curricula," Chapter 7 in Planning Effective Curriculumfor Gifted Learners. Denver: Love Publishing Company (1992)