Gifted education is not a program; it is an individually designed and implemented plan for meeting the needs of each identified gifted student.

Bensalem School District offers various enrichment and acceleration opportunities depending on grade level and need:

·      Elementary students typically participate in a pull out program (the Special Interest Program, “SIP”) with a Teacher of the Gifted, and receive differentiated instruction within their regular classroom.

·      6th grade students gather in one district elementary school to participate in a self-contained program, where Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies are taught by a Teacher of the Gifted.

·      Middle school students gather in one district middle school to participate in a self-contained program, where Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies are taught by a Teacher of the Gifted.

·      High school students select gifted courses in the area of Humanities, as well as Honors and Advanced Placement courses in Mathematics and Sciences. Students also have the opportunity to enroll in independent study.

Each year, or upon parent request, the plan for each child is reviewed and adjusted as needed.  This plan is called a “GIEP“ (Gifted Individualized Education Plan).

A GIEP should include your child’s “PLEP” (Present Levels of Educational Performance), Annual Goals, and Short-term Learning Outcomes, to be achieved through Specially Designed Instruction, with the aid of Support Services (counseling, transportation, etc.) as needed.

A Sample GIEP can be found here