Spectrum

Stefanie Hannah, Spectrum Teacher

SPECTRUM provides services for identified students in grades 6-8.  SPECTRUM is scheduled for a half block on a rotating day basis.  The program is designed to meet the needs of gifted learners with an emphasis on higher level thinking skills, problem solving, and decision making.  The program provides students with opportunities for self assessment and reflection on the demands and responsibilities of the gifted learner. 

LCPS Gifted Education Programs and Services for SPECTRUM:

  • Critical & Creative Thinking Skills 

  • Social & Emotional Growth

For more information on the Loudoun County Gifted Programs and the Eligibility Process, please click HERE 

You may also email the Spectrum Teacher, Stefanie Hannah.

Program Goals

In the LCPS Gifted Education Program, gifted students have the opportunity to achieve district goals at the level commensurate with their talent.  Students are also challenged to apply their knowledge and skills in complex and advanced ways so that they can continue to develop academically.

LCPS Gifted Services Goals

  • Students will become divergent creative thinkers who recognize problems and solve them.

  • Students will construct personal meaning and understanding of others and the world around them.

  • Students will develop the capacity for self-assessment (ownership of learning). 

Spectrum Goals

  • Students will apply complex thinking skills to identify, define, and solve problems.

    • Analysis: Recognizes cause-effect relationships and patterns; Demonstrates use of deductive/inductive reasoning and logic; Identifies/analyzes/evaluates sophisticated problems, strategies, and alternatives; Goes beyond basic mastery of curriculum

    • Creativity: Uses imagination/originality to solve problems; Open to unusual ideas; Acts on creative ideas to make tangible and innovative products; Resourceful use of materials 

       

  • Students will pursue, integrate, and transform information across academic core areas.

    • Research: Demonstrates depth of knowledge; Asks probing questions; Researches and presents information integral to the purpose; Effective in relating various sources to each other and applies them to issues/problems

    • Communication: Supports opinions with facts and examples; Articulates justification of choices; Uses oral and written language with focus and clarity; Complex or intricate presentation of ideas

  • Students will develop the capacity for effective self-directed learning and authentic and appropriate self-assessment.

    • Self-Directed Learning: Demonstrates initiative and flexibility; Seeks extended learning opportunities; Pursues and perseveres in challenging tasks; Takes risks in thinking and views failure as an opportunity to learn; Utilizes time and manages workload efficiently; Completes tasks without direct oversight

    • Self-Assessment: Reflects critically on learning experiences and processes; Accurately evaluates own learning process; Thoughtfully reflects on the effectiveness/impact of end products

  • Students will demonstrate respect for the ideas, opinions, and perspectives of others.

    • Individual Accountability: Open and responsive to new/diverse perspectives; Assumes shared responsibility for collaborative work; Actively participates in completing group tasks

    • Collaboration and Leadership: Manages group functioning; Inspires positive behaviors from others; Works well with others to reach consensus 

Spectrum Yearly Themes: 

Business & Economics, Communication & Culture, Ethics & Perspectives, Technology & Engineering

Curriculum

The LCPS Gifted Education Program curriculum spans grades K-12.  The pace of the curriculum is flexible, allowing for accelerated learning as appropriate, while providing a continuum of curricular options, instructional approaches, and resources to meet the unique needs of the individual gifted learners.  These units are aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning, and are applied as increasingly challenging work for gifted children providing sophistication, depth, and breadth.  Click Here For Curriculum Guides.

The areas of focus include:

Main Skills

  • Complex Thinking Skills

  • Research Skills

  • Independent Learning Skills

  • Interactive Skills

Additional Skills

  • Creative Expression

  • Affective Education and Leadership

 2023-24 Curriculum for Grades 6-7

  • Everest STEM Unit

  • Deaf/ASL Culture

  • Tanglers/ Mindbenders

  • Continental Math League

  • Dramatic Mystery

  • What does gifted mean?/Multiple Intelligences

2023-24 Curriculum for Grade 8

  • Gifted Self-Advocacy

  • Continental Math League

  • Perplexors

  • Independent Study

  • Socratic Seminar/Debate

  • Dramatic Mystery

  • Stranded - STEM Survival