Looking for a school that understands your gifted child?

Infinity Charter School may be just what your child needs…

The Infinity Charter School has been in operation since August, 2003, and is designed to meet the intellectual, academic and socio-emotional needs of gifted students in the Harrisburg area. Infinity currently has 256 students in grades K-8. Multi-district enrollment is encouraged on a space-available basis. The components of the school include: 

For more information, attend an upcoming meeting, or contact us at (717) 238-1880 or info@infinityschool.org 

Meeting the Needs of Gifted / Talented Students in the Regular Classroom?

The affirmation that every person should be afforded an opportunity to develop his full potential has been made so frequently throughout the history of this country that it has become a cliché, yet we are far from accomplishing such a goal. Intellectually gifted children have special educational needs that can rarely be adequately met in the regular classroom.

In discussing the various administrative arrangements for gifted programs, the U. S. Office of Education Report asserts that “the least productive results come from regular classes, although teachers and administrators at the elementary level initially favor this arrangement.” Marland Report, 1972

“My frustration at not being able to adequately challenge the gifted students in my heterogeneous classroom grows each year. With 28 students of varying levels and abilities and special needs, I often find the most neglected are the brightest. Even though I know what to do for these youngsters, I simply do not have the time to provide the differentiated instruction they need and deserve. Instead, my attention shifts, as it has in the past, to the students who are already terribly behind in second grade”. P. C. Morgan, teacher

“Most regular classroom teachers make few, if any, provisions for talented students.” National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent, OERI Report, 1993

“The strongest positive academic effects of grouping for gifted students result from either acceleration or classes that are specially designed for the gifted and use specially trained teachers and differentiated curriculum and methods”. Allan, 1991

Benefits of Full-Time Programming for Gifted / Talented Students

“The development of a curriculum framework for meeting the academic needs of gifted students in all content areas."

The opportunity to integrate subject matter and the flexibility of time to explore concepts in depth on a daily basis enable true differentiation of curriculum strategies for this population. Gifted students have the opportunity to experience a cohesive approach to content and skill development. Gaps in learning rarely occur, as these children are not missing blocks of instructional time—a drawback of pull-out models.

Elimination of disjointed times for gifted instruction.

Gifted children do not turn on their giftedness from 1:00 to 3:00 on Thursdays or only on Wednesday mornings. Giftedness is a 24-hour-a-day phenomenon. Less disruption in the gifted child’s instructional day is an additional factor to consider in a full-time model.

Support and understanding for the emotional and social dimensions of the gifted.

Working with peers on an extended, daily basis is a tremendous plus for these students. Discussing sophisticated mathematical concepts and not feeling weird or strange about that discussion does wonders for developing positive self-concepts (DeLisle, 1992). Teachers of the gifted can offer discussions of the unique sets of problems that face the gifted (Colangelo & Peterson, 1993). Realizing that other students with similar abilities and interests feel different from their peers, have problems or need assistance in developing strategies for coping with situations, provides a solid foundation for the prevention of possible future social and emotional problems.”

Dr. Mary F. Toll, Carlow College