Overview Definition of Gifted & Talented Gifted Students in Alt. Schools Case Study The 5-D Process Summary of General Findings Identification Assessment Tools Web Resources Reflections Sourcebook (pdf) Differentiated Units

Project Overview The Iowa Alternative Schools Project (2003-2007) was a partnership of the Iowa Department of Education, the Belin-Blank Center, the Iowa Association of Alternative Schools, and seven alternative high schools in Iowa. The partnership was awarded a federal grant of $790,035 from the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. The purpose of the project was to identify and serve academically gifted students in Iowa’s alternative high schools. Perhaps two of the most useful products from the Iowa Alternative Schools Project are the Sourcebook (pdf) and the Differentiated Units. Both of these are available to educators and should prove to be of practical educational value. The Sourcebook contains all the essential elements of the project in one publication. You may download the publication or contact the Iowa Department of Education or Belin-Blank Center for a print copy. The Differentiated Units are curriculum units that were developed as models that could be used in meeting the academic needs of gifted students in alternative schools. While the Javits project is completed, the work to identify and meet the educational needs of gifted students continues. We hope that this project will give you new insights about students in alternative schools as well as practical guidelines for challenging highly capable students in alternative schools. Sincerely, Iowa Alternative Schools Project Team Iowa Department of Education Ms. Rosanne Malek Dr. Ray Morley (also of the Iowa Association for Alternative Education) Belin-Blank Center Dr. Nicholas Colangelo Dr. Susan Assouline Mr. David Rogers Ms. Erin Fitzharris