The Welby Way Gifted/High Ability Magnet
The Gifted and High Ability magnet at Welby Way Elementary School was created in 1978 to serve elementary-age, academically gifted and high-achieving students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The magnet started with five classes and has grown in size to fourteen classes (Grades 2-5) to accommodate 320 students. The magnet provides a well-rounded education in a stimulating environment where students capitalize on their own talents and the varied talents of the dedicated teaching staff.
The magnet program’s 320 students reflect California’s racial and ethnic diversity where 60% are of minority American Indian, Asian, Latino, Pilipino, African-American backgrounds and 40% other white. Effort is made to remain culturally diverse and to identify and recruit students from language and racial minority groups. Transportation is provided for all students in the program except those within a two-mile radius. Within the State Frameworks and District Course of Study, our teachers pool their expertise in curricular areas of interest to develop an academic program that gives students the opportunity to meet and exceed the state standards and to experience in-depth studies and varied teaching styles. Our interdisciplinary curriculum is custom tailored to meet the present and future needs of this unique learning community. The overall program is balanced with academies, technology, and fine arts.
Differentiated Objectives of the Program· The core curriculum is differentiated through pacing, depth, complexity, and creativity.
· Pacing allows students to move at flexible rates in a variety of groupings with a multitude of materials available to meet individual needs.
· Depth allows students to have enough time to explore topics of interest while the outcome is quality, not quantity.
· Complexity allows students to explore the relationships from one academic discipline and from different points of view through an integrated curriculum.
· Creativity allows students to develop projects, to question an existing idea and explore new ideas, which leads to divergent thinking.
Expectations of Student Performance
Students will be challenged at an appropriate level for their individual potential by:
· Demonstrating enthusiastic attitude for all learning experiences.
· Thinking logically and creatively when exploring in-depth studies of choice.
· Striving for independence, setting high personal standards, and becoming self-critical.
· Completing classroom assignments and time management of activities in and outside of classroom.
· Taking initiative and showing independence.
· Respecting peers, teachers, and other personnel on the school campus with respect for cultural differences.
· Building a sense of responsibility to community.
Page last updated 08/30/2007
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