JACKSON'S GIFTED PROGRAM CHANGES

JACKSON -- It's called EAGLE in Sikeston schools, Explore, Probe and other names in Cape Girardeau and ALERT in Jackson, but the names all mean the same thing.

They're titles put on advanced programs for gifted students.

Unlike Sikeston, Cape Girardeau and many other area schools, Jackson's gifted students have to participate in special studies after school. The system's overcrowding didn't allow for the extra classrooms and teachers needed to have ALERT during the day.

That situation changed with the construction of Jackson Middle School and hiring of more teachers. During the upcoming school year, former first-grade teacher Julie Walker will instruct gifted students in grades four through seven during school hours at the middle school.

Other grades will continue to meet after school for about three hours a week. Assistant Superintendent Fred Jones hopes eventually to make all gifted instruction during school hours.

ALERT will see other changes next year, including a different set of students. Those involved in the program were tested primarily on verbal skills and language comprehension. Jones said the old test didn't give as accurate a picture of who was truly gifted and who wasn't.

This summer, four school counselors plan to test ALERT students and potential candidates using WISC-III, which takes in logic, reasoning and math in addition to language skills.

"Any time you have a special program offering unique opportunities, parents of bright children want them in it," Jones said. "But gifted programs are not geared toward `A' students. We're talking about a different level some children fall into."

There are 135 in ALERT, which takes in grades two through 12. After the testing is done and the program is expanded to kindergarten and first grade, Jones expects about nine students per grade to be involved, allowing for more one-on-one instruction.

Walker, who is training to teach gifted students, said she is excited about her new job. Her students will do more abstract thinking, taking ideas learned in a typical classroom one step further.

For example, every student in a classroom learns about the Revolutionary War and the events and dates associated with it. Gifted students take learning a step further and look into the implications of the war.

They may examine the people involved or question whether it is OK to break the law if it will result in change, using the Boston Tea Party as an example.

Walker said gifted students need to be taught with different methods due to pressure from the outside world.

"These kids are scared to try new things because they haven't failed," she said. "This program says it's OK to fail and give them a process to work through more challenging things."

Diane Gregg, librarian at West Lane Elementary and a current ALERT teacher, said allowing the students to learn during the day will be good for them. Currently, after-school teachers suggest projects to be done during the school day but aren't able to direct students at that time.