Ministry of Education Guidelines
We are
impelled to adhere to the following legislation, principles and practices, as
outlined in Ministry of Education documentation regarding Gifted and Talented
Education (GATE) in New Zealand.
“Each
board, through the principal and staff, is required to, on a basis of good
quality assessment information, identify students and groups of students who
have special needs (including gifted and talented students)”.
National
Administrative Guidelines 1.iii.c
“From
term 1, 2005, it will be mandatory for all state and state-integrated schools
to identify their gifted and talented students and develop and implement
teaching and learning strategies to address the needs of these students.”
‘Sharpening the Focus’, Issue 9, June
2004, p2
“The
New Zealand Curriculum provides all students with equal educational
opportunities. The school curriculum will recognize, respect, and respond to
the educational needs, experiences, interests and values of all students: both
female and male students; students of all ethnic groups; students with
different abilities and disabilities.”
‘Principles’, The New Zealand
Curriculum Framework, p6-7
“The
curriculum will challenge all students to succeed to the best of their ability.
Individual students will develop the essential skills to different degrees and
at difference rates.’
‘Essential Skills’, The New Zealand
Curriculum Framework, p17
“All
children have a right to an education that acknowledges and respects their
individuality and that offers them maximum opportunities to develop their
strengths and abilities. Gifted and talented children will flourish in a
society that acknowledges and respects individual differences and recognises
and celebrates the abilities of its most able.”
Working Party on Gifted Education:
Report to the Minister of Education, p16
“Gifted
and talented learners are those with exceptional abilities relative to most
other people. These individuals have certain learning characteristics that give
them the potential to achieve outstanding performance.”
Initiatives for Gifted and Talented
Learners, p2
“Giftedness
and talent can mean different things to different communities and cultures in
New Zealand, and there is a range of appropriate approaches towards meeting the
needs of all such students. Schools need to develop multicategorical approaches
to giftedness that are flexible enough to include the many characteristics that
are typical of gifted and talented learners.”
Initiatives for Gifted and Talented
Learners,p2
“As definitions of giftedness have
broadened, so too has the diversity of characteristics included in each
concept. Each gifted and talented student is unique, with his or her own set of
behaviours and characteristics. It is important for schools to note behaviours
and characteristics that are valued by different cultural groups. It is also
imperative that schools develop a set of characteristics that reflects their
individual definition of, and approach to, giftedness and talent.”
Characteristics, Gifted and Talented
Students: Meeting their Needs in NZ Schools, p25
“Students
who exhibit characteristics of giftedness or talent have learning needs that
are significantly different from those of other children. They require
different learning opportunities and may need emotional and social support to
realise their potential.”
Initiatives for Gifted and Talented
Learners, p2
“The
purpose of defining and identifying giftedness is to uncover individual
abilities, qualities, and interests, and the objective of differentiation is to
further develop them. Gifted education, in its simplest form, is about enabling
gifted and talented students to discover and follow their passions. It’s about
opening doors, removing ceilings, and raising expectations by providing an
educational experience that strives towards excellence.”
Differentiation, Gifted and Talented
Students: Meeting their Needs in NZ Schools, p35
“One
of the great joys and privileges of being a teacher is sharing in the
development of a young person’s exceptional ability. It is equally gratifying
to then observe that special ability being realised in adult achievement. Many
eminent adults, when asked to identify the critical factors contributing to
their outstanding accomplishments, point to support that teachers provided.”
Introduction, Gifted and Talented
Students: Meeting their Needs in NZ Schools, p6
