Operation Explore

Operation Explore (OE) serves elementary level students who are identified by state established criteria as gifted or talented. The Operation Explore Resource program focuses on enrichment in all content areas through an interdisciplinary approach. 

Program Goals

The Baldwin County School System strives to ensure the continued development of the potential of the gifted/talented students through the following goals:

• To provide a curriculum which extends and enriches learning,

• To provide an instructional program which encourages students to become independent learners, effective problem solvers, and creative thinkers.

Delivery Models

A combination of the Resource Classroom Model and the Collaborative Teaching Model is used in grades 1-5.  In the Resource Model students spend one day per week focusing on interdisciplinary enrichment activities built upon an academic content foundation. In the Resource classroom students are given:

• time to explore areas of interest in depth

• opportunity to dig into complex, interdisciplinary studies

• activities to help them develop research skills, creative thinking and creative productivity skills, and advanced communication skills 

• time to be together with their intellectual peers

  In the Collaborative Teaching Model, the gifted specialist works with the regular classroom teacher or content area teacher to develop challenging assignments which substitute for or extend the curriculum objectives already mastered by the identified gifted student.  The Collaborative Model is well suited to helping classroom teachers modify core curriculum for gifted and advanced learners. Research findings suggest a number of potential benefits from using the Collaborative Teaching Model to meet the needs of gifted learners:

• More diverse and more frequent curriculum differentiation for gifted students

• Potential positive spillover effects for the whole school

• Inclusion of students not typically identified as gifted in differentiated services

• Smaller teacher-student ratio for all

• Enhanced student academic performance for all students in the class where collaborative teaching is used

• Improved teacher competencies

Operation Explore teachers also encourage the development of talent in kindergarten and first grade classes by providing enrichment activities that increase higher level thinking and creativity development.

Continuation

Continued placement in Baldwin County’s Operation Explore gifted classes includes satisfactory performance in both regular education classes and gifted classes.  Satisfactory performance in academic education classes includes an overall average of 90 on the report card in reading, English, spelling, math, science, and social studies.  A student’s grades are monitored at the end of each nine-week grading period.

If an elementary grade student fails to meet the required overall average of 90, he/she is placed on academic probation for the following nine-week period. Parents are notified that the student has not met the the criteria set for continuation and is in danger of being suspended from the program.  A student is suspended from the program for the remainder of the year if he/she has two grading periods averaging below 90 in a school year.  If at the end of the year the overall yearly average is below 90, the student is suspended from the program for the following school year. Students entering the middle school ACE (Advanced Content/Enrichment) Program must have a year-end average of 90 or above in a subject to participate in ACE classes in that subject area.  The student shall have a final review by the school eligibility team made up of a gifted teacher, a regular education teacher, and an administrator or designee before cessation of services occurs.   

If, for any reason, the student withdraws from active participation in the program, he/she may not re-enter the program during the school year.  To re-enter the program, the student must have an overall academic average of 90 from the previous year.

The parent/guardian of the student is notified in writing if the student is on probation or suspended from the program.  Should the parent/guardian choose to withdraw the student from the program, the teacher of the gifted program is notified in writing.