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 

•  time to be together with their intellectual peers           

• opportunity to dig into complex, interdisciplinary studies

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

  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 shall include satisfactory performance in both regular education classes and gifted classes.

At the end of each nine weeks students must score 2.5 or above in all content areas (Reading, Writing/English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) with the exception of one content area. A student may score no lower than 2.0 in one of the five content areas. Students not meeting the criteria will be placed on academic probation for the following nine-week period.  A student will be suspended from the program for the remainder of the year if he/she has any two nine week grading periods where the criteria are not met.

 At the end of the fourth nine weeks, students must score 2.5 or above in all content areas with the exception of one content area, which must be 2.0 or higher. Students not meeting the criteria will be placed on academic suspension for the following school year. Students may return to the program at the beginning of the second semester of the following year if the same criteria are met for that grade.

Students not meeting or exceeding on Reading and Math sections on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) should be placed on academic suspension for the next school year. Students may return to the program at the beginning of the following year if the same criteria are met for that grade.

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. The parent/guardian of the student shall be invited to the review meeting.

 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 met the criteria for remaining in the program as reported via a standards-based report card.

The parent/guardian of the student shall be 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 should be notified in writing.