Gifted and Advanced Placement
In keeping with the Georgia State Board of Education's recognition of the need to provide gifted education services to students who have potential for exceptional academic achievement, Baldwin High School provides differentiated curriculum and programs for gifted and talented students.
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 Model
Baldwin High School students who are identified gifted are served in the Advanced Content Class Model. Gifted students attend one or more core subject classes not exceeding a 1:21 teacher/students ratio. The curriculum is accelerated and emphasizes process skills, problem-solving activities, research projects and other higher order thinking skills. Students are assigned to Advanced level courses as well as Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Students may earn college credit upon the completion of AP classes in English, history, and science provided they pass the AP Exam at the end of the course.
Other programs available to gifted high school students include the Governor's Honors Program and joint enrollment with Georgia College & State University. The Governor's Honors Program is a six-week summer instructional program that provides intellectually gifted and artistically talented students with challenging and enriching educational opportunities not usually available during the school year. Faculty nominations enable students to participate in this program. Joint enrollment opportunities with Georgia College & State University allow students to receive high school and college credit for courses.
Continuation
Continued placement in the Baldwin High School Gifted Program classes includes satisfactory performance in both regular education classes and gifted classes. Satisfactory performance in academic education classes includes a 3.0 or above grade point average on the report card in language arts, math, science, social studies, and foreign language (if applicable). To determine GPA, the following point system is used: A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, F = 0 points. A student’s grades are monitored at the end of each nine-week grading period.
A high school student who fails to meet the required GPA of 3.0 or above is placed on academic probation for the following semester while Baldwin High School operates under a block schedule program. If, at the end of the probation period, the student has achieved the required GPA of 3.0 or above, he/she continues in the program. The student has a final review by the school eligibility team before cessation of services occurs. The eligibility team consists of the teachers serving the student in gifted level classes, the school’s gifted coordinator, and the assistant principal for curriculum.
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 3.0 from the previous year. The parent/guardian of the student is notified in writing if the student is withdrawn from the program. Should the parent/guardian choose to withdraw the student from the program, the teacher of the gifted program must be notified in writing.