The enrichment of the students' self esteem and self-awareness is an important goal of the Shawnee Mission's Gifted Education Program. Parents receive a Progress Report each quarter. No grades are given to students in the EL program. We want them to be in an environment where risk-taking and creativity are encouraged and learning is an instrinsic goal. At Highlands EL Center Program, students can expect their day to be organized into several parts.
Students write a contract each quarter with teacher assistance to determine specific areas of work.
The contract includes a timeline and resources necessary to complete the job, and the final product. Students self-evaluate their contract work at the end of each quarter. These are teacher led activities based on process skills or academic content. Some examples of past curriculum include Mock Trial, a study of the Holocaust, Investigating Structures, Designing Playgrounds, Hands-On Science, Claymation and Video Animation. Meeting and working with students of similar abilities and interests is an important part of the EL program.