1. LINDA K. TAYLOR Donnajo Smith
      2. (850) 245-0478 Donnajo.Smith@fldoe.org
      3. K12: 2005-57
    1. M E M O R A N D U M
    2. Service Delivery Models for Students who are Gifted

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
JULIA L. JOHNSON
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
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Contact Information:
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Donnajo Smith
(850) 245-0478
Donnajo.Smith@fldoe.org
K12: 2005-57
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
Directors, Exceptional Student Education
Coordinators, District Gifted Programs
Directors, Student Services
FROM:
Bambi J. Lockman
DATE:
May 20, 2005
SUBJECT: Clarification of Service Delivery Models for Students who are Gifted
To coordinate efforts to improve higher student learning and assure quality of education options, we
are pleased to provide you with clarification of the service delivery models from the Course Code
Directory as related to gifted programs.
We hope this document will assist your school district in clarifying this information for parents,
school staff, and other community members. If you have any further questions, please contact
Donnajo Smith at (850) 245-0478 or via electronic mail at donnajo.smith@fldoe.org.
BJL/dsm
Attachment
cc:
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Managers, FDLRS Associate Centers
Renee Speisman, Institute for Small and Rural Districts
BAMBI J. LOCKMAN
Chief
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 614 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0475 • www.fldoe.org

Service Delivery Models for Students who are Gifted
Gifted education is one of the five endorsement areas provided in exceptional student education. The gifted
education endorsement supports the academic coverage required for the subject and content of the course
taught. The courses listed under Exceptional Student Education - Gifted are designed to meet the needs of
students identified as gifted. The content of these courses is different from basic education courses in the
same areas.
Programs for students who are gifted encompass instructional and related services that provide significant
adaptations in curriculum, methodology, materials, equipment, or the learning environment (Rule 6A-6.0311,
Florida Administrative Code (FAC)). The required teacher certification for serving gifted students is
dependent upon the composition of the class when: (1) all students in the class are identified as being gifted
and (2) gifted students are receiving gifted services through co-teaching, support facilitation, content mastery
or learning lab (“limited pull-out”), and consultation models.
For Basic Education Courses: Certification requirements for teaching basic education courses for students
identified as gifted are contained in the following paragraphs defining service delivery models currently used
in Florida.
Co-teaching
- A classroom in which two teachers, a teacher of the gifted and a general education
teacher, share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for all students in a class,
some of whom are gifted and some of whom are not. In order to be considered co-teaching, this delivery
system is provided whenever a class is taught by two teachers and must continue for the entire class
period.
The requirement is gifted endorsement for the teacher of the gifted.
Support facilitation
- The gifted teacher provides support for the gifted students’ achievement in the
general classroom. Support facilitators may work and move among two or more basic education
classrooms working with the general education teachers and students identified as gifted as needed.
Frequency and intensity of support varies based upon students’ and/or general educators’ need for
assistance
. The requirement is gifted endorsement for the teacher of the gifted.
Content mastery or learning lab (“limited pull-out”)
- Direct content instruction is primarily provided
by the general education teacher in a general education classroom. Individual support for students
identified as gifted is provided by the teacher of the gifted in a content mastery or learning lab center
when additional support is needed for a specific and defined time-limited task (students would not be
scheduled on a regular basis, only as needed).
The requirement is certification for the academic
subject and content of the course and the gifted endorsement for the teacher of the gifted.
Consultation
- General education teachers and teachers of the gifted meet regularly to plan, implement,
and monitor instructional alternatives designed to ensure that the gifted student achieves successful
accomplishment of gifted goals in the general education classroom. All teachers providing support to
students via consultation are required to maintain a record of the teachers, courses, and gifted students to
whom they are providing services and a log of service provided. It is expected that consultation occurs at
least once monthly, or more frequently if needed.
The requirement is gifted endorsement for the
teacher providing the consultation. Best practice includes certification for the level of the students.
Resource room or self-contained
- Teachers of the gifted would provide total instruction and focused
services in these models in which all of the students being served are students who are gifted. The setting
for this service delivery model is other than the general education classroom for a period(s) of the school
day.
The requirement is certification for the academic coverage for subject and content of the
course and the gifted endorsement for the teacher of the gifted.
Issues related to using an inclusion model to provide service for gifted students may be answered by review of
the co-teaching, support facilitation, or consultation guidelines or by referring to ERIC Digest E607, “Cluster
Grouping of Gifted Students: How to Provide Full-Time Services on a Part-Time Budget” by Susan
Winebrenner and Barbara Devlin. This document is available at www.eric.ed.gov.

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