Fair Lawn Public Schools

The Fair Lawn Board of Education’s Gifted and Talented Program is directly aligned to the district’s third goal of its 5-year Strategic Plan—“Personalized Learning & Academic Excellence for All”. As such, the district is committed to providing its students with an educational program that will enable them to achieve in accordance with their capabilities. Opportunities for students to enhance their potential are provided through a tiered system of differentiated experiences, both in instructional depth and scope, which includes whole class, pull-out, self-select, curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs. Within these programs, students are challenged to engage in inquiry, take intellectual risks, expand their problem-solving skills, and exercise critical thinking.

Fair Lawn’s gifted program is guided by the National Association of Gifted Children’s (NAGC) definition of giftedness: “Students with gifts and talents perform - or have the capability to perform.

- at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains.” This is consistent with the New Jersey Department of Education’s definition put forth in New Jersey Administrative Code 6A:8-3.1(a)(5): Gifted and talented “means a student who possesses or demonstrates a high level of ability in one or more content areas when compared to his chronological peers in the school district and who requires modifications of his educational program if he is to achieve in accordance with his capabilities.”

Using a tiered approach in elementary schools, a combined framework of tiered services and accelerated courses in the middle schools, and a diverse offering of honors, advanced placement, and dual enrollment opportunities at the high school level, Fair Lawn students are able to stimulate their academic growth in their areas of strength. The goal of our gifted and talented program is not to label a student, but rather to recognize and respond to their ever-changing educational needs.

The Fair Lawn REACH Program’s identification procedures are designed as a means to recognize and respond to the gifted behaviors that students demonstrate. It is an ongoing process that provides the opportunity to meet the changing needs of students from year to year.

The Fair Lawn School District recognizes that children continue to grow and develop throughout their education. Thus, eligibility and services in one school year is neither a prerequisite nor a guarantee for eligibility of services in subsequent school years. In an effort to meet a student’s ever-changing and unique educational needs, students are re-evaluated annually to identify the need for REACH services

Current identification criteria can be found HERE

REACH is an acronym for:

Reach and

Explore

Academic and

Creative Heights