Excel Program

EXCEL is the South Windsor Public Schools District program for gifted and talented students in grades 6-8, with additional after school activities provided for gifted and talented students in grades 4-5. The EXCEL Program is designed to provide additional academic challenge and rigor for identified students and facilitate enrichment programming that allows a wider range of students academic activities beyond the regular classroom and school day.

EXCEL meets the needs of identified gifted and talented students through the application of a variety of programs, contests, competitions and other academic showcases. Student needs would be met through differentiation of instruction. Differentiation of instruction includes:

• Using appropriate diagnostic tools in identifying student needs to determine meaningful differences among students.
• Compacting instruction to accelerate learning by providing open-ended activities and assignments with options, alternatives, and choices for students.
• Using a variety of flexible, small-group instructional strategies.

The Renzulli Three Ring Conception of Giftedness serves as the framework of support for differentiation of instruction. While there is no one definitive definition of Academic Giftedness, the Three Ring Conception is the most widely recognized definition of giftedness worldwide. The Three Ring Conception identifies three key factors including: Above Average Ability, Task Commitment and Creativity. The convergence of those three factors is the foundation for giftedness.

Currently, one EXCEL teacher at Timothy Edwards Middle School coordinates and provides instruction to teaching staff and for various programs for students in grades four through eight.

The South Windsor Public Schools (SWPS) follows the formal guidelines set forth by the Connecticut Department of Education for the identification of gifted/talented students. Initial gifted/talented identification will be based on data gathered from grade three. Subsequent identification will reoccur in grades four, five, six and seven. Historically, the South Windsor Public Schools has used various practices to identify the top level of academically advanced students. Below are the steps utilized for the 2026-2027 school year:

• Step 1. Beginning in the spring/summer of each school year, students by grade level are screened using data points from assessments administered multiple times during an individual school year [currently this data would be derived from the iReady Assessments]. The EXCEL coordinator reviews this comprehensive set of data and develops a threshold level for individual scores, in aggregate and in averages of scores  [typically seeking results in 97th-99th percentile range] for students in grades three through seven, with a significant emphasis on the Reading assessment results.
• Step 2. In the late summer/early fall of the following school year,, the EXCEL coordinator tentatively identifies a cohort of students at each grade level [students who are now rising 4th -8th graders] and requests that a Gifted Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting is scheduled for each tentatively identified student. 
• Step 3. Once a PPT meeting is scheduled, the Parents/Guardians of students tentatively identified as academically gifted will be notified of the date and time of the meeting. NOTE: Following Connecticut State Department of Education guidelines, parents/guardians do not need to attend this meeting. 
• Step 4. Members of the PPT team will include: a building administrator, School Social Worker or Counselor, Classroom Teacher or Team Teacher Representative [at the middle school] and the EXCEL Coordinator. Input from all team members will result in a formal determination.
• Step 5. When a student is formally identified, the EXCEL Coordinator will contact the student’s family and invite the student to participate in the EXCEL Program. At that point, the family can accept the invitation and their child will join the EXCEL program and receiver services as previously explained in this narrative.

If a student is not identified as academically gifted at this time, he or she will be considered for program placement in the following year through grade 8. 

NOTE: Students new to the district who have not taken the above exams will be evaluated on a case by case basis.