Lubbock ISD Gifted and Talented

May 2026

Did you miss the referral window for G/T identification for a student? If you have additional students that did not get referred but should have been, submit a referral for G/T evaluation to begin when we come back in August!

bit.ly/GTreferLISD

Core content teachers in Lubbock ISD are a part of G/T services and are required to have professional learning to support advanced learners. Two types of G/T learning are available.

• 30 Hour Foundation - This series covers Nature and Needs, Identification, and Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted/Talented services. Completion of the foundation should be done prior to teaching/serving identified students or within one semester of their placement in your classroom for core instruction.
• 6 Hour G/T Update - At least 6 update hours must be obtained annually to remain in compliance. No update hours are required if you have not completed the foundation. Update hours are offered through Lubbock ISD Advanced Academics learning opportunities, select Lubbock ISD Teaching & Learning opportunities, and Region 17 ESC.

🔒 What is it?

As we approach the end of the year, all students are tired, and the advanced students have been through the ringer when it comes to trying to stay engaged. They have probably shown some resistance to task initiation or completion, lacked attention, or struggled with impulsivity.

Executive function skills are the brain processes needed to regulate thinking, feeling, and behavior. While the list of skills may vary based on who you're talking to, most include the following:

• Working Memory
• Task Initiation
• Task Completion
• Planning (organization of physical and cognitive space, and organization of time)
• Sustained Attention
• Inhibition/impulsivity
• Emotional Control
• Flexibility
• Self-Regulation

🔓 How does it support advanced learners?

While an advanced brain is really good at some things, it will miss learning other things. Executive function may be one of them. Many gifted students have trouble with showing emotion appropriately, or will do something impulsive, even if they know not to do it. There is also many examples of not being able to think through all of the action within a plan - consider asking a student to clean out their desk. Do they know that means put math papers in their math folder, science papers in their science folder, and writing utensils in their pencil bag/box? Probably, but overwhelm and task planning may inhibit them from isolating those steps to actually follow through with them.

🗝️Make it manageable:

1. Consider a skill that is prevalent for ALL students to learn or work on.
2. What would it look like for students to have mastered that skill for their age?
3. What steps help fill in the gaps?

For example, if many students are with working memory, you may see them struggle to follow all steps in a set of instructions. If all students have mastered the skill of working memory, they should be able to follow 3-ish steps.

• If you don't already, you can introduce choral repeating as you hold up fingers to count the number of steps. Students will say each step after you, then you can have them say them altogether.
• Sometimes working memory needs to be written down so the brain can delete and refill information. Having students jot a small summary down after chunks of information will also help clear space in their brain until what they are learning is moved into short-term and then long-term memory.

Why it is important to use:

All students are learning executive function skills, and some are doing really well, while others are struggling. The more divergent the brain, the more they may struggle, which can lead to unwanted behaviors and lower academic performance. We all can grow our executive function skills; some just need an intentional lesson.

New curriculum and TEKS means new resources for GT! When using High Quality Instructional Materials, or any materials, to plan and internalize your lessons, take a look at the provided differentiation for advanced or gifted learners. It is important to determine whether these "challenge" tasks are truly pushing students to deeper and more complex learning, or just adding more work. Additionally, tasks for advanced learners should allow them to skip other tasks.

Use the rubric below to evaluate whether your tasks are really making a difference. If they aren't, how can you use the differentiated activity as a starting point to make it something that will challenge advanced learners?

Based on the use of Bluebonnet Math and RLA, and Savvas Science curriculums, enrichment or extension activities are being created to align with each unit in all four core content areas. Grab what you need and make it your own!

If you have something else in mind, reach out to Sarah Gibson to request something else!

In July 2020, I joined the Advanced Academics team as the G/T Instructional Specialist for Lubbock ISD. I am so excited to work with our teachers and students, and make positive changes in the area of Gifted and Talented in our district!

Email: sarah.gibson@lubbockisd.org
Website: lubbockisd.org/o/lisd/page/gifted-and-talented-information
Phone: (806)219-0333