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GEP identification: Students across Singapore sit for a 3-round entry test in order to enter the GEP programme. Any student can take the test but only a select few will move through the rounds before being selected.

GEP curriculum: Students attend one of the nine GE centres and go through an enriched curriculum. Class sizes are typically much smaller than a mainstream class. Curriculum focuses on widening students’ knowledge, not necessarily directly related to PSLE.

GEP students: Generally considered to be twice exceptional. Require stretching that the mainstream curriculum may not be able to provide. May not be gifted in all areas, i.e. might be stronger in Math than English.

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What I know about GEP: The curriculum is catered for a select group of students (1%?) who display exceptional talent in various subject domains. Entry into the GEP is determined through a standardised test. The curriculum offers them a bespoke experience catered to their learning needs. This includes learning beyond the syllabus intended for the mainstream population, expanded curriculum, and pedagogical methods suited for the learner.

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How are officers expected to contribute (differently) with the recent announcements made by PM Lawrence Wong in the NDR? Will the label 'Gifted Education' still remain relevant in the years to come? Is there any mechanism to track where GE students end up in their adult life?

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1. Talent and giftedness are not synonymous; gifts may not necessarily be translated into talents. Someone who is 'talented' would have been the beneficiary of considerable investment (appropriate activities, training, right environment). 2. There are different types of giftedness (as seen from Sternberg's Triachic view of giftedness and Gardner's multiple forms of intelligence). Standardised tests to determine if a person is gifted or not will have their inherent weaknesses.

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Questions related to GEP:

How does the GEP aptitude test evaluate the students? What do the aptitude tests select for?

How does the GE CCE/AE programme differ from the mainstream CCE programme?

Questions related to course content:

What are some considerations that I need to make when planning lessons for high-ability/gifted learners?

Are the terms "high-ability" and "gifted" interchangeable? If not, then what are the differences between the terms?

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GEP identification: Via rounds of selection conducted when students are in Primary 3. Selected students are invited to join 1 of 9 schools running the GE programme.

GEP students: students with high readiness, inquisitive learners who are oftentimes passionate about particular topics. Higher incidence of SEN.

GEP curriculum: similar topics but with expanded breadth and depth of information to stretch students' learning

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This program is designed for the top 1% of primary school students who demonstrate high aptitude in subjects such as English, Mathematics, and other areas. Students selected for this program will participate in specially curated lessons, workshops, and initiatives planned by the GEB branch. Through collaborations with various institutions, GEP students are engaged and challenged across multiple domains. Additionally, students will face a series of assessments at key milestones throughout the program.

GEP students are unique, each displaying giftedness in different areas. They may not always be fully engaged in the classroom, as they often seek greater intellectual stimulation. A specialized program tailored to their needs would provide the optimal environment to foster and nurture their talents, serving as a catalyst for their development.

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The complexity of the conceptions of giftedness. Intelligence, creativity and wisdom are important factors in gifted future leaders who can benefit beyond self, impacting a larger community. Gifted children needed a conducive and supportive environment (in school, peers and home), intrapersonal qualities and long development process to be nurtured to become talents. Differentiated curriculum allows to cater to the learning needs of gifted learners.

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What I know:

GEP Identification - done at P3 to sieve out the top 1% of students based on their intellectual capabilities and understanding of Math and English.

GEP students - these students are keen learners who are ready to be challenged. These students have a tendency to be twice-exceptional (eg gifted + have SEN). These students may have additional affective education needs that teachers need to be aware of and provide guidance to students about.

GEP curriculum - catered to students who are capable of higher order thinking; curriculum is intellectually rigorous so as to stretch students and increase their engagement in learning; it is pegged to what their peers are learning in the mainstream curriculum

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Giftedness is not a one-dimensional quality. A person can be gifted in various areas, and not in some others. -> In GEP, we tend to focus on intellectual giftedness. A child with other forms of giftedness can be given a chance to flourish in other programmes that focus on other forms of giftedness.

It is important to understand the learning preferences of our students as they may have different forms of giftedness (eg. strong in Math, Science, languages, etc) - students may also have different preferences in expressing themselves (eg. verbal (writing or spoken), visual (drawing), kinaesthetic (acting))

It is important to teach our students not just to answer the questions right, but to ask the right questions. -> Also to get the students to be comfortable with risk and being okay with being wrong or with having their ideas criticised

Our teaching needs to consider the affective education needs of the children -> They tend to prefer working individually, so we will need to guide them in collaboration skills (SEL).

According to Gagne, it is important to develop the intrapersonal catalysts in our students: willpower (Perseverance), Curiosity, Learning (Passion), Ambition, as these are part of the development process for their gifts to become talents. (Refer to picture attached)

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How the standardised tests for selection assess all/most of the natural abilities of gifted students?   With the recent change in the mode of the GEP will be like (announced in the Rally), how would the types of programmes, mode of engagement, frequency be different (from current)?

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How do the students end up being selected at the end of their tests? Overall aptitude for the different components of the test?

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1. How do the learning tasks in the Gifted Education Programme differ from those in the E2K programmes?

2. For students with exceptional talent in only one subject domain, how is their engagement maintained when they are exposed to more challenging content in other subjects?

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The multiple models of giftedness as well as how gifted individuals can be identified. Most models highlight the importance of curricular provisions to support the learning of such individuals to develop their nascent abilities into expertise. My understanding of ability versus achievement, crystallized ability versus fluid ability was also revised after the course.

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Measuring Intelligence

There are different ways to measure giftedness besides IQ (and we have gone for the intelligence/IQ route for the selection test as well as having appropriate identification practices) such as Gardners' Theory of Multiple Intelligence.

Development of Learner

Having high aptitude or intrapersonal catalysts for a certain subject is just one key to being an expert in a given field, another is the development which is where we come in as teachers. Quality of teaching plays a pivotal role in developing a person's aptitude. As gifted learners tend to have unique learning needs that the mainstream curriculum cannot provide, they require provisions to mentally stimulate them.

Characteristic of Learner

I also learnt that there are quite a number of characteristics that gifted learners have that can be split into intellectual vs personal. For example, an intellectual characteristic would be rapid learning rate and a personal characteristic would be need for mental stimulation.

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Students will take a GEP screening exercise to see if they are intellectually gifted in EL, MA and General Knowledge.

These students are the top 1%.

They will undergo an enriched curriculum to ensure that they are stretched and supported to develop their talents and hunger for learning.

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Is there a reason why students who excel in certain areas, such as GEP EL, cannot focus on those subjects and avoid others, like MA if they are not as good at it, in the GEP curriculum? Why must they take all the subjects within the GEP program once enrolled?

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Gifted learners have unique cognitive and affective characteristics and that appropriate adjustments must be made to the curriculum and instructions.

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The Gifted Education Branch conducts selection at the Primary 3 level, with all students participating in an initial screening. Shortlisted students then proceed to subsequent rounds of assessment. The programme aims to identify learners who demonstrate exceptional aptitude in specific subject domains such as Mathematics, Science, or English. These students may find the regular school syllabus insufficiently challenging and could become disengaged in mainstream classroom settings. The initiative seeks to provide opportunities for these learners to be further stretched and nurtured in the areas of their talent.

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There are many different models that explain the concept of giftedness. In our education system, we select not based on IQ

scores but on their performance in the national GEP Identification Exercises. This exercise is still primarily a test of their intellectual abilities.

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I find the WICS model particularly interesting. The article makes a claim that without the synthesis of wisdom, intelligence and creativity, one can never be great. In this model, I find it heartening that wisdom is included as a vital part of being gifted as this includes values and quoting the article " not just about maximizing one’s own or someone else’s self-interest,

but about balancing off various self-interests (intrapersonal) with the interests of

others (interpersonal) and of other aspects of the context in which one lives". There should be an emphasise on doing good and bringing positive change in gifted education.

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How do we track students who have gone through the gifted program? Is there data to support that we have indeed stretched them to reach their potential e.g. how are they doing after schooling / in their jobs / contribution to society etc.? How do we even measure potential?

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The GEP in Singapore is designed to nurture the top 1-2% of intellectually gifted students, starting from Primary 4 to Primary 6. Students are selected through an identification process in Primary 3, involving screening and selection tests in English, Mathematics, and General Ability.

The GEP curriculum extends beyond the standard syllabus, focusing on higher-order thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. GEP students participate in enrichment activities such as competitions, research projects etc.

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Gifted students need nurturing and practice to turn their natural abilities into talents. Things like motivation, self-discipline, and perseverance are essential for their personal growth. At the same time, environmental factors, like having supportive mentors, access to resources, and good exposure opportunities, help them grow from the outside. This shows that talent isn’t just something you’re born with—it’s developed through both individual effort and the support you receive along the way.

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The GEP in Singapore identifies the intellectually gifted via written tests at the end of Primary 3. Upon selected after taking the test in EL, Math and GAT, pupils are offered a place in the programme. Upon discussion with parents, they start a new school in P4 at one of the 9 primary schools that offers GEP. For these pupils, it is a new school year in a new school and make new friends in an unfamiliar environment.

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I'd like to know the following

1. question types of each subject

2. format of the assessment

3. selection criteria

4. any guidelines to make decision on the change of school

5. any info for parents to know what GEP is

6. Does GEB track the development of the gifted pupils through the 6/10/12-year of education?

7. What happens to pupils who are offered but decided not to be in GEP?

8. Can we differentiate the ones who are genuinely gifted and who are equipped by tutors before the screening tests?

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1. giftedness in different domains

2. characteristics and behaviours of these children set them apart from others; they are uniquely created for a purpose.

3. they are like raw diamonds to be refined to shine.

4. thus the importance of identifying these ones to provide the recipes to grow and develop them to their fullest potential in the right direction.

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GEP Identification: Screening test done at end of P3 on Math and Eng. Selected students will be invited for round 2 of screening tests which includes General Ability Test, besides Eng and Math. Successful students may apply for admission into GE Pri school at P4.

GEP curriculum: Differentiated for Math, Eng, Sci and SS where students will be involved in project work (IRS/IvP). Students are stretched through deeper content knowledge and enhanced curriculum.

GEP students: Highly self-motivated with a strong drive to excel. They are curious learners and they are critical thinkers. They are confident communicators with a good sense of reasoning. GE students enjoy learning beyond textbooks and classrooms.

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1. What is the rationale for policy change?

2. How can the GE programme enhance the E21CC?

3. How can the GE programme better prepare our students to be future ready (bilingualism, digital world etc)?

4. How can classroom teachers develop students to reach or stretch their ZPD?

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1. Giftedness exists in every field and talent can be develop through lots of practice and time.

2. There is a difference between creative vs critical thinking which is the difference between generating possibilities and focusing possibilities.

3. GEP assessment should measure growth of learning using various modes of assessments where students have to exhibit application/transfer of learning in an authentic situation.

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Gifts/talents can occur in specific domains. With the early onset of these gifts, it might result in uneven development of the child across various domains so it is important that teachers and parents recognise this to support the child to grow holistically. The WICS framework also enlightened my perspective on giftedness. The idea of wisdom- working one.s gifts for the common good is an interesting one.

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In identification, students go through a test in Primary 3 and are shortlisted based on the test scores. Thereafter, students will go to one of the GE centres around Singapore to attend lessons primarily to stretch students. Students are stretched across all subjects. The content of the syllabus are tied with the MOE syllabus however, additional resources are provided to stretch students. The content are usually deployed to help discover their own talents and understand how far they could navigate in each of their subjects.

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To specifically find out how assessment has been able to help students to check on their academic growth. And if there are any platform in place to check to have a balance in their academic growth, vs socio-emotional growth as well as how the programme will impact other areas of school life such as CCA and student leadership. I want to find out as well how different stakeholders can play a part in supporting the growth of these students.

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There are many existing theories revolving around gifted education and MOE adopts the DMGT model. Various theories gives a different perspective in growing a gifted kid and it is interesting to learn about them. All and all, the principle of identifying a gifted kid is on the basis of engaging them in the day-to-day lessons and be aware that they are still young children and have various areas to grow and support.