MLC School is committed to preparing all students to not only cope but also thrive and lead in these exciting times of unprecedented change. Progressive societies of the future will require intellectual capital and innovation from its citizens. Our task is to instil this value in our brightest students, as well as guide them towards emotional, spiritual and intellectual fulfilment.

Transforming Learning for our gifted students requires qualitatively different learning experiences, tailored to individual gifts and talents. It also requires a coherent approach from Pre-Kinder to Year12. With this in mind, the Heads of School have made Gifted Education a key PK-12 priority and are working professionally with external consultants and experts within the school. The management of the Gifted Education Policy and its implementation is the responsibility of the Heads of School, the Directors of Studies and Gifted Education Coordinators in each school.

Our understanding of the nature of giftedness is based on Francoys Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. Key features of it include the recognition that people can possess a diverse range of gifts and that they need a supportive, nurturing environment to turn those gifts into talents.

In Senior School we provide different paths of study that include subject or whole grade acceleration, individual and small group independent research or investigations, flexible timetabling to allow students to balance elite music or sport programs with their academic studies and an emphasis on differentiation in all programming. In Year 10 in Term 4, 2008 an exciting initiative will be 21st Century Enlightenment Scholars Program, with a focus on girls and global perspectives. This program will provide a unique opportunity for students to select a suite of courses that will challenge their thinking and spark their imaginations.

Middle School has in place a number of structures to support gifted girls. The Stage 4 Curriculum (Years 7-8) is compacted into seven terms to enable learning beyond the classroom in City Experience and Service Learning. Individual programs of subject acceleration or negotiated curriculum provide opportunities for gifted girls to develop deeper understanding in an area of passion. Independent study projects develop research and investigative skills in an area of negotiated choice.

In the Junior School, provision for gifted students remains a high priority in our staff learning goals for this year. In 2008 we will aim to focus on providing unique opportunities for gifted writers and on developing specific pathways in Mathematics for gifted mathematicians in Year 5 and beyond. In addition, we are keen to build stronger links between the Gifted Education Co-ordinator and parents of gifted students. We are excited by the possibilities for gifted education at MLC and look forward to working alongside parents to ensure all our gifted students thrive.

How will MLC know if my daughter is gifted?

From as early as the first weeks of Pre-Kinder teachers will be recording student conversations and curiosities, as well as their achievement of learning outcomes, both formally and informally, to build a ‘learner profile’. Learner profiles are used at all levels, together with parent referral/nomination and interview, anecdotal evidence such as milestone achievement, formalised testing, perhaps by an educational psychologist, school based assessment, and statewide testing. The information is used diagnostically to help us identify in students, areas of natural, spontaneous aptitude, (gifts), and superior mastery of skills and knowledge (talents) throughout a girls’ school life.

Will her teachers understand giftedness?

At MLC School nearly 20 teachers are specially trained in Gifted Education by the UNSW and act as a resource for other teachers in the school. Australian and international research confirms that teachers who are trained in gifted education have more positive attitudes towards gifted students, feel more confident in their ability to recognise and respond to these students, and develop skills which assist them to differentiate the curriculum and develop special programs.

How will MLC develop my daughter's giftedness?

MLC School caters for the specific learning needs and development of gifted students in a variety of ways. These
include specific subject(s) acceleration, and may include whole grade/year acceleration; enrichment challenges and mentoring also offer a chance for gifted girls to pursue passions and interests. Gifted girls are placed in cluster groups within their classes based on their abilities and interests in key academic domains. These domains form the foundation blocks for much of their academic progress. These domains generally include English, Mathematics, Science and Technology but are not limited to these. Very talented language students or creative students may be clustered together for some classes.

MLC offers gifted learners:

• appropriately paced curriculum allowing for greater depth in the exploration of issues, themes and ideas across the curriculum areas
• flexible learning environments, responsive to the needs of different individuals
• challenging units of work that require maximum effort and engagement, and that recognise the qualitatively different learning styles of gifted students
• long-term individual projects, enabling girls to pursue the study of areas of special interest and to develop their capacity for sustained effort individual education programs to meet specific needs.

MLC School is an International Baccalaureate World School and offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma as an alternative qualification to the NSW Higher School Certificate. The program is a rigorous and challenging two year course over Years 11 and 12 and is enjoyed by students interested in a curriculum with a global perspective. The qualification provides access to higher education worldwide.

Is MLC School a Selective School?

MLC School is a comprehensive school for girls from Pre-Kinder to Year 12. It is not a selective school. It is not a narrowly academic school. There are a significant number of girls at MLC School who demonstrate considerable academic potential. They are given opportunities to extend themselves in an environment of academic excellence and support. These girls are at MLC School because their parents know the school values excellence, offers a breadth of outstanding programs and a wide range of opportunities beyond academic classes. The staff at MLC School are highly qualified and experienced education professionals. Despite not being a selective high school the recent Year 12 graduates achieved an outstanding median UAI of 90.2, with 30.5% achieving a UAI over 95.

Will my daughter be in a competitive or supportive environment?

Research tells us that success and achievement increase self-esteem but we also know that another effect is the ‘social comparison’ effect that reduces self-esteem and outweighs the other. (Martin, A. (2003). How to Motivate Your Child
for School and Beyond. Sydney. Bantam.) We believe it is very important to create an environment where our girls have a ‘personal best’ focus rather than a competitive one, where students continue to measure their progress and achievements against a previous benchmark rather than through social comparison with their peers or by rankings. We encourage the girls to develop confi dence in their ability along with an acceptance and enjoyment of their own and other’s competency and extraordinary accomplishments.

MLC School was involved in research with The University of Sydney to determine the benefits, if any, for students attending coaching colleges. The evidence was clear that for students who are gifted there is no measurable benefit and that much of their time was wasted. These students also reported high levels of boredom and dislike associated with the repetitive work provided by these sessions. Drilling and exercises do not suit the learning style of most gifted students.

What additional opportunities does MLC offer my gifted daughter?

MLC School believes that gifted students have considerable capacity to take on extra curricula activities and recommends participation in the myriad of enrichment opportunities the school offers such as: a wide variety of music ensembles; drama performance, direction, crewing, script writing and the Associate Trinity College London (ATCL) in Performance and Teaching; a wide range and breadth of sporting opportunities including fencing, skiing, and rowing; service learning and community involvement; learning leadership programs.

In Years 10 and 11 many of the girls take the opportunity to add a global dimension to their learning by participating in an international exchange to countries such as South Africa, Canada, USA and India, to name a few. As a Round Square Member School MLC students meet with other students from around the world at international conferences and develop their understanding of democracy, leadership, adventure and service in a global community.

What model does MLC School use to understand giftedness and talent?

For many years MLC School has enjoyed a professional and research based relationship with GERRIC, the Gifted
Education Research Resource and Information Centre at the University of NSW. In understanding the nature of giftedness, MLC aligns with GERRIC in adopting Francoys Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent.
The model proposes a clear distinction between giftedness and talent.

Giftedness designates the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities (called aptitudes or gifts), in at least one ability domain, to a degree that places a child at least among the top 15% of his or her age peers. By contrast, the term talent designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities (or skills) and knowledge in at least one field of human activity to a degree that places a child’s achievement within at least the upper 15% of age-peers who are active in that field or fields.

The model recognises that people can possess a diverse range of gifts and that they need a supportive, nurturing environment to turn those gifts into talents.