St. Peter’s Interests Revolve Around Learning

(SPIRAL)

St. Peter’s Interests Revolve Around Learning (SPIRAL) is an enrichment program designed to challenge the potential of academically gifted and talented students in grades 4-8.  SPIRAL’s main objective is to offer gifted students the opportunity to explore their potential, develop critical and lateral thinking skills, and learn how to work cooperatively with other gifted students.   Research has proven these children typically seek opportunities to challenge their potential and crave the chance to work with other gifted and talented students on projects that involve critical and lateral thinking skills.   SPIRAL offers these students a chance to develop these skills and teaches them how to maximize their academic and intellectual potential.

SPIRAL classes meet once per week for 45 minutes during the school day.  Students are taken out of regular classes to participate in the program, and are responsible for making up any class work missed during that time.   The criteria for participation in the program are strict, and require students to meet three out of the following four criteria:

Ø      CogAT scores of 120 or more in the areas of verbal, nonverbal, quantitative, or composite totals

Ø      ITBS scores of 90% or above in the area of reading, language, and/or math

Ø      Above average report card grades

Ø      Teacher recommendation/Principal Approval

Students are first evaluated and identified at the end of third grade.  Once invited to participate, students are allowed to remain in the program as long as they are productively engaged in the curriculum and are able to maintain acceptable classroom performance.   At the beginning of fifth grade, additional students may be invited to join the program based on their fourth grade CogAT scores.  Participation is completely voluntary, but students need to be committed to the program, and be willing to accept challenges as well as some extra academic work. 

In 2005, SPIRAL students participated in the Cognetics program offered through the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) in Sewell, New Jersey.  As stated on their web page,

“EIRC is a public agency specializing in education-related programs and services for parents, schools, communities, nonprofit organizations and privately held businesses throughout New Jersey... (with) programs (that) reach into more than 36 states and eight foreign countries.”

Cognetics, defined as a “sport of the mind,” is a program that challenges students to work in groups to successfully and creatively problem-solve their way to reaching a common, specified goal.   The pupils begin working in groups in November, and come together with other public and private schooled students throughout the state at an exposition in May.   EIRC explains the program this way:

 “Cognetics teaches K-12 students the process of creative problem solving through fact gathering, problem analysis, idea generation, and solution selection.  Cognetics is an achievement-based rather than a competition-based program.”

All participants are eligible to earn a “Toward Satori” award, which then offers them the chance to independently pursue a “Gold Satori” award.  The word “Satori” comes from the Japanese culture, and signifies a period of enlightenment that follows intense study and research.  During the first year and beyond, groups earn points toward achieving different levels of “Toward Satori” awards, which are red, blue, bronze, and silver.  Once they have reached the bronze or silver level, those students are eligible to independently pursue the requirements necessary to earn the coveted “Gold Satori” award.  These awards are highly respected by high school and college entrance personnel who recognize the commitment and effort necessary to achieve this level of performance.    

SPIRAL students will continue to participate in this program during the current school year.   There is a nominal fee to register, which covers the cost of program materials, supplies, and transportation to the exposition in May.   This fee is approximately $35.00/year.  Detailed information is given to students in September.

For more information, or for answers to questions you may have about the program’s criteria, please email Debbie Shumaker at d.shumaker4@verizon.net.