Explore Grades

Giftedness and Academics

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What does it mean to be gifted?

It means your child has an intensity that is never satisfied with easy answers. It means that even at a young age, they show glimmers of powerful thinking that make people pause.

Within the context of Roeper's unique mission and history, in particular its commitment to both social justice and support of gifted children holistically, gifted students at Roeper demonstrate exceptional ability and/or potential in the following six interrelated traits and behaviors and, as a consequence, benefit from specific programming and supports.

It is this multifaceted conception of identifying and educating gifted students that makes the Roeper approach truly advanced—and truly unique.

List of 6 items.

Capability

The ability to perform at a high standard. In the context of Roeper, that means performance on academic or scholastic tasks, but may also include performance in the arts or athletics or other fields.

Capability is connected but not restricted to cognitive ability. It also comprises curiosity and ability in the knowledge acquisition and metacognitive processes necessary to continually improve competence in these domains.
Collaboration

The ability to interact and work productively with others toward the achievement of shared goals, including the ability to act with fairness and consideration for others and to contribute to and observe developmentally appropriate shared norms of behavior.
Commitment

The ability to dedicate sustained attention to a specific task or undertaking. This includes both the ability to concentrate or remain focused in the moment and to plan long-term projects and to see them through to completion.
Communication

The ability to convey and process information and ideas effectively through oral, written, graphic, and/or other media. Communication includes expression in the fine and performing arts.
Connection

The capacity to feel and show empathy and understanding for the unique lived experience of others and value them intrinsically as individuals rather than as instruments, and to apply that empathy and understanding to work towards the good of the community.
Creativity

The ability to generate novel works, ideas, and solutions to problems, including when working under conditions of constrained resources.

Educating and inspiring gifted students to think as individuals and to engage as a community with compassion for each other and this world.

Roeper Core Tenets

Explore Our Academics

List of 3 items.

Lower School

Our Lower School curriculum and structure are responsive to the developmental stages in the lives of children in preschool through grade 5. Moving to the next stage means an increase of responsibility. Safe classroom environments add to students’ capacity to take creative risks, ask questions, and think critically. They are guided by two teachers who are the heart of every classroom resulting in an average of eleven to one student-teacher ratio.
Learn about our Lower School
Middle School

Our Middle School serves grades 6–8 and guides students through these challenging years with meaningful academic work, a personalized understanding of each student’s needs, and a steady increase in freedom and responsibility. Students’ curiosity and passion are fed with a wide range of electives, including art, music, theatre, sports, forensics, journalism, robotics, world languages, and Model UN.
Learn about our Middle School
Upper School

Our Upper School, serving grades 9–12, is an energetic community with honors classes and remarkable freedom to make choices and learn from results. Students benefit from access to extensive AP courses, college-level courses within the Malone School Online Network, athletic teams, an exceptional arts program, robotics, debate, independent study, college counseling, and senior projects.
Learn about our Upper School