Struggling students can advance more rapidly and graduate prepared for college with additional instruction in literacy and mathematics, and curriculum specifically designed to identify, address and close their skill gaps.

Talent Development has developed courses that provide 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who need it with a double-dose in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics.  The ELA courses (Strategic Reading, Reading and Writing in Your Career, College Prep Reading and Writing) are offered in 90-minute blocks the first term of each year to prepare students for the standards-based English course they take during a 90-minute block during the second term.  The mathematics courses (Transition to Advanced Mathematics, Geometry Foundations, Algebra II Foundations) follow a similar pattern, preparing students for success in a college preparatory mathematics sequence.  Each research-based curriculum combines high interest materials with active learning to engage adolescents, close skill gaps, and build the confidence and higher order thinking necessary for success in high school and postsecondary pursuits.

Talent Development has developed Student Team Literature and Talent Development Writing to promote literacy of middle school students by teaching effective reading strategies, extending comprehension skills, and developing fluency in reading and writing. These research- and standards-based curricula pair TDMG Discussion Guides with high-quality, high-interest, culturally relevant trade books.  Discussion Guides are available for nearly 200 works (link to catalog here), including fiction and nonfiction, biographies, and collections of short stories or poems. Talent Development Writing integrates with Student Team Literature and includes modeling, conferring, teaching mini-lessons, and cooperative team learning.

For more information about the curriculum described, visit www.talentdevelopmentsecondary.com.