Killian Elementary gives Smart Start
Contributed by Killian Elementary School

Keighley Skelton uses the Smart Start program with her first graders.

Smart Start is an innovative Richland District 2 nurturing program for grades K- 2 that will pilot at four schools including Killian Elementary. This program was initiated through a concern of gifted and talented specialists, teachers, and administrators who noticed the limited number of identified gifted and talented students at these schools.

At Killian Elementary, there are currently five teachers who are trained and implementing this program. Future plans are to train all K- 2 teachers at Killian to use Smart Start in their classrooms. With this program the teachers want to help our students develop the higher level thinking skills they need to be successful in the third grade and beyond.

According to first grade teacher, Keighley Skelton, "Students have shown a dramatic increase in vocabulary awareness, improved observation and description skills, as well as students' conceptualization of mathematics."

As we navigate the 21st century, it is important that students are prepared to meet the challenges and problems yet unknown they will need to solve. Smart Start provides students with the skills necessary to be problem solvers, in conjunction with teaching the intelligent behaviors that make people successful.