The Summer Institute and Teacher Demonstration School is a five day conference broken into three distinct strands or learning experiences. The common characteristics of each strand include:

• Observing master teachers of the gifted teach gifted students in classroom settings (except the High School Institute)

• Attending seminars that share information regarding differentiated curriculum and instruction of the California content standards with regard to language arts, science, and math

• Engaging in workshops that provide opportunities for educators to fill-in, redesign, and write curriculum that is classroom and content specific

• Attending problems/solutions talk sessions that address the daily academic and social issues related to the gifted such as assessment, identification, parent conferencing, homework, etc.

• Attending grade-level sharing groups where teachers can focus on the curricular issues relative to their grade level

• Participating in the teach-together practicum where teachers can practice strategies that have been demonstrated (except the High School Institute)

The Novice strand of the Teacher Institute and Demonstration School is geared towards educators new to the field of gifted instruction. Topics presented during the Novice strand include inclusion education, depth and complexity prompts, learning centers, the art of argumentation, independent study and thinking like a disciplinarian. In addition, participants in the Novice strand of the Summer Institute will be introduced to new approaches of Depth and Complexity inclusive of right angle iconic statements charts, thread-through study sheets, and critical and creative thinking compatible study templates.

The Advanced strand of the Teacher Institute and Demonstration School pertains to veteran teachers of gifted students, as well as administrators and GATE coordinators holding school and district policy-making decisions. The Advanced strand focuses on topics like thinking skills clusters, the bridge curriculum, product development, presentation skills, literature strategies and assessment tools. Content materials presented during the Advanced strand of the Summer Institute will stress the curriculum and instruction that enable educators to move on "beyond" the basic skills of depth and complexity. In addition, this strand will focus on providing performance based assessments and rubrics that match the differentiated learning as defined by the California GATE Standards.

The High School Institute is a one-day workshop developed to address the most frequently asked questions of high school teachers, administrators, parents and students related to the education of the gifted and the academic rigor in the California high school curriculum. Limited to only fifty participants, this intimate discussion circle will analyze curriculum and instruction that respond to the questions: 1) How can teachers accommodate the needs of gifted students within the expectations of the currently defined standards-based curriculum and proficiency benchmarks? 2) How can teachers prepare students for standardized tests as well as advanced forms of assessment? 3) How can what is defined as differentiated and appropriate for the gifted be taught meaningfully to all students within the same classroom?