Canal Winchester presents clustered model for Winchester Trail gifted services as parents and staff press for changes

The Canal Winchester School District on May 12 outlined a planned shift in elementary gifted services at Winchester Trail Elementary, moving from daily, separate pull-out classes to a clustered model with push-in support and shorter 25-minute “power-up” pull-out periods, district officials said.

District Director of Teaching and Learning for Elementary Craig Lautenschlager described the new approach as clustering identified students in regular classrooms while keeping three gifted intervention specialists assigned to grades 3, 4 and 5. “In the simplest way I can describe it, is we will cluster group students with both push in and pull out opportunities,” Lautenschlager said. He said the model preserves pull-out time while increasing specialist collaboration with classroom teachers.

The shift follows a yearlong review by the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. Carmen Tarbell, who led the review for the ESC, told the board the district’s gifted program is “very strong” but recommended increased flexibility and updated service models ahead of new state operating standards taking effect in July 2025. “The Department of Education defines a gifted student as a…