At Calgary Jewish Academy, we recognize that students learn in different ways and at different paces. Gifted and Identified Needs (GAIN) is CJA’s school-wide approach to supporting students at every level, addressing both learning differences and advanced academic strengths within inclusive classroom environments.
GAIN supports students who benefit from additional learning support, including those with Individualized Program Plans (IPPs), as well as students who thrive with deeper exploration and increased academic challenge. Support is responsive and evolves as students grow and their learning needs change.
The GAIN team works collaboratively with classroom teachers, educational assistants, families, and external professionals to design and implement strategies that support individual students. These strategies may include in-class accommodations, targeted small-group or individualized instruction, academic extension opportunities, counselling support, and academic remediation when needed.
For students who demonstrate advanced strengths, academic extension may include opportunities to deepen learning, explore areas of interest in greater depth, apply higher-level thinking skills, or engage in more complex and self-directed work, while remaining connected to the classroom community.
Students whose first language is not English receive language support through English Language Learners (ELL) services. These supports provide additional instruction and accommodations to strengthen language development and support confident participation in classroom learning.
The purpose of GAIN is to help every student build confidence, develop effective learning strategies, and experience academic and personal growth over time.
Identification for support or academic extension occurs through ongoing observation and collaboration between classroom teachers and the GAIN team. Families are encouraged to connect with their child’s teacher to discuss strengths, questions, or learning needs.
The Calgary Jewish Academy gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Calgary Jewish Federation of Calgary for their generous contributions to the Gifted and Identified Needs program.