S.I.N.G.S. (Serving the Individual Needs of Gifted Students)
The S.I.N.G.S. program is designed to challenge students who are academically gifted and help them develop their
talents. S.I.N.G.S. stands for “Serving the Individual Needs of Gifted Students.” The program
teaches students about critical thinking, logic, creativity, and problem-solving.
At the elementary level (3rd grade), the gifted program is a pull-out class. For one day each week, students ride
buses to the Poplar Bluff Middle School for a full day of enrichment. Middle school students attend one full day of
enrichment in their own school, with each grade level attending on a different day of the week. At the junior high,
students attend S.I.N.G.S. for one hour each day at their own school.
The Poplar Bluff School District does not offer gifted enrichment classes at the high school level. However,
students have opportunities to take advanced-level courses and participate in extracurricular clubs.
Qualifying for the Gifted Program
In keeping with federal and state definitions, the Poplar Bluff School District seeks to identify students in the
top 5% of the population. The minimum eligibility criteria for participation in S.I.N.G.S. involves qualifying in
three areas:
- General mental ability — IQ/GAI of 125 or higher
- General academic ability — 95th percentile
- Creativity, reasoning, and problem-solving ability
S.I.N.G.S. is not provided as an honor or as a reward. It is a challenging program of intervention designed to
address the educational needs of the upper 5% of the population in the grade levels served.