The WINGS Program (Working with the Individual Needs of Gifted Students) is designed to identify academically gifted students. The purpose of the program is to provide academic challenge and rigor as well as address the social/emotional needs of the gifted student. Students attend one full instructional day per week.

Our Mission

To ensure challenging curriculum meets the exceptional needs of gifted students.

Our Vision

To be the statewide leader in gifted education by continuously demonstrating high levels of learning.

• WINGS curriculum is divided into three categories.

  • Thinking Skills -  students have four objectives:  to develop critical thinking skills, to develop creative thinking skills, to develop analytic skills, and to develop organizational skills.
  • Affective Education -  students work to understand themselves and how they relate to others.
  • Major Units -  the third portion of the day, are of great interest to the students.  Unlike the first two classes, Major Units change over the course of the school year based on student interest. Each unit is written by the WINGS staff and includes the following components:  
    • the BIG IDEA, or issue, associated with the topic 
    • the three or four skills/concepts the student is expected to master
    • the skills from the program goals and student expectations covered in the unit with special emphasis on critical thinking
    • a calendar of topics, activities, and events scheduled for the unit
    • a listing of student expectations or outcomes
    • a letter to parents

1st & 2nd Grade Syllabi

1-2 Thinking Skills

1-2 Affective Education

Quarter 3 Major Units (Jan. 9-Mar. 9)

• Board Game Design
• Rainbow Connection
• Under the Sea

Quarter 4 Major Units (Mar. 20-End of Year)

• Astronomy Academy
• Graphic Novel Gurus
• Weather Watchers

3rd-5th Grade Syllabi  

3-5 Thinking Skills

3-5 Affective Education

Semester 2 Major Units 

• Crime Scene Investigation
• Mother Road
• Robotics
• Shakespeare 

6th-8th Grade Syllabi    

6-8 Thinking Skills

6-8 Affective Education

Semester 2 Major Units 

• CityScape
• Physics of Roller Coasters
• WINGSpan

Major Unit Descriptions (All Grades) 

Attendance is important. Please try not to schedule outside appointments for your child on his/her WINGS day. We are aware of hectic family and work schedules, but it is important that your child arrives before 8 a.m. and stays until dismissal at 2:30 or 2:45 p.m. Students may arrive as early as 7:30 a.m. and can go directly to the cafeteria.

Report absences as soon as possible by contacting the center at 523-3300.

Parking lot reminders: Please enter the parking lot from the north on Holland Street. Attach a placard to the rear-view mirror with your child's last name in bold. When you reach the student loading area, please pull all the way forward, and allow a teacher to escort your child to your vehicle. AT NO TIME IS A STUDENT ALLOWED TO CROSS A TRAFFIC AREA WITHOUT AN ESCORT.

• Evaluation for Springfield Public Schools gifted programs is an open process. Parents/guardians, teachers or other school personnel, and student self-referrals are accepted. In many cases, referrals are a combination of these. The evaluation process occurs at various times during the year and involves the following steps:

  Evaluation for Springfield Public Schools gifted programs is an open process. Parents/guardians, teachers or other school personnel, and student self-referrals are accepted. In many cases, referrals are a combination of these. The evaluation process occurs at various times during the year and involves the following steps:

  1. Referral form submitted to the Phelps Center.
  2. A Phelps Center secretary will contact the parent/guardian to schedule a time for evaluation during the open testing window.
  3. A parent/guardian will bring the referred student to the Phelps Center for an IQ assessment with a district test examiner.
  4. Assessment results from the evaluation will be mailed to parent/guardian along with a determination of placement.

  Parents/guardians who receive notice of their student not qualifying for gifted services may request a review of the evaluation process. The Gifted Education Director, and/or designee, will review the student’s test and meet with the parents/guardians to assist in interpreting the student’s assessment results and answer questions relating to the evaluation process.

  Assessment protocol requires one year between tests. Students who do not qualify for placement have the option of repeating the above process after one year has lapsed. After a second evaluation is completed and placement decisions have been determined, the opportunity for additional evaluations is closed. Because of this, parents should carefully think about the appropriate time to submit a second referral.

  Forward completed referral form to:

  Phelps Center 
  934 S. Kimbrough
  Springfield MO 65806

Students participating in WINGS are involved in a shared home school/Phelps Center curriculum. Because participation results in students being in another location one day each week, this presents unique situations to the District’s professional staff, participating students, and the involved families. 

The WINGS student should not be held accountable for standard classroom assignments, such as review, practice exercises, daily work and other related activities missed on the day of participation in the gifted program. Students are accountable for the concepts, process skills and intellectual content as measured on end-of-unit tests, projects or other assessments included in the curriculum presented by the teacher from the home school.

The home school shall avoid scheduling major tests, assignment due dates for major projects, field trips, honor programs, etc. on the day students attend the gifted program.

Students attending WINGS should be considered fully enrolled and not be penalized for grades dependent on class participation, attendance, and daily assignments that occur on their day of attendance.

• Once a student qualifies and is placed in WINGS, they may remain in the program each year. In the event a student chooses not to participate, they may re-enter the program as long as minimum eligibility criteria are still in compliance.