MUNCIE, Ind. -- Students in the Indianapolis Public Schools soon should find their homework neither too boring nor too hard but just right under a new teacher education program coordinated by Ball State University.

"Project GATE: Opening the Door For All" is a cooperative venture between IPS and Ball State's Center for Gifted Studies and Talent Development. Ball State faculty are directing training programs in urban Indianapolis schools to help IPS teachers learn to vary instruction for students in math, science and technology using the best practices in gifted education.

"In a typical classroom, you'll have students with various levels of academic ability," said Cheryll Adams, co-director of Project GATE and director of the Center for Gifted Students and Talent Development. "It is very difficult to come up with lesson plans that provide each child with challenging and rewarding work. Our program allows teachers to improve their classroom planning to reach all children so that nobody is bored or finds the work too difficult.

"Simply, we are taking what we have learned in educating academically gifted students and transferring it to all ability levels," she said. "I believe all students will benefit from the program."

Indianapolis students and teachers should be excited about the program, said Marilee Updike, IPS bilingual coordinator and interim director of the gifted and talented program.

"For years we had academically gifted programs that identify students only by test scores," she said. "However, students are gifted in so many areas. This program allows us to identify those students, meet their needs appropriately and keep them in their environment."

The Ball State program is funded by a $600,000 grant from the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Program, one of only five such grants awarded nationally. Also receiving grants are the College of William and Mary, College of Charleston, the School Corporation of Boston, Kentucky Public Schools and the Trustees of Boston. There were 81 applicants nationwide.

Ball State receives about $200,000 annually over the next three years to implement and expand the program throughout the IPS K-12 system. Five IPS elementary schools host pilot programs in 1998-99. They included Public Schools 34, 37, 42, 84 and 103.

One school from each of IPS' five districts was selected based on percentage of under served students attending classes. The percentage of students at each school participating in the free and reduced lunch program ranged from 58 to 91 percent.

During the first year of the program, the principal and all faculty participate in professional development sessions targeting strategies for differentiating instruction in the regular classroom. The training focuses on preparing challenging mathematics and science instruction to benefit all students, particularly those identified as gifted.

Adams believes it is imperative for the program, which assists parents as well as teachers, in identifying and cultivating outstanding academically gifted students.

"Too often these children are overlooked and never reach their full potential because they are from under served neighborhoods," she said. "These children are the leaders of the future generations. We need to develop their skills so that they can better contribute to society."

Also, teachers are using strategies, methods and techniques learned in their workshops to develop curriculum that is appropriately differentiated to meet the need of all students in mixed ability classrooms. The format will continue in middle schools in 1999-2000 and then the high schools in 2000-2001.

Others participating in each elementary school building training group are administrators and parents. Once the initial group of teachers are trained, they will educate other teachers on the educational program. After the three-year program ends, IPS plans to extend the training program to all teachers within the system.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Adams by E-mail at cadams@bsu.edu or by phone at 765-285-5390. Updike may be reached by calling 317-226-4737.)