To be or Not to be : Gifted Nicole Shuler Tyler ISD GT Facilitator 903-262-3150

How Texas Defines Giftedness A gifted/talented student is a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area; possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or excels in a specific academic field. (Texas Education Code §29.121)

Where can I find GT information? Our website at http://target.tylerisd.org Our Facebook https://www.facebook.com/targettylerisd State of Texas http://tea.texas.gov/Curriculum_and_Instructional_Programs/Special_Student_Populations/Gifted_and_Talented_Education/Gifted_Talented_Education/ Calendars, events, articles and documents about the GT Program 730 S. Chilton, Tyler TX 75701 903-262-3150

What is Gifted & Talented? Gifted and Talented Is a professional term Includes 3-5% of the population. are people with abilities to perform well beyond their peers Experience the world differently Connect things in different ways Heightened intensity Learn in 1-3 presentations While all children have strengths, areas in which they can excel and areas in which they can make contributions to society, all children are not gifted and talented.

GT is DIFFERENT, not BETTER The GT program is not about “better” teaching or a “better” curriculum. It is not about doing more work or getting ahead of others. It is not a privilege or honor. The GT program is designed to serve the special educational needs of GT students. These students need services beyond what is provided in the regular program in order to develop to their full potential.

4 Ways GT people are Different Asynchronous Development (out of sync) Degree of Giftedness Intrinsic Motivation(inside) Introversion (inside)

Asynchronous Development The out-of-sync or asynchronous development of gifted kids is an integral part of who they are and how they interact with the world. This is why they act like an adult one moment and throw a temper tantrum the next. Different parts of them are different ages all at the same time.

Degree of Giftedness *Degree of giftedness means how far a child is from average IQ. *IQ, or mental ability, is one part of giftedness. The higher the level of giftedness, the more educational needs a student has. *An IQ of 130 is the same distance from average (100) as an IQ of 70. Both groups need educational modifications. Average Above Avg Gifted

Intrinsic Motivation GT have an internal drive to KNOW things. Interests don’t always coincide with what is being taught- seek a challenge and the opportunity to study their interests Gifted children tend not to respond to the same rewards as high achieving students. High achievers are motivated by grades, pleasing adults and competition. Some gifted children are also high achievers. You need to tap into GT interests, values and logical abilities.

Introversion Many people are energized by being around and interacting with other people. This is called extroversion. Many gifted people are energized by being alone. This is called introversion. While they may like being around other people, it drains their energy reserves. They seek opportunities to recharge by being alone or escaping into a good book.

Everything GT Asynchronous Development Degree of Giftedness These four things are key to who gifted people are and why they need special educational services. All gifted children are not the same. Their needs depend on their individual patterns with these four characteristics. Asynchronous Development Degree of Giftedness Intrinsic Motivation Introversion (energy from being alone)

Challenges “I want my child in the classroom with the gifted kids. They don’t have behavior problems.” THIS IS A MYTH. High achievers tend to have fewer behavior problems because they are motivated by making adults happy and getting positive feedback from authority figures. But GT students could have these four traits that tend to be challenging and could lead to trouble in the classroom: Intensity Sensitivity Multi-potentiality or Multi-stimulus Excessive Energy

CHALLENGE: GT are INTENSE!!! Gifted students experience life more intensely than others. React in big ways to small things. “Tunnel vision”: Trouble changing topics Trouble letting something go. When captured by a topic, they get deeply into it. So focused, they don’t hear things around them;

CHALLENGE: GT are SENSITIVE Gifted students are able to empathize earlier than their peers. They tend to feel the pain of others. They also tend to take criticism very personally. Their feelings may be hurt easily. Gifted students are also more sensitive to their surroundings. They may be affected by sounds, smells, and textures more than others.

CHALLENGE: GT have Multi-Potentiality Multi-potentiality means good at many things. Gifted students also respond to multi-stimulus. They can pay attention to more than one thing at a time. They take in everything from their surroundings, absorbing information without having to focus on it specifically. These traits make decision-making difficult. When you are interested in many things and good at many things, how do you decide what topic to study or choose a college major?

CHALLENGE: GT have EXTRA ENERGY Gifted kids often need less sleep than their peers. Parents of highly gifted kids report their children stopped napping at very early ages. This extra energy leads gifted kids to prefer fast games and fast activities. They interrupt others because they know what the other person is going to say and they want to move on in the conversation. They may need to wiggle and move to let some of the extra energy out. Edison was rumored to have only slept 3-4 hours a day.

Importance of Identification What happens if we fail to nurture advanced potential? Hidden abilities Boredom/depression Pattern of low performance and behavior issues Lower achievement gains/limited progress relative to potential Underdeveloped habits of mind – no struggle/no need for perseverance Deterioration of potential skills and enthusiasm for learning Less productive and engaged lives Adapted from: Clark 2008; Colangelo et al., 2004; Duffet et all., 2008; Rogers, 2007; School Administrator, 2007; Slocumb, 2008.

Behaviors of Under-represented Students The under-represented, potentially gifted student frequently: Scores lower on standardized tests Behaves differently than peers Appears unmotivated and lacks academic planning skills Lacks social skills necessary to resolve conflicts Lacks areas of mastery that society regards as basic academic skills

GT Referral Process The identification process takes place once a year for services to begin the following school year. Anyone can refer a child for testing, but the parent must give permission for the child to be assessed Complete the forms online/complete the paper forms and give back to home campus Make sure you refer the child by the posted deadline November 18

Application Permission MAP/CPAA (Reading/Math) GT Referral Process Application Permission Medical Level 1 MAP/CPAA (Reading/Math) Grades Teacher/Parent List Committee Meet Level 2 NNAT-Naglieri Creativity Test Writing Prompt

GT Identification Process-Level 1 LEVEL 1 – collected on all referred students Teacher Referral Inventory Parent Referral Inventory Grades for the last three semesters 95 avg. Standardized testing The tests measure students’ abilities to solve problems in Language and Mathematics, as well as in patterns, reasoning and creativity. Scores are determined using age-based, national norms. Scores in the 96%-89%th percentile or higher, or index scores of 130 or higher, are considered to be in the gifted range. To qualify for Level 2, 3 out of 4 criteria must be met. Referral application signed by parent Medical / Health Information Form Optional: 1 Portfolio sample of student work

GT Identification Process-Level 2 LEVEL 2 – collected on qualified students Creativity-85% figural Naglieri- aptitude/intelligence test 91% Writing sample Multiple indicators of giftedness are required—a preponderance of evidence. One score in the gifted range is not enough to be identified.

If you think a student in your classroom may be GT… Speak with the parent Call Advanced Studies with questions 903-262-3150 Referral forms and the referral inventories are available on our web page http://target.tylerisd.org