Gifted & Talented Program Evaluation CCSD Board Meeting Monday, November 17th, 2014 6:00 PM

Gifted and Talented CCSD Program Goals 2014-2015 1. Curriculum Alignment 2. Identification 3. Student Achievement 4. Professional Development 5. Communication Erin - We are going to provide a quick update of our program goals that we shared in May. We are following the goal of the district for all teachers to map one course in Atlas Rubicon by the end of the 2014-2015. We are completing this by collaborating with other GT teachers, classroom teachers, and instructional coaches. Our identification process changed in the last year as we presented in the May board meeting and the district eligibility met in October and has two meetings scheduled, one in January and one in May. Based on data and teacher/parent input we added 13 students to our rosters, in grades 4-12. Our goal is to provide more opportunities to assist with professional development in each building. Each GT teacher is working with their principals and other teachers to (further develop strategies that teachers can incorporate into their daily classroom instruction.) This fall, we had several teachers participate in a differentiation workshop and at the iTAG conference in Des Moines. As a team, we are working to communicate GT needs and programming to administrators in our individual buildings.

Presentation at ITAG Conference: "Advocacy and Programming: Meeting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Needs" Jamie

Do you know a gifted child who is known more for his/her “issues” than for his/her talents and gifts? So do we. In this session, we will share experiences and research-based suggestions for approaching social/emotional issues, as we endeavor to teach our students effective ways to recognize their challenges and capitalize on their strengths. http://itagcollegecommunityresources.weebly.com Jamie -

Revised Profiles of the Gifted and Talented Matrix Gifted Profiles - Revised Profiles of the Gifted and Talented Matrix Lori D

https://sites.google.com/site/pepportfoliotemplate/ https://sites.google.com/site//PWE PEp Our template for PEP plans https://sites.google.com/site/pepportfoliotemplate/ Erin - PEP Template We wanted to ensure the students were familiar with the standards and expectations at each grade level. We decided to incorporate them into a PEP portfolio that would follow the students from Grades 4-12. Here is a Google Sites template that we created last spring, and at the side of every grade level page are the correlating standards. It is very important to us that the students set goals based on the standards. We ask that the students set a minimum of two goals. One goal is based on academic growth and the other is the student’s choice, including social-emotional goals. Our goal as a team was to change our PEP so that the students would be able to take more ownership and for them to have evidence of their work and progress over time.

The Gifted Child/Introvert Link Jamie- studies show a link between intelligence and introversion the higher the IQ the more likely that a child identifies as an introvert. As educators we need to make sure that we are meeting the social and emotional needs of our quietly awesome students. Building in time for those students to reflect, have time to add their input in an often boisterous classroom environment, and create differentiated classroom structures is important.

Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities: Intensities Sensual Intellectual Psychomotor Imaginational Emotional Overexcitabilities are when gifted students indicate a heightened ability to respond to stimuli. Our gifted students can be born with one or more, but can also be gifted without exhibiting any. However, there are more people in the gifted population with overexcitabilities than in the average population. Sengifted.org “Overexcitability and the gifted” By Sharon Lind Lori L. These overexcitabilities are part of both affective and academic lesson design and G/T programming at Prairie.

Students need to be taught how to take risks, not just told to do so. Risk Taking Students need to be taught how to take risks, not just told to do so. At the conference, I shared an example of a unit I created with this research in mind. The big “take away”: several… Students need to be taught/guided in risk-taking to help develop confidence Social/emotional curriculum needs to be directly taught to gifted students in affective lessons When classroom teachers employ strategies to differentiate and extend the core, that opens more opportunities for specialists to provide qualitatively differentiated curriculum Lori D.

Bibliotherapy Bibliotherapy is the use of literature to help students solve problems. Through higher level questioning, bibliotherapy provides gifted students opportunity to use thought in a safe environment to problem solve issues in their own world. Bibliotherapy is something that you can make your own. There is no perfect session, group size, time frame… you make it work for you in the situation that you have. Julie - Bibliotherapy

In As you can see, we have many goals that we have met and are working toward meeting. We feel like the GT program is moving in a really positive direction. *We are focused on the social-emotional needs of our students. *Our identification process allows student data to be considered for eligibility multiple times throughout a school year. *The PEP portfolio template allows students to show learning over time. Erin - Closing

In Q & A

In Question #1 How do we compare with other districts our size, in particular with staffing? We have grown an incredible amount, but it doesn't feel like we have added much staff in this area, and it seems like everyone is stretched very thinly. What are some changes that might help? What would be recommendations from the TAG teachers on how to make sure everything is covered and the kids get what they need?

In Question #2 How much do the different buildings collaborate? It seems sometimes like there are widely differing programs throughout the buildings and years. For example, I have three children go through the TAG program at Creek, and all three had widely different experiences. Is this the result of systemic change, or different teaching styles, or something else entirely?

In Question #3 How is advising different for children in TAG? Should we have one advisor who focuses on these kids? Is there anything provided them at Point or the High School to prepare them for college? Do we encourage them to take college courses early?

In Question #4 How much time is spent with children, and how much doing administrative work? What would be one or two things you could not do that would give you more time with the kids?

In Question #5 Is it still working to identify children in the 3rd grade, and then have one year of TAG at the elementary schools? Should we start earlier, or should we just do enhancements in the building and then start the TAG program in fifth grade, or is it fine just the way it is now?

In Question #6 Are there gaps where TAG could be better served? I know Science is not included in pull out sessions at some schools. Should this be happening? In talking to kids, it seems like there would be interest in mock trial. Is this something else that could fall into the TAG program, and if there are barriers preventing this from happening, what are those barriers and how can we help to remove them? What other areas are we missing?