Narrated by Joy Corey and Anthony Alston Growing Gifts Identifying Our Gifted Students Welcome The purpose of today’s presentation is twofold. First, to share the recently revised AACPS policy and regulation for the identification of gifted and talented students and second to walk you through the process of identifying the gifted students so that you know what to expect as the G/T identification process is implemented this spring. Narrated by Joy Corey and Anthony Alston Primary Talent Development & Advanced Learner Programs Division of Advanced Studies and Programs Anne Arundel County Public Schools 2013-2014

As a society we must be able to admire ability, to support ability, to celebrate ability and to nurture ability. It must be as socially acceptable to support genius that is intellectual as it is to support genius that is athletic. As we begin thinking about gifted students today, the first question that comes to mind might be why? Why focus on bright, capable kids who will make it anyway? Isn’t it enough that we teach them? Isn’t that what our society mandates, to provide children with a free, public education? Let’s stop to think about that for a moment using an analogous situation. Would you have an athlete compete without a coach? Would Peyton Manning be the quarterback that he is today without the specific guidance, coaching or training that he was given? Would Michael Phelps be the swimmer he is today without the opportunity to learn or compete at an appropriate level? And finally would Jack Andrakas have come up with his cancer test without mentors who nurtured his ability as a scientist and allowed him the opportunity to pursue his passion? Michael Clay Thompson, a member of the board of Directors for NAGC says this. - Michael Clay Thompson

WHY LABEL? You may ask yourself why do we need to label students as gifted? We label and identify these children for several reasons……. 1. They have different academic needs that must be addressed through educational decisions regarding their curriculum, pacing, and learning environment. 2. We also have a state mandate to do so. As stated in the Annotated Code of Maryland (COMAR): “We must provide equitable access to rigor for all students based on their true, not perceived potential.” 3. Most importantly, we have a moral responsibility to do so. We must meet the needs of all our students and as such we must also meet the needs of those who are gifted. Without support, nurturing and access to advanced opportunities these students will not fulfill their potential.

How are gifted students different? Advanced Student Gifted Student Grasps meaning Completes assignments Is accurate & complete Absorbs information Enjoys age peers Infers & connects concepts Initiates projects & assignments Is original Manipulates information Enjoys intellectual peers Giftedness is exhibited in many different ways: 1) Artistic talent, musical talent, academic and athletic performance are among the most recognized categories of giftedness. 2)Inventors, Leaders, Scientists and others who make life-altering contributions to society are also often among those defined as gifted. With such a broad range of behaviors and definitions of giftedness, why do we label students as gifted? It is important to understand that gifted kids are different and how they are different. Pause and Ponder: How are gifted students different than advanced students? Activity: Pair – make list of what you know about highly able students Make a list of what you know about characteristics of gifted learners Compare and discuss Show tree map FYI – Sometimes a gifted student’s work doesn’t compare as complete, while in truth the child has initiated additional components that are at a much deeper level In fact brain research has shown that there are specific differences… Transition to brain slide

Biologically Different Transition from previous Average math ability students b) Math gifted students c) Areas uniquely activated by math gifted students We know that biologically the brain of a gifted student is different from his or her age-mates. Let’s take a closer look at this slide. The slides in row “a” show the brain activity in the brain of average math students while doing math compared to row “b” which depicts the brain activity in the brain of gifted math students. Notice the differences. Does this surprise you? Row “c” shows the unique areas of the gifted brain that are activated when doing math. Their highly developed attentional and executive functions serve to fine tune their unique form of cerebral organization. The gifted-math students are not only able to complete activities at higher rates than their average-math-ability peers, but able to activate parts of the brain in both hemispheres that were not typically engaged by the average-ability students. O’Boyle, Michael W. (Jul-Sept, 2008). Mathematically gifted children: Developmental brain characteristics and their prognosis for well-being. Roeper Review, 30(3), 181-186.

All students in Maryland’s schools must be provided educational opportunities appropriate to their individual abilities which will enable them to meet their maximum potential. Gifted and talented students are found in youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. COMAR states, “All students in Maryland’s schools must be provided educational opportunities appropriate to their individual abilities which will enable them to meet their maximum potential.” In February 2012, the MD State Board of Education adopted a regulation affirmatively stating that gifted and talented students are found in all Maryland schools and in all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups. The regulation directs all Maryland school systems to identify gifted and talented students and develop and implement the gifted and talented education programs and services needed to develop these students’ full potential. (Maryland Annotated Code §8-202

Gifted & Talented Identification Policy Issue: “AACPS shall establish a process of identifying Gifted and Talented students as they are defined in COMAR.” On May 15, 2013, the Anne Arundel County School Board adopted a policy and regulation requiring the establishment of a process for the identification of gifted and talented students.

ALL students is conducted First Steps A broad screening of ALL students is conducted in grade 2, based on indicators of potential, aptitude, and achievement. The initial phase of the Gifted and Talented identification process is the Broad Screening of all students in grade 2 In that effort, we are looking at multiple indicators of potential, aptitude and achievement.

of all 2nd Grade Students Initial Screening of all 2nd Grade Students Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test Primary Talent Development Portfolio Language Arts Assessment Math Cumulative Assessment Performance Series Administration Identified as Gifted & Talented in Language Arts and/or Math 100% of 2nd graders countywide Meet Standard Approximately 25% of 2nd graders countywide This is a summary flow chart of the G/T identification process As I mentioned, we begin with 100% screening of all second grade students at all elementary schools. While schools are responsible for administering the language arts and math assessments according to administration windows from curriculum and instruction, the data analysis will be completed by the data office. Individual school data will be sent to your school. That screening process is designed to narrow the student population into a Talent Pool of about 25% of second graders These Talent Pool students undergo further assessment and we expect that we will end up with approximately 9-10% identified as gifted and talented. Let’s take a closer look at the screening procedures. Meet Standard Approximately 9-10% of 2nd graders countywide

Students meeting 3 out of the 4 following criteria enter a pool. Screening Procedures Students meeting 3 out of the 4 following criteria enter a pool. Criteria Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test AACPS Mathematics Cumulative Assessment AACPS Language Arts Unit 2 Skills Assessment Primary Talent Development Cumulative Behavioral REPI Scale During the screening process these 4 assessments are administered. 1. The Naglieri is a culturally fair, nonverbal measure of reasoning and problem solving abilities. As you know, the Naglieri was administered earlier this school year and the results of that assessment have already been disseminated to your schools. The AACPS Math Assessment is a summative assessment based on the math content of the first two marking periods. Additionally material will be included that represents a more advanced understanding of mathematical concepts. This assessment will be given by the classroom teachers (as scheduled by the elementary math office.) 3. The AACPS LA Assessment is a summative assessment of reading and will also be administered by the classroom teachers (as scheduled by the elementary language arts office.) All students in second grade have participated in the MSDE PTD lesson modules since kindergarten: A cumulative paper portfolio has been maintained by the classroom teachers. That paper portfolio is in the process of being converted to a digital profile for each student. These are entered on Chancery each year and evaluated using a 4 point scale for each behavior. Students who meet the threshold of 3 out of the 4 assessments enter the gifted and talented talent pool. Once in the talent pool a student undergoes further assessment in order to make a determination as gifted in mathematics, gifted in language arts or both.

Further Assessment for Students in Pool Approximately 25% of 2nd graders countywide Students in pool take Performance Series in both Language Arts and Mathematics Meet Standard Students who meet the threshold of 3 out of the 4 assessments enter the gifted and talented talent pool. Once in the talent pool a student undergoes further assessment in order to make a determination as gifted in mathematics, gifted in language arts or both. FYI: This 25% becomes the 3rd grade students in single subjects trails Identified as Gifted & Talented in Language Arts and/or Math Approximately 9-10% of 2nd graders countywide

What does this mean to my child? Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Child took the Naglieri (NNAT2) in September. Parent/Guardian received these results at November Parent/Teacher Conferences. Child participated in MSDE PTD in kindergarten, first, and second grade. Paper portfolios of individual student work are available for review. Child completed math and language arts assessments in class. Results were used solely for screening purposes. Data will be analyzed by the Instructional Data Office and a pool of students is determined. Parent/Guardian will receive notification if additional assessment is required. Pool of students will participate in Performance Series testing. Identification for the 2013-2014 school year will be completed. Parent/Guardian will receive notification if student is identified as Gifted/Talented. You may ask, “What does this process mean for my child?” Last September all AACPS 2nd grade students took the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test. You received information about this test and your child’s results at parent-teacher conferences last November. Additionally, The Maryland State Primary Talent Development program, otherwise known as MSDE PTD, has been a part of our primary program since our current second graders were in kindergarten. Teachers kept artifacts from those lessons as part of your child’s digital portfolio. The math and language arts assessments used for GT ID were administered as part of your child’s regular classroom experience. The results of all of these data points will be analyzed by the data office and parents of those students scoring within the pool range will receive notification that their children will be taking the Performance Series Assessment. This assessment is completed on the computer and will be given at your child’s school during the regular school day. The results of the Performance Series will be analyzed, along with the other data, by the Data Office to determine which children will be identified as gifted and talented. You will receive notification of your child’s placement in the final report card.

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent. – John F. Kennedy Civil Right Address John F. Kennedy: "Commencement Address at San Diego State College.," June 6, 1963. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=9259.

QUESTIONS? For further information contact: Your child’s Elementary School or Joy Corey: jcorey @aacps.org