Response to Intervention: Response to Intelligence Meeting the needs of gifted learners in all educational settings Deborah L. Holt LBSD School District Gifted Coordinator January 2013

“If you are continually asked to jump over a bar that requires little or no effort, how long will it be before you will not be able to jump any higher?” ~CAROL ANN TOMLINSON

What Does RtI Mean for the Gifted Student? TIER 1 is the foundation or the core curriculum % of students are learning and growing in a grade level curriculum. TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 Tier 2 includes supplemental instruction and intervention in addition to the core curriculum. Tier 3 consists of intensive instructional interventions in addition to the core curriculum. Students are identified for Tiers 2 and 3 through ongoing assessment. Data-based decision making is applied across the tiers.

Definition of Giftedness Children who possess: General intellectual ability Specific academic aptitude Creative and productive thinking Leadership ability Visual and performing arts, and/or Psychomotor ability(Marland 1972)

Most Recent Brain Research “Stimuli enter the rear of the brain, integrate in the center, and are interpreted by the frontal lobes. Gifted individuals may be able to do this faster and with greater accuracy than typical individuals.” ~Dr. David Sousa (2009)

What Does This Mean? We need to pay close attention to what happens in the primary and intermediate grades. What happens in the classroom has the potential to raise or lower I.Q. A disturbing trend is the high number of gifted individuals who drop out of high school. ~Dr. David Sousa (2009)

What Can We Do? Offer:  Differentiated curriculum beyond grade-level standards  Differentiated instruction  Using a faster pace, greater independence in study and thought, and increased complexity and depth in subject content  A supportive learning environment also addressing social and emotional needs  Curriculum content initiatives for gifted learners including acceleration when needed, curriculum compacting, and flexible grouping

Also… Instructional processes for gifted learners include:  Higher-level thinking  Creative thinking  Problem-based learning  Independent study  Tiered assignments  Discovery-based teaching that focuses on long term memory processing  Appropriate products for gifted learners

The New RtI: Response to Intelligence TIER 3 Intense individual interventions Longer duration TIER 3 Intense individual interventions Longer duration TIER 2 Small targeted group interventions Supplemental to the core curriculum TIER 2 Small targeted group interventions Supplemental to the core curriculum TIER 1 Academic/Beha vioral Universal Interventions for students who can master content WITH teacher support (differentiation in the regular classroom) TIER 1 Academic/Beha vioral Universal Interventions for students who can master content WITH teacher support (differentiation in the regular classroom) TIER 2 Individual and/or small groups of students who need extra support for appropriate challenge TIER 2 Individual and/or small groups of students who need extra support for appropriate challenge TIER 3 Individual students who need intense support for growth TIER 3 Individual students who need intense support for growth ~Penny Choice (2008) The goal of teaching is to constantly strive to move students to the right.

Tier 1 This is where 80-90% of students will achieve high levels of growth at this stage in the regular classroom. Curriculum addresses what is the big picture and what is worth knowing and doing? There still needs to be differentiation at this tier-the more differentiation at Tier 1, the fewer provisions for students at Tier 2.

Differentiation Oppor tunities in Tier 1: Thinking at different levels Open-ended opportunities for responses Tiered opportunities to respond based on prior knowledge (i.e., graphic organizers with varying degrees of difficulty); Product choices Primary sources Research studies Problem solving Cluster grouping of gifted students

Tier 2 This tier is for students who need additional support and opportunities based on their learning needs and their rate of learning. Students to the left are not making adequate progress in the core curriculum, but students on the right find the core curriculum redundant. They need intensive instruction matched to their levels of performance and rates of progress.

Supplemental Opportunities for Tier 2 Right (Gifted) Self-contained gifted class Replacement class (in a content area that is occurring at the same time in the regular classroom) Example: Accelerated math A separate school within a school (which would include cluster grouping, cooperative learning grouping, and cross-ability or age grouping)

Also… Concept-based curriculum for this group is desirable Right Tier 2 students can complete anchor activities and extensions while other learn basic curriculum. Right Tier 2 needs advanced resources available to them. Exposure to inquiry experiences, problem-based learning, debate, future studies, contracting through compacting, or competitions work well in Right Tier 2.

Tier 3 This group should have very few students on the left and to the right. These students need intensive, more individualized attention. Students to the left are not making adequate progress in the core curriculum and need increasingly intensive instruction which is matched to their levels of performance and rates of progress. Students to the right also need their core curriculum replaced. Students at both ends deserve to have individual attention in order to have the opportunity to learn new content and to grapple with new, challenging information. Right Tier 3 students have intense needs that extend beyond the curriculum of that grade level.

Right Tier 3 Opportunities Right Tier 3 need accelerated, concept-based content since they already know the content of the curriculum. Their advanced mastery gives them time to devote to intensive study of an area. Independent Study Research Problem Solving Delving deeper into the content Exploration into related areas Acceleration opportunities such as grade advancement Dual enrollment Early Advanced Placement Classes Early college classes

Ways to Assess RtI Effectiveness observationsvocabulary listsexperiments book reviewproblem solvinggraphic organizers bookletportfoliosoral summaries chartsquestionnairespre-tests ChecklistsClass or small class discussions Sample problems to solvediagram with labelsconcept map/web Student-produced exhibitsthumbs up/downVenn diagrams KWL chartsticket out the doorquizzes Standardized tests and many more!

Development of Creativity and the New RtI Creativity is the highest form of giftedness (Barbara Clark, 2005) Creativity belongs in all tiers of the New RtI, but is essential in Right Tier 2 and Right Tier 3. Underachievers are often very creative. This group may have high potential but not high performance.

Also… Truly gifted and talented persons who make significant contributions to society have three characteristics:  Above average ability  Strong task commitment  High levels of creativity ~Renzulli and Reis (2008)

Curriculum Models That Provide Appropriate Tier 1, 2, or 3 challenges The Enrichment Triad Model-This model is appropriate for any content area and grade level in multiple grouping arrangements. It is perfect for RtI because it consists of three enrichment levels. (Renzulli) Betts’ Autonomous Learner Model (1999) The Parallel Curriculum (Tomlinson 2002) Schlichter’s Talents Unlimited (1986) Dr. Calvin Taylor’s Multiple-Talent Totem Pole Model (1978)

“Until every gifted child can attend a school where the brightest are appropriately challenged in an environment with their intellectual peers, America can’t claim that it’s leaving no child behind.” ~Jan and Bob Davidson Genius Denied