Category 2 Doesn’t Mean Second Class! Cathy Seward Oklahoma State Department of Education

Education of Gifted and Talented Children Act Section 904. Education of Gifted and Talented Children -- Definitions. A. "Gifted and talented children" means those children identified at the preschool, elementary and secondary level as having demonstrated potential abilities of high performance capability and needing differentiated or accelerated education or services. For the purpose of this definition, "demonstrated abilities of high performance capability" means those identified students who score in the top three percent (3%) on any national standardized test of intellectual ability ( )

Education of Gifted and Talented Children Act Section 904. Education of Gifted and Talented Children -- Definitions. Said definition may also include students who excel in one or more of the following areas: 1. creative thinking ability 2. leadership ability 3. visual performing arts ability, and 4. specific academic ability. ( )

Funding Gifted Weight of.34 applied in the following way: Category 1 – 100% of students identified are funded Category 2 – Up to 8% of your school’s ADM is funded

State Board of Education Regulations 210: Procedural safeguards for the identification of students for gifted education programming A.Gifted and talented children shall be identified consistent with 70 O.S for the purpose of funding through the gifted educational child count. B.Identification procedures are clearly stated and uniformly implemented.

Category 2  Method of Identification is a district decision  Policy for identification must be stated (written)  Publish in newsletter  Post on website  Send out in a Friday folder  Policy must be uniformly implemented  Every student must have the same chance to be identified Category 2

How to Identify?  MUST be multi-criteria  Assessment (Multiple assessments are still just one criteria)  Matrix  Student portfolio or work product  Teacher, parent, student, community member recommendation  Others?

You Identify ‘em You get funding for ‘em You SERVE ‘em

How to Serve Category 2 How are Category 1 students served? Category 2 students should have the same options available.  Pull-out programs  Differentiation  Proficiency Based Promotion (PBP)  Curriculum Compacting

Pull-out Programs  Some Category 2 students may opt-out of the pull-out program  Have multi-discipline/intelligence/learning style projects that include Category 2 students  Integrate art & music into project  Include biographies of famous people in their area of strength.  Allow Category 2 students to explore other means of giftedness

Differentiation  May look different for Category 2 students  They might need help with subjects where they do not excel  Gifted in math – might need help in English  Definitely need differentiation in their area of giftedness

Proficiency Based Promotion  Excellent choice for Category 2 students  Allows them to advance in their specific area of giftedness  Required by law to be offered two times a year  90% passing required by law  If they make 90 or above, district decides how to transcript the grade  If they don’t make a 90 or above, no record of the examination on their transcript

Curriculum Compacting  Another great option for Category 2 students  Pre/Post test allows student to advance  What will they do if they are compacted?  Must be able to return to whole-class instruction  May need some help to get them over certain curriculum “bumps”

Sharing  How do you identify Category 2?  How do you serve them?  Any ideas for the audience?