Talking About “Gifted” in ESEA Jane Clarenbach NAGC Director of Public Education National Association for Gifted Children 1331 H Street, NW Suite 1001 Washington, DC

National Context for Gifted No federal mandate for gifted education State & local responsibility creates patchwork system of policies and services that can be inequitable Funding ID procedures Teacher training requirements Services (by grade, subject)

Areas for Federal Action Increase accountability for advanced learning Educator awareness of needs of gifted learners Focus on underrepresented populations Research to develop best practices

Accountability Grade-level expectations vs. above-grade level ability Increasing (or closing at glacial pace) excellence gaps Excellence Gaps: achievement gaps at the advanced level between groups of learners

2011 NAEP 4 th Grade Reading

Underrepresented Populations Giftedness is found in every population Assumptions & myths about giftedness advanced learning Latent vs. developed talent (high potential vs high achieving) Inequitable access to advanced coursework & gifted programs and services

Increase Educator Awareness Majority of gifted students served in the regular classroom Pre-service teachers typically receive less than 2 clock hours of instruction on characteristics & needs of gifted students 58% of teachers report having received no professional development in the previous few years on teaching academically advanced students

Research / Best Practices Javits Gifted & Talented Students Education Act First added to ESEA in 1988 Demonstration grant program focuses on strategies to ID and serve underrepresented students National research center Statewide grants when funding is more than $7.5 million Current $10 million; $11 million in Senate bill for FY2016 ($0 in House)

TALENT Act – S.363 / H.R Bipartisan bill Focuses on state & local plan requirements in Titles I & II and use of grant funds Increase public accountability via data reporting Includes high-ability students who may not have been formally identified as gifted Addresses gifted students in rural settings Retains a national research center

ESEA – House H.R. 5 contains a few small provisions addressing gifted students Allowable use for state and local Title II professional development funds Native Hawaiian students Homeless students (comparable services)

ESEA – Senate (S.1177) Includes several key provisions from TALENT Title I Disaggregation of achievement data at each achievement level State and local plans may include how the (state/LEA) will assist schools in identifying and serving gifted students

ESEA – Senate (cont’d) Title II State plan to include how will increase teacher skills to identify gifted students and provide instruction to meet their needs Local staffing needs assessment will include gifted and talented students Local activities with Title II funds will address learning needs of gifted students and may include training to support identification of students who have not been formally identified as gifted

ESEA – Senate (cont’d) Title V Retains Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act

Messages on Gifted - Javits Fund the Javits program in FY2016 Support Senate L-HHS level of $11 million for FY16

Messages on Gifted - ESEA In the House: As House & Senate negotiate ESEA Reauthorization, include provisions from Senate bill that support learning needs of gifted & high-potential students (also found in H.R. 2960) Address excellence gaps Ensure all classroom teachers are able to recognize and respond to the learning needs of gifted students Continue research to ensure availability of current data and best practices Disaggregate student achievement data at each achievement level to allow for public accountability for the learning of ALL students

Messages on Gifted - ESEA In the Senate: As Senate & House negotiate ESEA Reauthorization, retain provisions that support learning needs of gifted & high-potential students

Questions?

Thank you for your advocacy! Jane Clarenbach, J.D. Director of Public Education NAGC