Gifted & Talented Education: Prospect Mill Elementary School Tara Recor, Gifted and Talented Education Specialist Dr. Peter Carpenter, Coordinator of Accelerated Learning and Intervention Programs

Common Gifted Education Myths from NAGC 1. All children are gifted 2. Gifted students make everyone else in the class smarter by providing a role model or a challenge 3. Gifted students don't need help; they'll do fine on their own 4. That student can't be gifted; he's receiving poor grades and he’s a behavior problem 5. GT programs are not fair/ GT programs are elitist

Gifted Education Realities All children cannot be gifted  “gifted” in educational setting  compared with children of the same age  based on identification, using multiple measures  no connotation

The Annotated Code of Maryland §8-201 defines a gifted and talented student as “an elementary or secondary student who is identified by professionally qualified individuals as: (1) Having outstanding talent and performing, or showing the potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other students of a similar age, experience, or environment; (2) Exhibiting high performance capability in intellectual, creative, or artistic areas; (3) Possessing an unusual leadership capacity; or (4) Excelling in specific academic field. Gifted and Talented definition

Giftedness is... a greater awareness, a greater sensitivity, and a greater ability to understand and transform perceptions into intellectual and emotional experiences. —Annemarie Roeper (2000)

HCPS Identifies students for Level 3 & Level 4 services by “general intellectual ability” Specifically in Math and Reading, English, Language Arts

HCPS Levels of Service Models Level 1 Opportunities for ALL students Critical & Creative thinking; Talent Development Level 2 Occasional Service for MANY students Opportunities for additional challenge and extended learning experiences Level 3 Consistent service for SOME students Flexible ability grouping within specific subject areas Level 4 Intensive service for FEW students Intense work in highly challenging curriculum or research

Gifted Education Realities Gifted students have different needs and challenges that do not make them good role models.  Not seen as role models  Can become unmotivated  Need like-minded peers – affective needs

Peer pressure Perfectionism Introversion Self- esteem / identity Social skills Competitiveness Overexcitabilities Possible Issues

It is important that affective goals be attended to as well as the cognitive and academic goals. Self concepts, attitudes, motives, values, interests, and emotions are components of positive self actualization and functioning fully in society and the curriculum must contribute to nurturing the affective domain as well as the cognitive domain. —A. Harry Passow (1986)

Gifted Education Realities Gifted students need help; we can't expect them to learn on their own  Not gifted at everything  Elementary aged  Have different intellectual and affective needs

Heightened Multifaceted Sensitivity & Asynchronous Development Cognitive advanced compre- hension efficient informa- tion process- ing excellent memory Affective Over- excitabiltiites: heightened sensitivity heightened self-criticism-- perfectionism emotional intensity (Mendaglio, 2003)

Gifted Education Realities Gifted students can have poor grades and/or be behavior problems  Underachievement  Asynchronous development  Boredom

Asynchronous Development Mismatch between… Intellectual abilityEmotional maturityPsychomotor capabilitiesSocial abilities

Bright Child Gifted Learner  Knows the answer  Answers the questions  Top group  Has good ideas  6-8 repetitions  Is receptive  Enjoys school  Absorbs information  Good memorizer  Likes sequential presentation  Is pleased with own learning  Asks the questions  Discusses in detail, elaborates  Beyond the top group  Has wild, silly ideas  1-2 repetitions for mastery  Is intense  Enjoys learning  Manipulates information  Good guesser  Thrives on complexity, ambiguity  Is highly self-critical

Bright Child Gifted Learner  Knows the answer  Answers the questions  Top group  Has good ideas  6-8 repetitions  Is receptive  Enjoys school  Absorbs information  Good memorizer  Likes sequential presentation  Is pleased with own learning  Asks the questions  Discusses in detail, elaborates  Beyond the top group  Has wild, silly ideas  1-2 repetitions for mastery  Is intense  Enjoys learning  Manipulates information  Good guesser  Thrives on complexity, ambiguity  Is highly self-critical

Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities IntellectualEmotionalSensualPsychomotor Imaginational

Rich imagery, visuali- zation, inventiv e Vivid dreams Fantasy; imaginary playmates Difficulty in separating real from imaginary Imaginational

Intellectual Strong desire to know and to understand Curiosity; abundance of questions Desire to learn

Sensual Enriched perceptions of and reactions to sensory experiences May involve one or more senses Sensory experience may be viewed as too intense Seeks sensory outlets for tension

Heightened excitability— neuromuscular system Intense physical activity Rapid speech Less sleep Need for movement Difficulty relaxing

Deep attachment Intense joy and exuberance Strong empathy and compassion Concern with death, fears, anxieties, depression

Slocumb- Payne Scales

Gifted Education Realities GT programs are equitable  Equal vs. equitable  Multiple measures of identification  COMAR mandated  Prefunded under Bridge to Excellence, 2002

Differences between ability and achievement tests  Ability and achievement are different aspects of cognitive development  Achievemen t – knowledge and skills specifically taught in schools (crystallized abilities)  Ability – reasoning abilities that are developed indirectly through instruction that challenges students to think in new ways (fluid reasoning abilities)  Physical Analogy  General level of athletic ability  Learned skills to play a specific sport

Assessments for GT Identification Re-screening  Cognitive Abilities Test- CogAT  Full test: Universal 2 nd grade screening  Brief Screener: for students in Grades 3-5, new to HCPS  Age Percentile Scores – compares students to others of same age  Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students – TOMAGS  Mathematical reasoning/ability  Primary and Intermediate  Age Percentile Scores  Normal and Gifted  Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary and Middle School Students, Second Edition – SAGES-2  Math/Science & LA/SS - Achievement  Reasoning – aptitude  Primary and Intermediate  Age Percentile Scores  Normal and Gifted  Can be used instead of CogAT brief screener for new HCPS students  Slocumb-Payne Teacher Perception Inventory

The Cognitive Abilities Test- All 2 nd Graders  The Cognitive Abilities Test is an exam administered to assess students’ abilities in three areas considered important in determining future academic success:  Verbal Reasoning  Nonverbal Reasoning  Quantitative Reasoning  Assesses students in relation to their peers

What kind of abilities does CogAT measure? Measures the three major means we use for communicating in our society  Verbal Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to the use of symbols  Quantitative Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to numbers  Nonverbal Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to use of symbols

Terms Used in Assessments  Universal Scale Score (USS) – obtained from the raw score  Standard Age Score (SAS) – the Universal Scale Score applied to age level norms or grade level norms  Percentile – place in population of those scoring lower than the tested student’s score  Stanine – division of percentiles into 9 equal groups  Composite - an average of the three or two USS scores being used  Standard Deviation – distance scores are away from the mean

How to Interpret CogAT Scores 68% of students fall here 98% of students will fall in here > Top 3% NOTE: the CogAT has a standard deviation of 16, not 15

HCPS Levels of Service Models Level 1 Opportunities for ALL students Critical & Creative thinking; Talent Development Level 2 Occasional Service for MANY students Opportunities for additional challenge and extended learning experiences Level 3 Consistent service for SOME students Flexible ability grouping within specific subject areas Level 4 Intensive service for FEW students Intense work in highly challenging curriculum or research

Levels of Service Model Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Levels of Service- PMES Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Ag Lab STEM Day Assemblies Field Trips After school activities Differentiation in classroom Conceptual & Inquiry- based curricular materials Curriculum compacting Flexible grouping Individual project time Cluster grouping

Curricular Example - Mathematics Time Distance from Finish Line Orange Roll

Parent Resources  HCPS Gifted and Talented Education HCPS.org/gifted  Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education (McGATE) Mcgate.org  National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) NAGC.org  Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Sengifted.org  #GTChat on Twitter – also have a blog

You have a right to  know about your giftedness.  learn something new everyday.  be passionate about your talent area without apologies.  have an identity beyond your talent area.  feel good about your accomplishments. make mistakes.  seek guidance in the development of your talent.  have multiple peer groups and a variety of friends.  choose which of your talent areas you wish to pursue.  not to be gifted at everything. Gifted Children's Bill of Rights