1. West High School Professional Development: Gifted and Talented Supports
An examination of gifted and talented programming and its implications at West.
By: Kevin Purfurst
Frame the PD as an introduction to gifted and talented programming and how West has set structures up to help gifted and talented students.

2. Agenda Introduction Defining Giftedness Response to Intervention
Objectives
Rationale
Defining Giftedness
Traditional Definitions
Issues with Traditional Definitions in Urban Schools
Expanded Definitions
Response to Intervention
Identifying Giftedness
Tier 3 Interventions
Tier 2 Interventions
Tier 1 Interventions

3. Content Objectives
TWBAT develop a broad understanding for the definition of gifted and talented students.
TWBAT analyze how gifted students are being handled in urban schools and at West might be impacting student and school achievement.
TWBAT evaluate West’s current gifted and talented supports through the RtI Model.
TWBAT plan uses for gifted and talented interventions in their classrooms.
Request that teachers read out loud.

4. Language Objectives TWABT read analysis of defining giftedness.
TWBAT read about strategies to support gifted and talented students.
TWBAT discuss in whole group, small group and partner settings West’s current gifted and talented programs.
TWBAT write how they will implement gifted and talented interventions in their classrooms.
Request that teachers read out loud.

5. Rationale
Gifted and talented students are often overlooked, with the focus placed on those students who are behind grade level (Silverman, 2007).
Gifted and talented students offer opportunities to raise school wide achievement.
Discuss the reasoning for this PD session.

6. What is a gifted student?
Defining Giftedness
What is a gifted student?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. If responses are focused academic achievement as a definition for giftedness, highlight that.

7. Defining Giftedness
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains.  Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports) (National Association for Gifted Children)” [1]
Highlight that this definition. Suggest to teachers that it too suggests that high academic achievement is a definition of giftedness. Show however, how it also suggests that there is more to giftedness than academic achievement through the use of the word “sensorimotor.” Carefully express that this is not a definition claiming that sensorimotor skills are a demonstrated effect of giftedness, but instead a separate and equally valid measure of giftedness.

8. Defining Giftedness Giftedness and urban students:
“A large percentage of gifted children tested in Denver Public Schools were referred for behavior problems.” [2]
“Gifted children most likely be be overlooked were from low socio-economic backgrounds or culturally diverse or both.” [3]
How might these ideas impact our students?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Attempt to get at the point that urban students are naturally at a disadvantage when it comes to identifying their giftedness. Emphasize that it can be easy to overlook gifted students in urban schools. Highlight that this does suggest that gifted students at West, like many other schools in DPS, are being overlooked.

9. Defining Giftedness Effects of ignoring urban giftedness:
“The ways we have addressed [the achievement gap] have also produced flat line academic growth among our most able students.” [4]
What strategies in use in urban schools might be contributing to the “flat line academic growth” among gifted students? What are we doing at West that might be contributing to this?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Attempt to get at the point that the pressure of high stakes testing has prompted the idea that teachers should only work towards getting all student to “proficient” and not work to push up their level of work, especially gifted students. Highlight that in the past, we have not done a good job at West identifying gifted students. Instead the focus has been on raising the achievement of low performing students rather that including a push to raise the achievement of high performing students to an even higher level.

10. Defining Giftedness
Schools that are low performing (like West) may focus on raising the achievement of low performing students through RtI and intervention programs here at West while ignoring the opportunity to help gifted students push their achievement even higher. Intensive intervention support through RtI was provided to 112 students last year. Those students represented the 112 lowest growth students from the previous year’s CSAP data. 71% of those students demonstrated above average growth using the CGM.
Discuss with teachers how the work of interventions helped to push up the achievement of those who received them.

11. Defining Giftedness
What about the other 500+ students? Their growth was low relative to the rest of the state population. Could this be a result of lack of interventions for all other students? If we focused time and effort on push our gifted students beyond the where they already are what might be the impact? On students? On the school performance framework?

12. Explain that this slide shows West’s CSAP results relative to other schools using the CGM from last year. Highlight that West is both a low achievement and low growth school. Explain that if West pushed gifted math students, their growth would increase and West could move next year from low growth to higher growth. This might also result in a higher achievement score as well.

13. Offer the same explanation for writing.

14. And for reading…

15. Defining Giftedness
This might suggest that if we do a better job providing targeted interventions for different student groups, we might be able to provide the necessary supports for them to achieve above average growth like their peers receiving intensive interventions did in the previous year.

16. Defining Giftedness
A more accurate definition? “It is developmental advancement that can be observed in early childhood.” [5] How does this definition differ from a definition focused on academic achievement?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Attempt to get at the point that giftedness is not necessarily how high a student achieves academically, but how students are developing a given area.

17. Defining Giftedness Four areas of giftedness:
Above Average Ability – general
Students with high academic performance across all subjects.
Above Average Ability – specific
Students with high academic performance in specific subject areas.
Task Commitment
Students with drive to be successful through hard work.
Creativity
Students demonstrating advanced ability in creative areas. [6]
Can you think of any students you have, or have had, who might have been gifted in a way other than academically?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses.

18. Response to Intervention
“Gifted student achievement is accomplished in a RtI adaptable system of ongoing assessment, problem solving and learning through a continuum of benchmarks and tiered programming options. Strengths, interests and needs of diverse gifted learners are matched to programming and/or interventions.” [7]
Explain that the CDE endorses the use of RTI as a way to ensure that gifted students, and not just low performing students, are having their needs met.

19. Remind teachers (from previous PD sessions on RtI) about how RtI tiers model works.

20. Response to Intervention
Explain that this shows what gifted interventions might look like at each level of intervention.

21. Response to Intervention
The first step to providing support for gifted students through RtI is to identify the students who are gifted, and in what ways they are gifted. [10] What are some ways we can identify gifted students in our own classrooms?
Watch the first seconds only. Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Work to generate examples of how teachers can identify gifted students. Record on next slide.

22. Response to Intervention
Record ways to identify gifted students on this slide.

23. Response to Intervention
Tier 1 Interventions (In class strategies!) [11]
Differentiate, differentiate, differentiate!
Independent study.
Scaffold up – push towards higher order thinking.
Homogeneous grouping.
What are some other ideas for gifted tier 1 interventions that you have?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Work to generate examples of how teachers can implement tier 1 interventions for gifted students. Record on next slide.

24. Response to Intervention
Record ways to provide tier 1 interventions for gifted students on this slide.

25. Response to Intervention
Tier 1 interventions in action! [12] How could you use this in your classroom?
Have teachers turn and talk for 30 seconds. Solicit responses. Work to generate examples of how teachers can use this strategy for gifted students in their classrooms. Record on next slide.

26. Response to Intervention
Record ways teachers might use this approach in their classroom with gifted students on this slide.

27. Response to Intervention
Tier 2 Interventions at West
Graduation Station
Course alike teachers should divide and conquer!
One teacher should provide enrichment, the other should provide intervention.
This allows our gifted interventions to be fluid – changing each week!
Remind teacher that they are to use Graduation Station to provide both interventions for those who did not master the goals for the week, and to provide enrichment for those who mastered the goals. While this does not necessarily provide the truest intervention for gifted students, it is a fluid way of providing enrichment for mostly gifted students.

28. Response to Intervention
Tier 3 Interventions at West
Honors Courses
All English courses have honors sections.
Advanced courses of all electives are being offered.
All 10th-12th grade science, math and social studies courses have honors/accelerated sections.
We will create 9th grade honors/accelerated sections for second semester.
Explain that honors/AP/accelerated/advanced courses are to be used as a Tier 3 intervention. As such, students in those courses must be properly placed in them. Explain how course advanced classes are designed for students who have demonstrated advanced academic ability as well as task commitment. Advanced elective and other select elective courses are for those who have demonstrated acceleration in creativity and other areas like leadership.

29. In your departments…
Create a poster that shows how you can implement one Tier 1 intervention for gifted students in your content area.
Be prepared to share it with the whole group!
Release teachers to work in departments for 10 minutes. They should create a poster showing one example of a Tier 1 gifted intervention and how it would apply in their particular content area. Have teachers return to presentation room and have one member from each department show their poster and explain it to the group.

30. For your exit ticket…
On a blank sheet of paper answer the two following questions:
How will you work to identify gifted students in your classroom?
Write one day next week that you will use a gifted Tier 1 intervention in your classroom, what that intervention will be and how you will use it.
Have teachers answer these questions independently then turn them in as they leave the PD session.

31. Resources
[1] National Association for Gifted Children [2] [3] [5] Silverman, L. (2007). What is giftedness? The Boulder Parent, p. 50. [4] Renzulli, J. (2008)The Achievement Gap, the Education Conspiracy Against Low Income Children and How This Conspiracy Has Dragged Down the Achievement of All Students. The University of Connecticut.

32. Resources
[6] Gargiulo, R. (2012). Special Education in Contemporary Society. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. – Pages selected chapter on gifted & talented [7] GT: Mission, Vision and Principles. Colorado Department of Education. [8] RtI: Learn About RtI. Colorado Department of Education. [9] Rollins, et al. (2009) RtI Models for Gifted Students. Gifted Child Today. 32 (3). Pg. 28.

33. Resources
[10] “Gifted and Talented” [11] Archambault, et al. Regular Classroom Practices with Gifted Students: Results of a Survey of Classroom Teachers. The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. [12] Lannenberg Learner: Making Meaning in Literature: 3. Asking Questions