1. Characteristics of Gifted Students
Gifted children might have:
Overwhelming curiosity
Ability to ask deep, probing questions
Excellent memory
Independence in thought and action
Creative ideas, thoughts, and humor
Intense interests in specific areas
Highly developed sense of fairness
Perfectionism
Asynchronous development

2. Philosophy of Gifted Education
Gifted children have exceptional needs
Academic
Social/Emotional
Appropriately challenging curriculum
More time on higher level thinking skills
Deeper and more intense content
Not more of the same, but different
Acceleration as a form of differentiation

3. What’s the problem?
Gifted and talented students have mastered 40-50% of the elementary class curriculum before the school year begins (Reis, 1993)
Highly gifted and talented students may have mastered up to 80% of the elementary class curriculum before the school year begins
Gifted and talented students master even new curriculum in fewer repetitions, thus taking less time

4. Won’t they do fine on their own?
Many spend more than half their school day on topics and tasks that they have already mastered (NRC/GT)
Risk of frustration, apathy, poor work habits
Risk of being overlooked (2X, poverty)

5. Economic Arguments
National reports on global competitiveness (Rising Above the Gathering Storm, etc.)
Public education needed for underrepresented gifted students
State and local economic issues

6. Typical Past Programming and Services
Enrichment Opportunities: e.g.
Differentiation in regular classroom
Magnet schools
Acceleration Practices: e.g.
Early entry to kindergarten
Youth Options, other early college

7. New Trends in Programming and Services
Gifted education within RtI
Common core standards and GT
Assessment & value-added
21st Century Skills
STEM initiatives
Personalized learning

8. Current State Resources
DPI Consultant (1/2 GT, 1/2 AP)
Small grants program
PI 34 - two licenses
Licensure programs (teacher, coordinator)

9. Survey Findings: Personnel
Most had a coordinator named
50% of coordinators were 10% or less GT
Previous surveys: cuts and cutbacks

10. Survey Findings: Attempts to Hire
54 districts advertised for GT expertise as part of position
41% found no applicant with any GT expertise
35% found applicant with some GT expertise

11. More examples of acceleration
Acceleration through compacting or telescoping curriculum within class
Partial class acceleration/content acceleration (e.g., math only)
Grade skipping or grade compression (e.g. middle school in two years)
Early entrance/early exit (kindergarten, middle school, high school, college)
Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate classes, distance learning
Dual enrollment

12. Differentiation strategies: Content, process and product differentiation
Compacting
Flexible grouping
Independent contracts/independent projects
Learning and interest centers
Tiered assignments
Questioning

13. Underrepresented Gifted
Federal Javits program specifies:
Economically disadvantaged
Limited English Proficiency
Disabled
Other

14. Why are diverse students underrepresented in gifted programs?
General background reasons
Specific decision reasons
(A side note on the need for public school gifted education)

15. General Background Reasons
Poverty
Limiting definitions of giftedness
Lack of culturally sensitive measures
Inadequate preparation of teachers re: nomination
Cultural preferences

16. Specific Decision Reasons
Lack of teacher referral
Test performance
Test(s) used
Test-taking skills
Choice
Students
Caregivers
Policy and procedures

17. Identification Recommendations
Identify early and inclusively
Educate teachers on culturally sensitive nomination and screening
Use culturally sensitive instruments
Use stratified local norms on traditional instruments (for example, top 5% of each underrepresented group)

18. Programming Recommendations for Underrepresented Students
Increase participation of underrepresented students in challenging courses
Identify early, remediate as needed, and prepare students for challenging courses
Raise teachers’ expectations of diverse students…

19. Programming Recommendations
Incorporate multicultural curriculum
Provide models to counter fear of “acting white”
Strengthen family involvement efforts

20. What Could Happen? Identifying and Nurturing Giftedness Early and Broadly
More teachers looking for gifts and talents in underrepresented children
More diverse students with higher expectations of themselves
More diverse students in the “high-achiever” pipeline
More diverse students scoring Advanced; in honors classes; in AP

21. Motivation and Gifted Students
What does the research say about strategies for students, parents, teachers and counselors?

22. Background and Issues “You have SO much potential…”
Are gifted students different?
Differing perspectives: research vs. practice
Who’s the underachiever?
What works?
Motivating gifted students
Engaging intrinsic motivation

23. Expectancy X value theories of motivation
Do I think that I can achieve at this task?
Do I want to pursue this task?
Gifted: high expectancies of success
Compliance: willing to value the task?
Issues: mismatch, challenge, long-term value

24. Goal theories
Mastery goals vs. performance goals (task orientation vs. ego orientation)
Dweck and “mindset” (fixed vs. malleable)
Gifted: the downside of fixed mindset
Praise for ability
Praise for speed, high grades, etc.
Connections to neuroplasticity at all ages

25. Implications for Gifted
Most aspects of most motivation theories and related research apply to the gifted
Specific areas of caution:
Appropriate challenge necessary
Focus on growth and learning more than performance and competition (“What did you learn?” vs. “What did you get?”)
Need opportunity to put forth effort