1. Designing Comprehensive Gifted Programming
Session 1
October 30, 2018

2. Look with favor upon a bold beginning.
--Virgil, Roman poet

3. Agenda Welcome and Introductions Goals Iowa Code Foundation Home Play
Closure

4. Tools Wiki Google site Visit http://aea11gt.pbworks.com
Create site
Share with me

5. Introductions
Identify 2-3 words or phrases that capture the essence of your gifted program
Share your words in descending order of importance.
What do we have in common?
All must agree on all the words

6. Why this work? A common philosophy
A comprehensive K-12 program plan to guide programming
Teamwork
Establish importance of leadership
It will benefit kids
Sharpening focus

7. Outcomes
To deepen understanding of the components of comprehensive gifted and talented programming
To create valid and systematic identification procedures
To construct and/or improve a written comprehensive gifted and talented program plan
To identify and use data necessary to provide, drive, and improve gifted and talented programming
To build a team mentality

9. Team Role Honor commitment to complete work between sessions
Everyone contributes
Dedication to learning
Advocacy
Promote learning of others
Be open to change

10. Administrator Role Provide and protect time for team to meet
Provide access to data
Provide access to staff
Encourage and guide
Learn with teachers
Be open to change

11. Group Norms, Processes and Needs
Talk freely - think out loud
Support one another in the learning
Use technology responsibly
Feel free to change your mind
Remember Iowa Core and Iowa Code
Make connections
Commit to intercession work

12. Iowa Code and Gifted Standards
Iowa Code provides requirements in law for minimum compliance (Chs. 12 & 59)
NAGC PK-12 Gifted Programming Standards provide guidance toward best practices to achieve student outcomes
Teacher Preparation Standards in Gifted Education identify essential knowledge and skills for teachers of gifted

13. Comprehensive Gifted and Talented Programming
Including many things
Having a wide scope or full view
Extensive; wide; large; full; compendious
(dictionary.com)

14. So what is it?
Work with your team to list the components/characteristics of comprehensive gifted and talented programming.
Think: comprehensive physical, comprehensive exam

15. Comprehensive Gifted and Talented Programming
Includes and integrates multiple domains of giftedness
Provides multiple programming options matched to student need
Addresses both cognitive and affective needs
Is articulated K-12
Is evolutionary in nature
Is essential to and embedded in an effective educational program
Is based on student need
Identifies children with unmet educational needs
Discuss questions and insights this list brings to mind. How does this look and feel different from what you currently know? How does it align with what your programming is/does?

17. CONSENSUS INFRASTRUCTURE CONSENSUS IMPLEMENTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
This graphic and thinking have been applied to many different initiatives.When we implement comprehensive gifted and talented programming, this is a valid framework to apply.
CONSENSUS
INFRASTRUCTURE

18. Managing Complex Change+
Vision
Skills
Incentives
Resources
Action
Plan =
Change
Confusion = +
Skills
Incentives
Resources
Action
Plan +
Vision
Incentives
Resources
Action
Plan =
Anxiety = +
Vision
Skills
Resources
Action
Plan
Resistance
For most of you and your staffs, implementing comprehensive g/t programming represents complex change. Change, especially that with 2nd order implications, can upset people and create resistance. Often we’re left wondering why. This chart helps explain it. Let’s talk about each aspect.
Vision:
Skills: If you expect me to drive you across town to an important meeting, you assume I have certain skills associated with driving. What are some of those skills?
What will happen to me as the potential driver if I lack these skills? What will you as the passenger experience?
Incentives: Eating right: What’s in it for me? You eating right: What’s in it for me?
Resources: I have to teach literature but have no books and no internet access.
Action Plan: Prevents purpose drift. Helps me break the “big thing” onto manageable parts. Shows me how to bring the vision to life. = +
Vision
Skills
Incentives
Action
Plan
Frustration = +
Vision
Skills
Incentives
Resources
False Starts
Adapted from Knoster, T., Villa R., & Thousand, J. (2000). A framework for thinking about systems change. In R. villa & J. Thousand (Eds.), Restructuring for caring and effective education: Piecing the puzzle together (pp ). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

19. Identify in Grade Spans…
With regard to g/t programming
which areas are strengths?
which areas need attention/work?
Report one strength and one area needing attention.

20. Vision Mission Beliefs Commitments to Action
It All Starts With…
Vision
Mission
Beliefs
Commitments to Action

21. Vision What we aspire to Requires “stretch” Example:
ITAG envisions a time when all students, including the gifted and talented, are given an appropriate educational experience that matches their abilities and potential, where they have abundant opportunities for their intellectual and creative challenge and growth, and those who work with them are effectively trained to appreciate, understand, and nurture their unique talents and needs.
What elements require stretch? What words take us to a future time? Could this vision be achieved easily? Quickly? Tomorrow…or next week?

22. Victory Circle
Three years from now, the DE awards your district the “Outstanding GT Program” distinction for the state.
What would we see, hear, experience, etc. that would give credence to the award?
Chart paper
Post

23. Creating Stretch
What aspects of your victory are worthy of achieving but would require significant stretch?
Consider these ideas to help you write a statement of vision.
This is a process of generalizing from a list of specific attributes using inductive reasoning.

24. S-W-O-R Analysis
What are the strengths in our school that would help us achieve our victory?
What weaknesses do we need to overcome?
What opportunities exist if we achieve our victory?
What risks do we face along the way?

25. Assumptions
What assumptions do you hold about gifted children? (+ or -)
What assumptions do classroom teachers, administrators, and parents in your district/building hold?

26. Putting It All Together…
Consider
desired state (victory)
components requiring stretch
current state (S-W-O-R)
assumptions which drive beliefs
Create a draft of your vision.

27. Sample Vision
Waukee – “New learning all day every day for each identified gifted child.”
Consider: In what ways will vision impact programming?

28. Mission/Philosophy Answers the questions What is our purpose?
Why does the program(ming) exist?
What it does
Creates cohesiveness, commitment, and understanding
Gives meaning to our work
Choosing how we’ll work
What work we choose to do
--Conzemius & O’Neill, 2002

29. Traits Comprehensiveness Rationale Consistency Clarity
--Purcell & Eckert, 2006
These traits are spelled out on page 21-2 of Designing Services and Programs for High-Ability Learners. Take a minute to look through them and discuss in your team.

30. Evaluating Your Mission/Philosophy
Rate your mission/philosophy with regard to
Comprehensiveness
Rationale
Consistency
Clarity

31. Sample Mission/Philosophy
The mission of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association is to recognize, support, and respect the unique and diverse needs of talented and gifted learners through ADVOCACY: by encouraging informed educational professionals, parents, policy makers, and all other stakeholders to take appropriate action for the benefit of talented and gifted learners. EDUCATION: by strengthening and encouraging the recognition and implementation of practices that support identification of talented and gifted learners and accommodation of the social, emotional, and intellectual levels. NETWORKING: by increasing opportunities for collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders with the goal of advancing the abilities and developing the potential of talented and gifted learners.
Compare/contrast the ITAG vision and mission statements. How are they different? Why would the organization have each?

32. Belief Statements & Commitments to Action
Beliefs: an expression of what we believe to be true Commitments to Action: absolute commitments that translate into behaviors Example: Belief: gifted kids learn best in the company of intellectual peers Commitment to Action: to provide grouping arrangements that promote new learning for gifted kids
Beliefs reflect commitments to action, sometimes called core values, and vice versa.
Beliefs are based on underlying assumptions
Core values can be stated in three ways: as outcomes for students, as commitments to each other, or as beliefs about conditions for learning

33. Sample M/V/B Waukee Perry Bettendorf What is important for your work?
Critical to connect GT m/v/b to larger district view
Review sample
Do you need all of them?
Let’s take a look at sample district vision, mission, beliefs, and commitments to action

34. Building Consensus Determine With whom you will share
How you will determine/build consensus

35. Program Evaluation Baseline data Basis for program goals
Complete Self-Audit/Reflection section(s)
Program Goals
Bring results to next session
Basis for program goals
Means to improve programming

36. Home Play Complete two sections of SA/RT
Program Goals
Share draft of Mission/Philosophy with GT Advisory, Administrative Team, and/or School Board
Get input
Get mission/philosophy approved
Reflect on results

37. Next Meeting
November 14, 2018
2:30. – 4:30 p.m. - Zoom

38. Memory Mingle
How has the information you’ve engaged with so far “pushed” your thinking?
Share
Identify connections and/or conclusions
What does this mean for your work?