1. Students Who Are Gifted and Underachieving: Why & What Can We Do? Victoria B. Damiani, Ed.D., NCSP Director, IUP Center for Gifted Education

2. What is underachievement?

3. Underachievement is costly….  Students with poor grades are more likely to:  Be absent  Drop out  Set lower goals Once the pattern is set it often gets worse in middle school & high school

4.  Please think of one student you have known who you would describe as underachieving.  How did the underachievement show itself?  What do you think were the reasons for the underachievement?  Think about this student as we go through the rest of this discussion

5. What underachievement ISN’T  Any discrepancy between ability and grades  A gifted student getting Bs & Cs  A student with a disability who is weak in the area of the disability Underachievement is poor school performance in an area where we have reason to believe the student is capable

6.  Please share the description of the UA child you described with your neighbor  What were some of the causes of underachievement you noted for the child you described?  How would you determine whether your thoughts were correct?

7. Multiple Causes  Inappropriate expectations  Inadequate/Inappropriate educational programming  Family factors  Personal characteristics

8. Inappropriate Expectations  Incomplete assessments  Assessments misread or not read  Disabilities or emotional factors missed  Program doesn’t match assessment results

9. Educational Programming  Fails to challenge  Not academic  Study skills not developed  Not enough time spent with other capable students  Anti-intellectual climate  Student’s interests ignored  Crazy schedule

10. Family Factors  Disorganization  Conflict (often between father & son, but daughters can also be affected)  Modeling underachievement  Modeling devaluation of educational system  UA a form of aggression against parent  Parents take on too much responsibility  Parents have inappropriate expectations

11. Characteristics of Student  Lack of motivation  Negative feelings about school  Poor study/work skills  Inaccurate beliefs about self/school  Fear of success/failure  Poor concentration  Poor self-regulation

12. But, Most Common Factors Are: Inability to self-monitor in learning & performanceInability to self-monitor in learning & performance Lack of motivationLack of motivation Emotional issues such as perfectionism and depressionEmotional issues such as perfectionism and depression Inappropriate educational programmingInappropriate educational programming

13. The Hebert Study (2001) In-depth study of 6 underachieving males in grades 10-12, Hispanic, White, & African American All had achievement test scores at the 85 th %tile or better, many at the 95 th %tile or better In-depth study of 6 underachieving males in grades 10-12, Hispanic, White, & African American All had achievement test scores at the 85 th %tile or better, many at the 95 th %tile or better All were currently failing or at risk of failing

14. Most frequent issues:  Deficits in organization & self-regulation skills  Poor study habits  Used lack of challenge as a defense mechanism  Families did not consistently model achievement

15.  Unhealthy emotional climates in home  Deleterious effects of part-time jobs  Unchallenging curricula  Lack of hands-on experiences  Peer group values that did not reward academics

16. Suggestions from Hebert  Provide services to families  Educate teachers on how to teach bright, urban students  Better guide students in course & program selection  Enhance programs in visual & performing arts  Develop magnet programs

17.  Offer vocational programs for high ability students  Provide career mentors  Coaches need to support scholar- athletes  Train counselors in issues related to high ability & underachievement

18.  Drop study halls & replace with career/college planning sessions  Identify underachievers in elementary school

19. McCoach & Siegle (2003)  A national study of gifted achievers vs UA What do you think? True or False? 1.Both gifted achievers and gifted underachievers possessed high academic self-perceptions.

20.  Gifted achievers had more positive opinions of teachers & more positive attitudes toward school.  Attitudes toward teachers was the most powerful predictor of achievement  Motivation to meet goals & self-regulation were the most powerful predictors of achievement.  Many gifted achievers shared common characteristics, but gifted UA were quite different from one another.

21.  Please develop 3 interventions for your partner’s underachieving student.  What would you do first, second, etc?  Who would carry out your intervention?

22. Intervention  Begin with educational program  Least intrusive  Required by regulation  Carries potential for prevention of UA in other students  Most research available  Expertise present among educators

23. To assess appropriateness of program for any student you must know at least:  Academic levels/skills in reading and math (Standardized & curriculum based)  Achievement history  Study & work habits  Results of any full MDT assessments Adjust program accordingly/Share with student & parents

24. Move Next to Related Services that are Educational in Nature  Career exploration  Real world experiences  Study/organizational skill instruction  Relationship with adult  Exploration of student interests  Educational time spent with other capable students  Variety of extra-curricular activities

25. Thirdly, fully evaluate self- monitoring, social, emotional, & family issues  Depression  Perfectionism  Anxiety  Family factors  Student’s self-regulation & self-messages

26.  Go back and evaluate your interventions  Would you make any changes?

27. Depression  May present as disinterest  May present as anger/rebellion  Will be evident in other parts of child’s life  Is treatable  Requires careful psychological assessment that can be done at school  Will most likely be treated outside of school, but a school component is essential

28. Perfectionism  May begin work but not complete  May do one part of assignment well and others not at all  Pattern usually evident over time  May be familial connection  Interventions can be done at school if symptoms are not too severe

29. Anxiety  May be related to one subject only  May be related to one activity only, such as testing  May coexist with perfectionism  Can appear with or without a history  Can be addressed at school if focused and not generalized  If addressed outside will need a school component as well

30. Family Factors  Accurate information about student’s strengths & needs may help  May be related to family cognitions about giftedness  Will often be evident if parents & student are seen together  May generalize beyond academics  Can be addressed at school if focus is on school-related issues & intervener is appropriately trained

31. Student Self-regulation & messages  Cognitions regarding giftedness  Self-reports of thoughts & feelings when doing academic work  Metacognitive interview (Rafoth, 1999)  Time and materials report

32. Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions  Goal setting & Tracking (teach to record their own behavior)  Modeling (self-messages for organization)  Organization (step by step through a project)  Rubrics for self-evaluation

33. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions  Have student practice positive self-talk  Teach relaxation techniques  Teach self-reward  Use self-report rating scales to get baseline & assess progress  Student participation in development of plan is essential

34. Relevant resources:  Damiani, V. (2006). A cognitive-behavioral approach with underachieving gifted youth. In R. B. Mennuti, A. Freeman, & R. Christner (Eds.), Cogntive-behavioral interventions in educational settings (pp. 163-181). New York: Routledge.  Dawson, P., & Guare, R. (2004). Executive skills in children and adolescents. New York: Guilford.  Rafoth, M. A. (1999). Inspiring independent learning. Washington, DC: National Education Association.