Report on Gifted and Talented Program

Fall, 2005

Thank You, Linda Uttech

We would like to acknowledge the work of Linda Uttech – past Gifted and Talented Coordinator who has had a significant impact on making the Gifted and Talented program one that is held in high regard by many within the field. Based on her work for students with exceptional gifts, we have a program that reaches out to many. She also had a desire to see differentiated instruction used as a strategy for many more students. With the help of the Gifted and Talented Building Resource Staff, we hope we are taking the best of what she had envisioned and moving it to the next level.

Thank you, Linda, for your hard work and dedication to all of the students and staff of the Oregon School District who benefited from your vision.

Task Force Goal

To identify the current philosophy, policies, structure, and procedures used to identify and program for Oregon School District’s students with gifted and talented needs

To make recommendations for future programming based on state mandates, best practice, and district need.

Questions

What procedures are used to identify students as being gifted and talented?

Are the right students being identified and are the students receiving the right services based on our current design?

What specific gifted and talented strategies work?

Wisconsin State Statutes

Students are considered Gifted and Talented based on the following definition:

“Pupils enrolled in public schools who give evidence of high performance capability in intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or specific academic areas and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided in a regular school program in order to fully develop such capabilities”. (s. 118.35(1), Wis. Stats.)

Identification

“This identification shall include multiple criteria that are appropriate for the category of gifted including intelligence, achievement, leadership, creativity, product evaluations, and nominations. A pupil may be identified as gifted or talented in one or more of the categories under s118.35 (1), Wis. Stat.”

Standard T

In s.121.02 (1) (t), commonly referred to as Standard T and its accompanying Administrative Rule PI 8.01(2) (t).2, the following is stated “Each school district board shall establish a plan and designate a person to coordinate the Gifted and Talented Program.”

WISCONSIN’S COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED GIFTED PROGRAMMING MODEL

2%

Individualized Services DEPS

Differentiated Education Plans

Mentorships Internships Independent

Research Radical Acceleration Early Entrance

at any level

Special Group Programming Beyond the Regular Classroom

Pullout options which - relate to talents and abilities - relate to curriculum - use compacting and contracting - use flexible grouping - use resource teachers and materials

Mini Courses Honors Classes Cluster Classes Seminars AP Classes Magnet Schools Co-curricular/Extracurricular Activities

Regular Classroom Differentiation

Continuous Progress Curriculum through - Quality mastery of basics - Modification of content, process, product - Enrichment and acceleration

Cluster Ability Grouping, including - flexible grouping and regrouping - within and cross grade level groupings - advance classes

Instructional Strategies which - teach thinking skills to all students - allow talents and abilities to emerge - extend skill development

Learning Centers/Activities Team Teaching

Programming Options

5%

10%

Coordination

Staff Development

Talent Assessment

Parent Involvement

Flexible Pacing

Counseling

Options become more specialized as the population becomes smaller

Department of Public Instruction Bureau for School Improvement September 1991

Level 1 Classroom Differentiation

Approximately 10% of the overall population. This year, in Oregon, that would be 350 students

Level 2 – Special Group Programming

Approximately 5% of the overall population. This year, in Oregon, that would be 175 student.

Level 3 – Individualized Services

Approximately 2% of the overall population. This year, in Oregon, that would be 70 students.

Current Identification Process

Identification screener completed by parents, teachers, and students at grades 2, 5, and 7.

The questions asked are specific to having gifted potential in one or more of the following areas: intellectual, academic, creativity, performing or visual arts, leadership, and/or commitment to task.

Currently, if a student receives positive identification by two or three members of these groups (parents, teachers and peers) in one or more areas, that student is considered gifted.

Other testing has been optional.

Findings Interpretation of the term “multiple criteria” means

more than an “identification screener” In fact, the information we currently collect would

appear to be only one of the criteria listed in the statute which is “nomination”.

Other identification measures which have been utilized within some, but not all, schools include product evaluations, intellectual measures, and achievement measures.

In addition, the task force determined that the nomination process as it stands has several limitations.

1) Only certain grade levels have access to the nomination process.

2) Not every parent of students within these grade levels accessed the survey. This is of concern as the parent group is the group identified by research studies as being the most accurate at identifying the child’s potential.

3) The staff who works with the gifted and talented students believes that the questions used in the nomination survey may need to be revised.

II. Are the right students being identified and are the students receiving the right services based on our current design?

The Oregon School District Gifted and Talented Policy (334.01) reads as follows:

“Since the Oregon School District is committed to providing all of its students an appropriate education, the district’s policies for students who might benefit from participation in gifted and talented programming are both flexible and inclusive.”

(334.03.5) “The following guidelines refer to three different levels of gifted programming as described in “The Wisconsin Integrated Gifted Education Model”. The percentages are given as estimates only; they are suggested by research as probable percentages of gifted students requiring the three specialized levels of programming. The Gifted and Talented Program in the Oregon School District is designed to include approximately 20% of the population.”

The policy indicates the three levels of programming are:

334.06 Individualized Services for approximately the top 2% of the general population.

334.05 Special Group Programming Beyond Regular Classroom for approximately the next 5% of the general population, and

334.04 Regular Classroom Differentiation for approximately the next 10% of the general population.

Percent Identified through the

screener/Actual Population

Percent Identified and Served

Percent Not Identified but Served

Total Served Via Level 2 & 3

Programming

Total Number of Students Served

2003-042004-

052003-

042004-

052003-04

2004-05

2003-04

2004-05

2003-04

2004-05

BKE 10%/382

14%389

8% 9% 15% 10% 23% 19% 85 74

NKE 13%/431

20%/442

11% 17% 11% 4% 22% 21% 93 64

PVE 16%/401

17%/421

10% 11% 8% 9% 18% 20% 96 83

RCI 25%/550

25%/556

14% 15% 15% 10% 29% 25% 157 136

OMS 29%/588

29%/596

12% 16% 6% 7% 18% 23% 105 140

OHS 19% /1086

17%/1093

19% 6% 2% 13% 21% 19% 228 209

Total 764 706

Findings – The policy indicates approximately 20% of the total student population may be identified as Gifted and Talented.

In 2003-04 the total population was 3438, so the numbered serviced should have been between 584 and 688. Instead, we provided service to 764 students.

In 2004-05, the total population was 3497. so the number served should have been between 594 and 699. We provided service to 706 students.

Previous Programming

Kindergarten through eighth grade students identified as gifted and talented have been served with short term pull-out group programs, some individualized services and some classroom differentiation.

In most cases, the pull-out programming has taken place during other class work time, thereby, making it necessary for the students to make up work that was missed while they were gone.

In past years, the services provided were not necessarily linked to the student’s identified area of giftedness based upon the screener results. An example would be a student identified on the screener in the area of leadership but placed in an Art pull-out class.

Conclusions

Based on our current process for gifted and talented identification and service, it appears that we are providing “pull out” programming for too many students. 

The result is that programming has become the same for the top 20% instead of the leveled programming identified in district policy and state statute.

Identify Specific Gifted and Talented Strategies that Work

Level I – Regular Classroom Differentiation (Approximately 10%)

The first step identified as best practice by the Department of Public Instruction and the policy of the Oregon School Board is to meet needs of a percentage of the identified gifted and talented population through regular classroom differentiation

Differentiation Strategies

Pre-testing

Most Difficult First

Compacting

Contracting

Level II – Special Group Programming (Approximately 5%)

Workshops Cluster groups/classes In Lieu Of Electives in talent area Extracurricular opportunities in talent

areas Honors/Accelerated/capstone Classes Group Guidance Pull-out over time

Level III – Individualized Services (Approximately 2% of the school population)

Acceleration by Grade Acceleration by Subject Early Entrance Independent Study Individual/group guidance In Lieu of Programming Mentorship

Overall Program Recommendations

Related to Questions 1 and 2

Procedures and Identification

Number 1

Move towards a consistent system of identification for the top 2 and 5% of the population which includes children identified as Twice Exceptional (“giftedness coexists with a learning challenge of some sort, most commonly a learning disability, behavioral problem, and/or Attention Deficit Disorder” (Winebrenner, 2001: p. 20).

Number 2

Develop a plan to accurately identify and distinguish programming needs for the 2, 5, and 10% population. (Bd. Policy, 334.03-06).

Step One - Screener (Nomination Process)

Emphasize the word “Screener” as the first step in identification will not be the one and only identification measure.

The screener should be filled out every year, up through grade 9 by parents and teachers

The screener alone should not be used to exclude a currently identified student.

The screener questions should be revised to reflect multiple traits of giftedness.

The screener should be completed in the spring by both teachers and parents so planning for identified students’ needs can be completed before the beginning of the next year.

Step Two – Gather Additional Information

If both parties identify a student as being unusually capable in a particular area then further information should be gathered to include some or all of the following:

Interview previous teachers/ review previous outcome results/product review (portfolio),

Review additional inventories and/or standardized test results based on the student’s identified advanced skill,

Complete a learning style inventory, Use other testing information supplied by the parent such as

results from Midwest Talent Search, Psychological testing (IQ score).

Number 3

Once identified through both a screener and other appropriate measures, a student would continue to qualify for services unless the parents or teachers ask for reconsideration of the eligibility

Number 4

Identification tools and criteria should be consistent across the district at all levels.

Related to Question 3 - Strategies that Work

Level I – Regular Classroom Differentiation

This will constitute a change in delivery for some students.

Therefore, we suggest the following:

1) Subject Area Committees should return to the practice of developing extensions and enrichments.

2) Building administrators need to work with schedules to make cluster grouping and/or flexible grouping possible

3) G/T staff need to provide suggests and strategies to classroom teachers.

4) Ongoing regular training in differentiation will need to be provided.

5) Provide opportunities for interest groups/co-curricular activities towards, but not limited to, the gifted and talented population that take place during and outside of the school day. This should include options during summer school.

1) All options listed are appropriate depending on the individual student. Information gathered in phase one needs to be analyzed to determine the level of student need.

2) In collaboration with classroom teachers, the Gifted and Talented Resource teacher should develop appropriate programming that is aligned with district goals and outcomes while providing for the unique needs of these individuals.

Level II - (Special Group Programming

Beyond Regular Classroom)

3) The Gifted and Talented Resource teachers should be provided with ongoing regular training in gifted and talented options.

4) Provide opportunities for Interest Groups/Co-Curricular activities geared towards the Gifted and Talented population that takes place both during and outside of the school day and to include summer school.

5) Provide for the unique needs of the Twice Exceptional students through a team approach with the staff and parents.

Level III (Individualized Services)

1) Building administrators work with their building schedules to make full-grade acceleration and/or subject area acceleration possible.

2) Gifted and Talented staff collaborate with each other and classroom teachers to develop systematic “in-lieu of” programming that is aligned with district goals and outcomes while providing for the unique needs of these students.

3) Ongoing regular training in gifted and talented programming options should be available to the Gifted and Talented Resource teachers.

5) Work in close collaboration with the classroom teachers to develop both the academic and social-emotional needs of these students.

6) Provide for the unique needs for the highest functioning Twice Exceptional student by tailoring their program to their special needs.

Communication

The gifted and talented program is very important to our district.

While we are proud of all of the students in our district and recognize the abilities and achievements of all, the gifted and talented program is not intended to be an elitist program, rather, it is meant to serve the student population whose needs are not met by the standard curriculum.

We believe that there is a need to clearly communicate the role of this program to all parents, staff, older students, and

community members. Information can be provided by teaching staff to help

parents understand distinctions between bright children and gifted learners.

With innovative teaching practices such as those outlined earlier in this report, and a facilitator who assists in extending curriculum to meet learner needs, some of our gifted learners’ needs can be met within the classroom environment.

Information will be updated and made available on the district website and through periodic school newsletters to help facilitate better understanding of the changes being proposed.

Administration and Gifted and Talented Resource teachers will be available to answer specific program questions that parents and students may have.

This task force recognizes that some areas of “giftedness” will provide challenges to the programming recommended by this report.

For example, a student who is an exceptional dancer may need the resources and guidance of dance professionals outside the realm of the public schools. However, this falls outside of our adopted curriculum and therefore, would not be viewed as programming that the public school is responsible for.

Another example, however, is programming for “Twice exceptional” individuals who are students who have a gift or talent as well as a disabling trait that affects learning due to cognitive processes, social-emotional behavior an/or other health impairment.

The Gifted and Talented program will need to work in close concert with Special Education programs within the district to best serve this often under-identified and under-served population.

Annual feedback and assessments by the Gifted and Talented Resource teachers to the Gifted and Talented Coordinator. The following questions might be asked and answered:

-Are the right students being identified and served?

-Are services appropriate for identified students?

-Is the district meeting all the identified needs of the identified student, not just the academic needs?

-If not, what changes can be made?

Accountability

Feedback from the 2%/5% students and parents

-Plans are developed and approved by parents prior to pull-out.

-Parents and students complete surveys

-Artifacts will be collected indicating what the student learned

Coordinator meets annually with Gifted and Talented Resource teachers -Are numbers of students identified in accordance with district and state guidelines?

-Is identification process taking time away from programming?

Differentiation Assessment

-Parents and students complete surveys-Feedback will be collected at parent-teacher conferences-District will provide differentiation training for staff-Classroom teacher, in consultation with Gifted and Talented Resource teacher will develop a differentiation plan and report plan to parents and student. Copies will be provided for building administration for approval.