Gifted and Talented 101 for School Staff Presented by Misty Sprague, M.A., Ed.S, NCSP National Training Consultant misty.sprague@pearson.com What Does it Mean to be Gifted??
What It Means to Be Gifted. Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as: intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities. Identification of Giftedness A test score above 130, two or more standard deviations above the norm, or the top 2.5%. a gifted child works 2 or more grade levels above his or her age. adult-level work while chronologically a child.
How Many Gifted Children are there? NAGC estimates that there are approximately 3 million academically gifted children in grades K-12 in the U.S - approximately 6% of the student population.
Who Makes Decisions About Gifted Education Almost all decisions about gifted education are made at the state and local level. state laws, local policies, and available funding vary widely, resulting in disparity of services between school districts and uneven protection for gifted and talented students under the law. In many instances, gifted students must rely on a persistent parent, a responsive teacher, or an innovative school administrator to ensure that they are adequately challenged in the classroom. Identification The way in which you define or conceptualize giftedness should provide a rationale for your identification process and the assessment tools that you select. There should be a clear and purposeful relationship between the goals of your gifted program and how students are identified. Educators must be vigilant in their efforts to ensure that the diversity of the students identified to participate in a gifted program reflects the diversity of the total student population from which they are selected.
Tools for Identification Ability Assessments Referrals Grades Questionaires Portfolios Classroom Performance Ability
What is Ability? Cognitive abilities are the brain-based skills we need to carry out any task from the simplest to the most complex. They have more to do with the mechanisms of how we learn, remember, problem-solve, and pay attention rather than with any actual knowledge. How Are Ability Assessments used in G/T Determination? Group/ Screener Individually/ Referral Provide important information on how students approach problem solving, thinking, reasoning etc.; and properly interpreted, intelligence testing help educators develop appropriate specially designed instruction and educational strategies for students.
Types of Ability Assessments Group Nonverbal Individual (verbal) Individual (nonverbal) Individual Abbreviated Group Ability Assessments Otis Lennon School Ability Test 8 Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test Second Edition (NNAT2)
Otis Lennon School Ability Test 8 OLSAT 8 measures cognitive abilities that relate to a student's academic success in school., Content clusters and item types include verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative. Obtain student's Achievement/Ability Comparison (AAC) score when administered with the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (Stanford 10).Specialized statistical procedures and comprehensive review of all test items by minority-group educators help minimize ethnic, gender, cultural, and regional bias. NNAT-2 Gather general ability in the entire student population Students of limited English skills from diverse cultural backgrounds Gifted and talented students Non-English speakers, intermediate English speakers, and students learning the English language for the first time Students with limited motor skills, hearing impairment, and minimal colorvision impairment Students whose economic or social circumstances have limited their acquisition of knowledge and verbal skills
Individual Administered Ability Assessments (Verbal Component) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- 4 WISC-4 Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-2- KABC2 WISC-4 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition Identifies key cognitive strengths and weaknesses related to learning disabilities, executive function, attention disorders, TBI, intellectual disability, and giftedness. Easy to use
KABC-2 A dual theoretical foundation using the Luria neuropsychological model and the Cattell/Horn/Carroll (CHC) approach elps you obtain the data you need for each individual you test An Optional Knowledge/Crystallized Ability scale, so you can use one test with all children An expanded age range for ages 3 to 18 that allows you to use one test for preschool, elementary, and high school children Full conforming with the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA-II), for in-depth ability/achievement comparisons Abbreviated Individual Ability Assessments Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test 2- KBIT2 Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence 2- WASI 2
KBIT-2 Features Crystallized (Verbal) Scale Measures verbal and nonverbal intelligence quickly Is easy to administer and score Use for a variety of purposes Provides valid and reliable results Features high-quality testing materials at a reasonable cost WASI 2 Screen to determine if in-depth intellectual assessment is needed Reassess after a comprehensive evaluation Estimate Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores in busy practice settings Assess cognitive functioning of individuals referred for G/T
Individual Administered Ability Assessments (Verbal Component) Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-4 WNV The WNV is ideal for psychologists who need a nonverbal measure of ability for individuals who are not English-language proficient, or have other language considerations. Designed for Linguistically Diverse Populations. When language poses a barrier to typical administration, or where traditional intellectual assessment results would be questionable due to language-related difficulties, The WNV is appropriate for all individuals.
TONI New norms to help ensure proper representation of demographic changes in the U.S. population. Assessment of intelligence, aptitude, abstract reasoning, and problem solving. Language-free test is ideal for evaluating those with questionable or limited language ability.the administration and response format are pragmatic with simple oral instructions, requiring test-takers to answer with simple but meaningful gestures such as pointing, nodding, or blinking. The Push Towards Nonverbal Assessments
Why use nonverbal tests? 1. Measure abilities in ways that are fair to all students 2. Increase the diversity in programs for academically gifted and talented 3. Actively assist children who have not had the advantages of wealth or who have not from birth been immersed in English Other factors to consider Get the right kids, not just the right number Especially critical for minority students Next generation of writers, scientists, mathematicians Crafting policy for the identification and development of a diversity of academic talents
Nonverbal Tests Present visual stimuli (objects, line drawings) and Require a nonverbal response (assemble a puzzle, point, fill in a circle) Nonverbal describes the test, not the cognitive processes used to solve items Advantages Reduced oral/written language load Verbal knowledge, verbally mediated strategies can be in any language Reduced mean differences between monolingual and bilingual students
Connections to G/T Eligibility Where Do I Get Started? The state department of education is one of the best places to start for seeking state-specific information related to gifted education. In most cases, they will be the repository for education laws and policies. Next, check with district officials to verify polices and procedures that are currently in place. Finally, ensure that you have the appropriate tools to implement the policies and procedures.
Needs of Gifted Students Gifted and talented elementary school students have mastered from 35 to 50 percent of the curriculum offered in five basic subjects before they begin the school year. Most regular classroom teachers make few, if any, provisions for gifted and talented children. Most of the highest achieving students in the nation included in Who s Who Among American High School Students reported that they studied less that 1 hour a day. It s easy to see why so many gifted students say they are bored in school. From National Excellence: A Case for Developing America s Talent (1993) Thank you for attending! For questions and/or a certificate of participation, please email: misty.sprague@pearson.com Products at: www.pearsonassessments.com