Identifying Gifted Students An inservice for the Jefferson County School District prepared by Pat Cleino, Shirley Farrell, Laura Rose, and Joann Watts

Introduction

Who Are the Gifted ??? 1. This person was four before he could speak and seven before he could read. 2. This person did poorly in grade school. 3. This person was told by a music teacher that as a composer he was hopeless. 4. A music teacher told this person, “you can’t sing…you have no voice at all.” 5. This person failed the sixth grade. 6. This person had difficulty in school because he stubbornly refused to do anything but paint. 7. This person was told by his teachers that he was too stupid to learn anything.

Who Are the Gifted ??? 1.An editor fired Walt Disney because he had “no good ideas.” 2.Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college. 3.Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the Navy as “unfit for service” until he flew over both poles. 4. Louis Pasteur was rated mediocre in chemistry when he attended the Royal College. 5. Abraham Lincoln entered the Black Hawk War as a Captain and came out as a Private. 6. Louisa May Alcott was told by an editor that she could never write anything that had popular appeal.

Gifted Children Are Not...

New State Definition “Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience or environment. These children require services not ordinarily provided by their regular school program. Children and youth possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.” Alabama Administrative Code 1999

LABELS ChildFIRST & Gifted SECOND

Dual Exceptionalities

Gifted & ADHD

Behaviors of Gifted and ADHD Behaviors Associated with ADHD (Barkley, 1990) Behaviors Associated with Giftedness (Webb, 1993)  Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations  Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations  Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences  Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant  Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts  Judgment lags behind development of intellect  More active, restless than normal children  High activity level; may need less sleep  Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations  Questions rules, customs and traditions

Identification & Characteristics

INTELLECTUAL ABILITY

CREATIVITY

SPECIFIC ACADEMIC APTITUDE

LEADERSHIP ABILITY

PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS &/or PSYCHOMOTOR ABILITES

But Beware…

Additional Information Strengths of Cultural and Ethnic Minorities AFFECT � Ability to express feelings and emotions � Expressive and colorful speech PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS � Articulate in role playing and storytelling � Enjoyment of and ability in creative movement, dance and dramatics � Enjoyment of and ability in visual arts � Expressiveness to the kinesthetic � Expressiveness of gestures and body language

Additional Information Strengths of Cultural and Ethnic Minorities CREATIVITY � Ability to improvise with common materials � Originality of ideas in problem solving, invention COMMUNICATION � Fluency and flexibility in nonverbal media � Responsiveness to the concrete � Humor � Richness of imagery in informal language � Enjoyment of and skill in small-group (cooperative) learning and problem-solving

Additional Information Bright Child ……..……………Gifted Learner Knows the Answer………………………….Asks the Question Is Interested……………………………….....Is Highly Curious Is Attentive………………….………………..Is Mentally Involved Has Good Ideas…………...………………...Has Wild, Silly Ideas Works Hard……………….………………….Plays Around, Tests Well Answers the Question………….………….Discusses in Detail Top Group…………………………….……...Beyond the Group Listens with Interest……………..………...Shows Strong Opinion

Additional Information Listens with Ease……………….…………..Already Knows 6-8 Repetitions for Mastery……………….1-2 Repetitions for Mastery Understands Ideas…………………………Constructs Abstractions Enjoys Peers……………………….………..Prefers Adults Grasps the Meaning…………...…………..Draws Inferences Completes Assignments………….………Initiates Projects Is Receptive…………………………………Is Intense Bright Child ……..……………Gifted Learner

Additional Information Copies Accurately……….……………….Creates a New Design Enjoys School…………….………………Enjoys Learning Absorbs Information…….………………Manipulates Information Technician…………………..…………….Inventor Enjoys Sequential Presentation……...Thrives on Complexity Is Alert…...…………………………….….Is Keenly Observant Is Pleased with Own Learning….……..Is Highly Self-Critical Bright Child ……..……………Gifted Learner

Additional Information GIFTED GIFTED DISADVANTAGED Extraordinary quantity of information Alertness, curiosity Unusually varied interest Learning quickly through experience Accelerated pace of thought processes Retaining & using ideas & information well Early ability to delay closure Ability to generalize learning to other areas and to show relationships among apparently unrelated ideas Early differential patterns for thought Resourcefulness, ability to solve processing problems by ingenious methods Ability to generate original ideas Originality & creativity in solutions thinking

Additional Information

Performance

GRST ACTIONS FLOWCHART The GRST is made up of at least 3 people including one who is knowledgeable about the student and one who is knowledgeable about gifted education. Referral made by anyone – teacher, parent, student, self, second grade screening – and is given to the GRST. GRST collects screening information. GRST evaluates the information gathered GRST makes determination to (a) accept the referral for evaluation, (b) not accept the referral for evaluation, or (c) gather more information (b) inform parents of decision (a) (c) reschedule meeting when info is gathered Gather all info needed for the EDT (vision/hearing, aptitude, characteristics, performance) and forward information to Individualized Testing services

Our Goal is to Identify Those Children and Youth Who � perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience or environment. � come from all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.