1. A Resource File

2.  Definitions

3.   The term “gifted and talented” when used in respect to students, children, or youth means students, children, or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. Federal Definition

4.   Gifted and talented students are identified as possessing demonstrated or potential ability to perform at exceptionally high levels in one or more of five areas: intellectual aptitude; specific academic aptitude; creative or divergent thinking; psychosocial skills; or in the visual or performing arts. (KRS 157.200 and 704 KAR 3:285) Kentucky’s Definition

5.   Precocity – remarkable early development.  Insight – the ability to separate/combine various pieces of information in new, creative, useful ways.  Genius – a word sometimes used to indicate a particular aptitude or capacity in any area; rare intellectual powers.  Creativity – the ability to express novel and useful ideas, to sense and elucidate new and important relationships, and to ask previously unthought-of, but crucial, questions  Talent – ordinarily used to indicate a special ability, aptitude, or accomplishment. Terminology

6.  An Introduction

7.   There are 3 main types of giftedness:  Analytic  Synthetic  Practical Sternberg’s Theory of Intelligence

8.   5 criteria for judging if someone is gifted and talented:  Excellence  Rarity  Demonstrability  Productivity  Value Classification

9.   Depends on the definition  Generally, 3-5% of U.S. students are identified as Gifted and Talented Prevalence

10.  Kentucky Statistics Total Student Population (K-12)750,048 Number of Identified Gifted Students 110,453

11.   Genetic and other biological factors, such as neurological functioning and nutrition  Social factors and physical environments  Stimulation  Opportunities  Expectations  Demands  Rewards for performance Etiology

12.   Nomination phase  Screening or identification phase  Selection or placement phase Identification Process

13.   Far ahead of peers in specific areas  Possibly advanced in one area, but not another  Learn to read easily  Become upset when they are discriminated against or prevented from reaching their full potential  Happy, well-liked, emotionally stable, self-sufficient, and have a positive self-image  Wide variety of interests  Appear to make internal and external comparisons of their work  Self-aware, self-assured, socially skilled, and morally responsible Characteristics of Gifted & Talented Students

14.   All cultures have the concept of “giftedness.”  The American culture is ambivalent:  Americans like the good things that giftedness brings;  However, Americans do not like intellectual superiority. Effects of Cultural Values

15.   Many are disadvantaged by life circumstances:  Economic needs  Racial discrimination  Minorities  Disabilities  Gender  Females are underrepresented  Underachieves are often overlooked  They may underachieve due to emotional problems, or because the school work is not challenging for them. Neglected Groups of Gifted & Talented Children

16.   Education of gifted and talented students should have 3 characteristics:  1) A curriculum designed to accommodate the student’s advanced skills  2) Instructional strategies that are consistent with the learning of the students with extraordinary abilities in the particular content areas of the curriculum  3) Administrative arrangements facilitating appropriate grouping of students for instruction Educational Considerations

17.   The two most common ways of accommodating gifted and talented students:  Acceleration  Enrichment Educational Considerations Continued

18.   It is important to identify children early so that their talents can be further developed.  It also helps make sure that a student’s abilities are not overlooked.  Currently, there is more emphasis on older students with gifts and talents as opposed to younger ones.  There is a lack of research to show effective ways to identify young children (i.e. before 3 rd /4 th grade).  Some school policies refuse to advance students past their chronological age peers. Early Intervention

19.   Typically these students have a smooth transition.  Most know their strengths and weaknesses by this age.  Many need personal counseling about further education and career paths.  These are problems that mirror those of students with disabilities of the same age.  Again, acceleration and enrichment are the two primary accommodations. Transition to Adulthood

20.  Educational Aspects Designing, implementing, and assessing to meet the student’s needs.

21.   Gifted and talented students may easily become bored in class – it is very important to challenge them.  Use Bloom’s Taxonomy: Differentiation

22.   1) Provide open-ended assignments  2) Create opportunities for collaboration  3) Use tiered assignments  4) Let them pursue independent projects  5) Find the right books  6) Consider an accelerated program  7) Aim for school-wide enrichment Renzulli’s Seven Strategies

23.   First Step = Pre-assessment  If there is no pre-assessment, there is no differentiation. Assessment

24.   RtI position paper from the National Association of Gifted Children  www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/RtI.pdf www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/RtI.pdf  Some schools have a gifted and talented program for which students are pulled from class and taken to enrichment. Intervention

25.  Impact of Gifted and Talented Students

26.   Parents may have to devote extra time to helping their child develop their gifts and talents.  Peers may feel inferior to a gifted student.  They may become discouraged because they aren’t advancing as quickly as their gifted peers.  Educators will consistently be challenged to differentiate their material to best fit the needs of the gifted student.  They will have to spend extra time when designing each lesson to make sure the gifted student will be challenged. Social Impact

27.   Parents should nurture any gifts they see in their children.  They are usually the ones who see the gift first.  Peers should encourage gifted students to be successful.  Educators should differentiate their lessons to make sure the gifted student is consistently challenged to a higher level of thinking.  They should make sure that students are making year- to-year progress as well. Overall Impact

28.  Resources

29.   Daviess County Public Schools: http://www.daviesskyschools.org/content_page2.a spx?cid=570 http://www.daviesskyschools.org/content_page2.a spx?cid=570  Owensboro Public Schools: http://www.owensboro.kyschools.us/specialed/Te acher%20Resources/TeacherResources.htm http://www.owensboro.kyschools.us/specialed/Te acher%20Resources/TeacherResources.htm Local

30.   Kentucky Department of Education: http://education.ky.gov/specialed/GT/Pages/Gift ed-and-Talented-Resources.aspx http://education.ky.gov/specialed/GT/Pages/Gift ed-and-Talented-Resources.aspx  National Association for Gifted Children, Kentucky information page: http://nagc.org/index.aspx?id=636 http://nagc.org/index.aspx?id=636 State

31.   National Association for Gifted Children: http://nagc.org/ http://nagc.org/  Prufrock Press (website with resources and materials for gifted students): http://www.prufrock.com/http://www.prufrock.com/  National Society for the Gifted and Talented: http://www.nsgt.org/ http://www.nsgt.org/ National

32.   Information on gifted students can be found on multiple sites on the internet.  I found my best resources through the State and National resources on the previous slides.  Some of those sites will give you even more information and resources/materials if you become a member. Tips for Accessing Information

33.  Brescia School of Education Connections

34.   Ethics  Advocacy  Service  Lifelong Learning Conceptual Framework

35.  References