Gifted & Talented

Education:Prospect Mill Elementary

School

Tara Recor, Gifted and Talented Education Specialist

Dr. Peter Carpenter, Coordinator of Accelerated Learning and Intervention Programs

Common Gifted Education Myths from NAGC

1. All children are gifted

2. Gifted students make everyone else in the class smarter by providing a role model or a challenge

3. Gifted students don't need help; they'll do fine on their own

4. That student can't be gifted; he's receiving poor grades and he’s a behavior problem

5. GT programs are not fair/ GT programs are elitist

Gifted Education Realities

All children cannot be gifted “gifted” in educational setting compared with children of the

same age based on identification,

using multiple measures no connotation

The Annotated Code of Maryland §8-201 defines a gifted and talented student as “an elementary or secondary student who is identified by professionally qualified individuals as: (1) Having outstanding talent and performing, or showing the potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other students of a similar age, experience, or environment; (2) Exhibiting high performance capability in intellectual, creative, or artistic areas; (3) Possessing an unusual leadership capacity; or (4) Excelling in specific academic field.

Gifted and Talented definition

Giftedness is . . . a greater awareness, a greater sensitivity, and a greater ability to understand and transform perceptions into intellectual and emotional experiences.

—Annemarie Roeper (2000)

HCPS Identifies students for Level 3 & Level 4 services by

“general intellectual ability” Specifically in Math and Reading, English, Language Arts

HCPS Levels of Service Models

Level 1

Opportunities

for ALL

students

Critical &

Creative

thinking;

Talent

Development 

 

Level 2

Occasional

Service for

MANY students

Opportunities for

additional

challenge

and extended

learning

experiences 

Level 3

Consistent service for SOME students

Flexible ability grouping within specific subject areas 

Level 4

Intensive service for FEW students

Intense work in highly challenging curriculum or research  

Gifted Education Realities

Gifted students have different needs and challenges that do not make them good role models.

Not seen as role modelsCan become unmotivatedNeed like-minded peers – affective

needs

Peer pressur

e

Perfe

ction

ism

Introversion

Self-

estee

m/

identit

y

Social skills

Competiti

veness

Overexcitabilities

Possible Issues

It is important that affective goals be

attended to as well as the cognitive and

academic goals. Self concepts, attitudes,

motives, values, interests, and emotions are

components of positive self actualization and

functioning fully in society and the

curriculum must contribute to nurturing the

affective domain as well as the cognitive

domain. —A. Harry Passow

(1986)

Gifted Education Realities

Gifted students need help; we can't expect them to learn on their own Not gifted at everythingElementary agedHave different intellectual

and affective needs

Heightened Multifaceted Sensitivity

& Asynchronous Development

Cognitive

advanced compre-hension

efficient informa-

tion process-

ing

excellent memory

Affective

Over- excitabiltiites

:heightened sensitivity

heightened self-

criticism-- perfectionism

emotional intensity

(Mendaglio, 2003)

Gifted Education Realities

Gifted students can have poor grades and/or be behavior problemsUnderachievementAsynchronous development

Boredom

Asynchronous Development Mismatch between…Intellectual ability

Emotional maturity

Psychomotor capabilities

Social abilities

Bright Child Gifted Learner Knows the answer

Answers the questions

Top group

Has good ideas

6-8 repetitions

Is receptive

Enjoys school

Absorbs information

Good memorizer

Likes sequential presentation

Is pleased with own learning

Asks the questions

Discusses in detail, elaborates

Beyond the top group

Has wild, silly ideas

1-2 repetitions for mastery

Is intense

Enjoys learning

Manipulates information

Good guesser

Thrives on complexity, ambiguity

Is highly self-critical

Bright Child Gifted Learner Knows the answer

Answers the questions

Top group

Has good ideas

6-8 repetitions

Is receptive

Enjoys school

Absorbs information

Good memorizer

Likes sequential presentation

Is pleased with own learning

Asks the questions

Discusses in detail, elaborates

Beyond the top group

Has wild, silly ideas

1-2 repetitions for mastery

Is intense

Enjoys learning

Manipulates information

Good guesser

Thrives on complexity, ambiguity

Is highly self-critical

Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities

Intellectual

Emotional

SensualPsychomoto

r

Imaginational

Rich imagery, visuali-zation,

inventive

Vivid dreams

Fantasy; imaginary playmates

Difficulty in

separating real from

imaginary

Imaginational

Intellectual

Strong desire to know and to

understand

Curiosity; abundance

of questions

Desire to learn

SensualEnriched perceptions of and reactions to sensory experiencesMay involve one or more sensesSensory experience may be viewed as too intenseSeeks sensory outlets for tension

Heightened excitability—

neuromuscular system

Intense physical activity

Rapid speech

Less sleep

Need for movement

Difficulty relaxing

Psychomotor

Emotional

Deep attachment

Intense joy and exuberance

Strong empathy and compassion

Concern with death, fears, anxieties,

depression

Slocumb-PayneScales

Gifted Education Realities

GT programs are equitableEqual vs. equitableMultiple measures of

identificationCOMAR mandated

Prefunded under Bridge to Excellence, 2002

Differences between ability and achievement tests

Ability and achievement are different aspects of cognitive development

Achievement – knowledge and skills specifically taught in schools (crystallized abilities)

Ability – reasoning abilities that are developed indirectly through instruction that challenges students to think in new ways (fluid reasoning abilities)

Physical Analogy General level of athletic abilityLearned skills to play a specific sport

Assessments for GT Identification Re-screening

Cognitive Abilities Test- CogAT Full test: Universal 2nd grade

screening

Brief Screener: for students in Grades 3-5, new to HCPS

Age Percentile Scores – compares students to others of same age

Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students – TOMAGS

Mathematical reasoning/ability

Primary and Intermediate

Age Percentile Scores

Normal and Gifted

Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary and Middle School Students, Second Edition – SAGES-2 Math/Science & LA/SS -

Achievement

Reasoning – aptitude

Primary and Intermediate

Age Percentile Scores

Normal and Gifted

Can be used instead of CogAT brief screener for new HCPS students

Slocumb-Payne Teacher Perception Inventory

The Cognitive Abilities Test- All 2nd GradersThe Cognitive Abilities Test is an

exam administered to assess students’ abilities in three areas considered important in determining future academic success: Verbal Reasoning Nonverbal Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning

Assesses students in relation to their peers

What kind of abilities does CogAT measure?

Measures the three major means we use for communicating in our society

Verbal Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to the use of symbols

Quantitative Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to numbers

Nonverbal Reasoning – student potential measured in relation to use of symbols

Terms Used in Assessments

Universal Scale Score (USS) – obtained from the raw score

Standard Age Score (SAS) – the Universal Scale Score applied to age level norms or grade level norms

Percentile – place in population of those scoring lower than the tested student’s score

Stanine – division of percentiles into 9 equal groups

Composite - an average of the three or two USS scores being used

Standard Deviation – distance scores are away from the mean

How to Interpret CogAT Scores

68% of students fall here

98% of students will fall in here

> Top 3%

NOTE: the CogAT has a standard deviation of 16, not 15

Level 4

Level 3

HCPS Levels of Service Models

Level 1

Opportunities

for ALL

students

Critical &

Creative

thinking;

Talent

Development 

 

Level 2

Occasional

Service for

MANY students

Opportunities for

additional

challenge

and extended

learning

experiences 

Level 3

Consistent service for SOME students

Flexible ability grouping within specific subject areas 

Level 4

Intensive service for FEW students

Intense work in highly challenging curriculum or research  

Levels of Service Model

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Levels of Service- PMES

Level 1 Level 2

Level 3

Level 4• Ag Lab• STEM Day• Assemblies• Field Trips

• After school activities• Differentiation in classroom

• Conceptual & Inquiry-based curricular materials

• Curriculum compacting

• Flexible grouping

• Individual project time

• Cluster grouping

Curricular Example - Mathematics

Time

Dis

tan

ce f

rom

Fi

nis

h L

ineOrange Roll

Parent Resources HCPS Gifted and Talented Education

HCPS.org/gifted

Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education (McGATE) Mcgate.org

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

NAGC.org Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)

Sengifted.org

#GTChat on Twitter – also have a blog

You have a right to know about your giftedness. learn something new everyday. be passionate about your talent area without

apologies. have an identity beyond your talent area. feel good about your accomplishments. make

mistakes. seek guidance in the development of your talent. have multiple peer groups and a variety of friends. choose which of your talent areas you wish to

pursue. not to be gifted at everything.

Gifted Children's Bill of Rights