THE GIFTED & TALENTED

Prepared by Union 98 GT Teachers•Leda Ball - MDI HS

•Sarah Winne - Conners Emerson

•Kate StDenis - Mount Desert

•Tracey McCarthy - Pemetic & Tremont

PART 1: Defining ‘gifted’

PART 2: Characteristics

PART 3: Identification

PART 4: Services

Kenneth Hill, COA

True or False?

1. All children are “gifted” in some way.

2. A high I.Q. (above 130) is required for giftedness.

3. There is a strong biological basis for giftedness.

4. Giftedness, when it occurs, is generally global.

Kenneth Hill, COA

1. All Children Are Gifted in Some Way: False

State of Maine Definition of Gifted and Talented Children(based on the federal definition)

Children with exceptional ability, aptitude, skill, or creativity in

one or more academic areas

or in the literary, performing, and/or visual arts

Granted all children are special, unique, and wonderful… but not all are gifted.

- Renzulli & Reis, 1991

Kenneth Hill, COA

2. A High I.Q. Is Required For Giftedness: False

• High I.Q is associated, not required, with giftedness..

• Estimated that there are 180,000 students in U.S. schools who are

gifted and learning disabled. Depression of scores may occur, due to

the disability.

• Once I.Q. exceeds 90, a high I.Q. is irrelevant in the fields of music

and art.

Kenneth Hill, COA

3. There is a biological basis for giftedness: TRUE & FALSE

Gifted Children tend to have:• Larger heads/brains• Faster reflexes• Greater bilateral representation of language• Common non-right handedness• Greater immune system disorders.• Born to older mothers (30.8 years)• Be first born or only children

Nature and Nurture must work together.

Kenneth Hill, COA

Not one world-class performer has ever achieved expertise without:

An environment that supports and encourages the child’s strengths, andA long and intensive period of training

•First, from warm, supportive teachers and

•Then, from demanding and rigorous master teachers.

-Benjamin Bloom

Brain activity reading Brain activity watching TV

Kenneth Hill, COA

4. Giftedness, when it occurs is generally global: False

• More often than not, children are unevenly gifted.• Current research, however, suggests that certain

critical thinking abilities and dispositions can be generalized across domains. – Academic, Social, Moral, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal

Gifted Characteristics & Needs

Cognitive and Affective

Superior Abstract Thinking

Gifted Students have an ability to differentiate patterns at an early

age.

Needs: To be exposed to abstractions and

relationships, and to be given opportunities for drawing and testing generalizations

Problems: Omitting detail, questioning generalizations

of others

Kenneth Hill, COA

• Great minds don’t necessarily know the right answer more often… they are simply better at identifying and eliminating incorrect answers.

• Non-gifted often get stuck “checking” false beliefs.

Superior Communicator

Gifted Students have a high level of language development and verbal ability.

Needs: To share ideas verbally in depth and to encounter uses for difficult vocabulary

Problems: Dominating discussions with information or

questions - possibly being perceived as a show-off

Superior Communicator

A 4th grader’s comment after correctly solving a math problem involving ratios

and a salsa recipe:

The recipe sounds very tasty. I’d like to make it at home sometime, but maybe you want to dilute the jalapeno peppers.

Learns rapidly

Gifted Students learn faster.

Needs: Instruction available at rates appropriate to

individual pace of learning

Problems: Frustration with inactivity or perceived

absence of progress

Learns rapidly

He just gets it.

- reported numerous times by teachers and parents

Heightened Curiosity

Gifted Students have unusually varied interests and curiosity.

Needs: To be exposed to varied content and to be

allowed to pursue individual ideas

Problems: Difficulty conforming to group task; taking

on too much; persistency in asking questions

Broader & Deeper Knowledge

Gifted students have high retentiveness, often knowing extraordinary quantities of

information.

Needs: To master foundation skills early on and then be

exposed to new and challenging information

Problems: Restlessness and impatience with ‘waiting for the

group’; overextending self.

Broader & Deeper Knowledge

Said by an 8th grader who was carrying around a stack of 6 classics:

I’m not particularly interested in these, but they’ll be really good reference for next year.

Long Attention Span

Gifted Students are goal directed with long attention spans.

Needs:

To pursue activities beyond allotted time spans and to set priorities for oneself

Problems: Hyper-focusing so as not to complete

assignments; being perceived as stubborn or uncooperative

Kenneth Hill, COA

The truth is that prodigies usually push their parents and teachers!

Independent

Gifted Students have heightened self-awareness and ability to be

independent.

Needs:

To work alone and to learn to assert needs non-defensively

Problems: Isolating self, being considered aloof;

difficulty sharing self

Heightened Sensitivity

Gifted Students have an idealism and sense of justice, which appears at an

early age.

Needs:To find values to which he or she can be

committed

Problems:Attempting unrealistic reforms and goals

with resulting intense frustration

Kenneth Hill, COA

• Gifted people have higher moral reasoning but not necessarily moral action.

– Hill, 1995

• Highly intelligent children are superior to average children in their resistance to temptation.

– Hartshorne and May

Heightened Sensitivity

I heard on the radio last week that a law has been changed about what torture is, and that’s not right. Do you think the president would accept a letter from an eleven year old?

- A 5th grader

Heightened Sensitivity

Gifted Students have unusual sensitivity to the expectations and feelings of

others.

Needs: To learn to clarify the feelings and

expectations of others

Problems:Unusual vulnerability to the criticism of

others, and a high level of need for success and recognition

Kenneth Hill, COA

• Over 60% of gifted people are introverted compared with 30% of the general population.

• What is normal for the gifted is most often labeled as neurosis in the general population.

–Azpeitia and Rocamora

Heightened Sensitivity

I could feel the cold water wrap around me like a cape.

- 7 year old

High Standards

Gifted Students have high expectations of themselves and others.

Needs: To learn to set realistic goals and to accept

setbacks

Problems: Procrastination; perfectionism; high levels

of discouragement or frustration

High Standards

I’m not any good at math. I always make my 3’s backwards.

- a 1st grader

(with a perfect nonverbal OLSAT)

Keen Observer

Gifted Students have a heightened ability to see unusual

relationships.

Needs: To be allowed to organize information in

unique ways

Problems: Frustration with others’ lack of ability to

appreciate original organizations or insights; frustration with ambiguity

Keen Observer

She knows every book in the classroom library, even if she hasn’t read it. She can recommend any of the books or give summaries of them.

- 5th grade teacher about a GT student

Imaginative & Original

Gifted Students have flexible and imaginative thought processes.

Needs: To be allowed to solve problems in diverse ways

Problems:Being seen as disruptive and disrespectful

to authority and tradition

Kenneth Hill, COA

There is evidence of a link between extreme creativity and mental illness, especially within the subpopulation of writers, poets, and visual artists.

- Andreasen 1988; Jamison, 1989; 1993; Richards, 1989

There also seems to be an increased rate of suicide in eminent creative people.

Imaginative & Original

From the pen of a 7th grader:

In Einstein’s realm of work, imagination was important, because how could one formulate ideas as broad-minded and well, imaginative, as Einstein's with no imagination?

Keen sense of humor

Gifted Students have a keen sense of humor (which may be gentle or hostile).

Needs:To learn how behaviors affect the feelings

of others

Problems:Distracting task-at-hand; using humor for

critical attack upon others, resulting in damaged interpersonal relationships

Keen sense of humor

This student is intellectually mischievous.

- A 5th grade teacher

UNION 98UNION 98

GIFTED & TALENTED GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAMPROGRAM

K-12 IDENTIFICATIONK-12 IDENTIFICATIONCRITERIACRITERIA

Kenneth Hill, COA

Common Methods for the Identification of Giftedness

• Ability Tests– Benefit: measures potential

– Limitation: doesn’t consider motivation

• Achievement Tests– Benefit: measures knowledge

– Limitation: only as good as questions

• Parent/Teacher Report– Benefit: personalized, inclusive, directive

– Limitation: false positives, not norm referenced

Kindergarten - 2nd Advanced Early Learner in Reading & Math

Student meets standard in three criteria:

1. Group Achievement Test (DRA, NWEA, Woodcock Johnson, Key Math)

*Standard: 98th percentile or two grade levels above

2. Parent Checklist *Standard: 10 or more of the 12 learning characteristics

(frequently or almost always)

3. Teacher Checklist (Characteristics of an Individual Gifted Student)

*Standard: 10 or more of the 12 learning characteristics

Grades 3-12 GT Criteria

3rd - 12th Grade3rd - 12th Grade

Gifted with “General Intellectual Ability”Gifted with “General Intellectual Ability”AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATIONAUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION

Student meets the standard on EITHER criteria:Student meets the standard on EITHER criteria:

1. Group Mental Ability Test: OLSAT *Standard: OLSAT verbal and nonverbal score of 145 or above

• Individual Intelligence Test: Wisc or Stanford Binet

*Standard: full-scale IQ score of 135 or above within the past three years

Grades 3-12 GT Criteria

3rd - 12th Grade3rd - 12th GradeGifted with “General Intellectual Ability”Gifted with “General Intellectual Ability”

MULTIPLE CRITERIA QUALIFICATIONMULTIPLE CRITERIA QUALIFICATION

Student meetsStudent meets the required standard on 3 or more of the the required standard on 3 or more of the following criteria:following criteria:

• Group Mental Ability Test or Individual Intelligence Test *Standard: OLSAT total score of 135 or above OR a verbal and nonverbal score of 130 or above OR*Standard: Full-scale IQ score of 130 or above

Grades 3-12 GT Criteria

2) Group or Individual Achievement Test (NWEA, MEA, PSAT, SAT, Union Writing Prompt)

*Standard: Pattern of performance on at least 2 of the last 3 test results in each of the three content areas AND*Standard: 96th percentile or “Exceeds the standard” in each of the three content areas: reading, math, and language usage or writing

3) Parent Checklist*Standard: 8 or more of the 12 learning characteristics (frequently or almost always)

4)Teacher Checklist *Standard: 8 or more of the 12 learning characteristics in three or more subject areas (frequently or almost always)

Grades 3-12 GT Criteria

3rd - 12th GradeGifted with “Specific Academic Aptitude”

MULTIPLE CRITERIA QUALIFICATION

1. English/Language Arts 2. Math 3. Science4. Social Studies

Student meets the required standard on all 3 criteria in any one of the four core content areas. The content area of English/Language Arts requires that the student meet the standard in both reading and language or writing.

Grades 3-12 GT Criteria

1) Group OR Individual Mental Ability or Aptitude Test*Standard: Verbal or non-verbal/performance score of 130 or above on the OLSAT, WISC, or Stanford Binet

Verbal score serves as a criterion for English/Language ArtsNon-verbal or performance score serves as a criterion for Mathematics

2) Group Achievement Test (NWEA, MEA, SAT, PSAT, Local Assessments, or Woodcock Johnson Test)

*Standard: Pattern of performance on at least 2 of the last 3 test results in the core content area, AND*Standard: Scores in the 96th percentile or scores that “exceed the standard” or indicate achievement two grade level standards above

3) Learning Characteristics (Teacher Checklist: Characteristics of an Individual Gifted Student)

*Standard: 8 or more of the 12 learning characteristics in the core content area

If a student meets only two of the identification criteria, the

G&T Specialist will monitor the student’s progress and

programming. Additional information may be gathered

through this process about the student’s learning needs.

Consideration of students listed as possible underachieving

G&T students warrants further investigation with the

guidance counselor. Reconsideration by the Identification

Team may be made at any time.

UNION 98

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM OF SERVICES

G&T Services • Consultation• Curriculum and instructional differentiation• Compacting• Cluster grouping or small group instruction• Individualized and independent learning• Mentoring, internships & apprenticeships • Distance Learning• Advanced classes • Specialized classes • Pull-out programming• Mixed-age grouping • Acceleration

Curriculum and Instructional Differentiation

• Pretest out of skills and content they have already mastered

• Adjust their pace to allow for greater depth of learning

• Engage with material at the appropriate level of complexity

• Flexible grouping

• Independent work in area of interest

COMPACTING

• Pretest around factual knowledge and basic skills accelerating students through mastery of necessary knowledge and skills

• Focus on those processes that represent a higher level of cognitive engagement

Consultation

Work with the classroom teacher to offer a coordinated, comprehensive, and integrated structure of services

• Assess student abilities• Monitor the needs of high ability students• Modify activities to challenge gifted students

Individual Learning Plan

• Work with the classroom teacher to develop, implement, monitor, revise and evaluate a program to meet the unique learning needs of the individual gifted student

Cluster Grouping or Small Group Instruction

• Placing all the G&T students in a particular grade in one classroom

• Teacher who is ready to differentiate the curriculum for their gifted students

Mixed Age Groupings and Specialized Classes

• Interest

• Ability

Specialized Classes

• Project

GT Summit

Individualized and Independent Learning

• Opportunities that allow gifted students to develop their talents in an area of interest

• Develops independent learning skills

Mentoring, Internships and Apprenticeships

• Opportunities to work with knowledgeable people in the student’s area of interest

• Develop the knowledge and skills specific to that area

Advanced Classes

• Honors Level Classes

• Advanced Placement Classes

• College Classes

• Distance Learning

Acceleration

• Advanced Material

• Content Acceleration

• Grade Acceleration

• Dual Enrollment

• Early Graduation

Pullout Programming

• Allows the student to work at their level• Acceleration and Compression of Content • Focus on higher order thinking skills

Analyzing, Synthesizing, and Evaluating• Opportunities for students to develop

advanced products• Focus on Problem Solving Skills

Union 98 G&T Program Description

http://blue1.emerson.u98.k12.me.us/gtprogram/