Office for Civil Rights
Ensuring Equal Access to Gifted Education
Summary of Issues and Recommendations
Mary Ruth Coleman, Ph.D.
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Disproportionate under-representation
persists in programs for gifted children,
despite the growing proportion of students
from culturally/linguistically diverse families in
the population of school-aged children
National Research Council (2002)
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Increasing understanding that
characteristics of a child can not be
judged with the “fixed-trait” model that
has historically been used. The context
of the child must me considered.
National Research Council (2002)
Major Issues-Gifted Education
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Identification of Students
Placement Decisions
Program Participation
Program Implementation
Appropriate Identification
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Notice to Parents and Care Givers
Screening/Student Search
Planned Experiences for Students
Multiple Criteria (not Multiple Hoops to Jump)
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multiple sources
multiple time periods
multiple types (including alternative assessments)
Placement Decisions
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Appropriate service option match based
on needs
Multiple criteria inform decision (a single
piece of evidence can be used to match a child to appropriate
services but NO SINGLE piece of evidence can be used to deny
appropriate services)
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Personnel Preparation for decision
makers
Program Participation
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Appropriate procedures:
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continuation of services
exit criteria
Equity in access across service/grade
levels
Support mechanisms to reduce selfselection out
Program Implementation
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Quality of services is equitable—not
dependent on “address”
Personnel Preparation for all with a role
in the process
Data-Informed Decision-Making
Data-Informed Decision-Making
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Determine baseline data
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District overall and by school
Service delivery option, grade level
Program referrals, participation, and withdrawals
by race, ethnicity, language status, gender, and
disability
Compare with
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District and school enrollment by race, ethnicity,
language status, gender, and disability
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Fair Rules and Regulations are a point
of departure not a destination
Building school level capacity (to
observe, understand, and respond to
student differences) is essential
Progress must be documented and
monitored
National Research Council (2002)
Remember That:
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A child’s achievement and behavior is
determined by the interaction of the
child, the teacher, and the classroom
environment
It also goes beyond the classroom:
schools, school systems, families, and
communities all play a role in shaping a
child.
National Research Council (2002)
Question
Does schooling independently contribute
to the incidence of giftedness among
students in different racial/ethnic
groups through the opportunities that it
provides?
National Research Council (2002)
Answer
Yes – Schools with higher concentrations
of low-income and culturally/linguistically
diverse students have fewer well-trained
teachers, lower per pupil expenditures,
and fewer opportunities for advanced and
enriched coursework.
National Research Council (2002)
Advocacy Starts with Each of Us
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Recognize the Problem
Have the Courage to Speak-out
Build Your Coalition of Support
Establish Your Baseline Data
Don’t Give Up Until You Have Made the
Difference You Want to See!
Looking at your progress
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Self-assessment
Review all policies that impact
Plan your approach
Plan for improvement
Implement changes
Ongoing review
Recommendations for Gifted Education
(1)
(2)
(3)
Research on early identification and
intervention with children who exhibit
advanced performance in the verbal or
quantitative realm or who exhibit
other advanced abilities.
Teacher quality and
certification/licensure
Rigorous professional development
National Research Council (2002)
To make the changes it will take:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Investment in building the capacity of
teachers and other educational
professionals
Changing incentives and standard practices
in the assessment processes so that
children are identified early, when they can
be helped most effectively
Compliance monitoring that focuses on
treatments in both general and special
education (p. 10-4)
National Research Council (2002)