Neshaminy School District
Gifted Education Program
Dr. Geeta Heble
Director of Curriculum, Assessment & Instruction
November 29, 2011
Overview
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Identification
Current status
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Staff
Delivery of instruction
Curriculum
Framework for teaching/learning
Curriculum – elementary, middle, high
Looking to the future
Questions
Identification
What Makes a Child
“Gifted?”
Definitions of Giftedness
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“Asynchronous development in which advanced
cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine
to create inner experiences and awareness that are
qualitatively different than the norm” (Columbus
Group).
“Youth who give evidence of high performance
capability in areas such as intellectual, creative,
artistic, or leadership capacity, or in some specific
academic fields, and who require services or activities
not ordinarily provided by the school to develop such
capabilities” (Marland).
Joseph Renzulli’s
Three Ring Model of Giftedness
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1 – Above average ability
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2 - High Level of Creativity
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3 – High Level of Task Commitment
Bright vs. Gifted Learners
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Knows the answers
Is interested
Is attentive
Has good ideas
Works hard
Answers the questions
Listens with interest
Learns with ease
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Asks the questions
Is highly curious
Has seemingly “silly”
ideas
Plays around, yet tests
well
Discusses in detail,
elaborates beyond the
answer
Shows strong feelings
and opinions
Some Possible Characteristics of a Child
Exhibiting Evidence of Giftedness
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Advanced vocabulary for his/her age
Ability to learn new things very quickly
Strong memory
Ability and preference for thinking on a higher, more
abstract level than peers
Sophisticated sense of humor
Ability to see connections between apparently unlike
things and to transfer concepts to new situations
Some Additional Possible Characteristics
of a Child Exhibiting Evidence of
Giftedness
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Better able to construct and handle abstractions.
Often pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can
draw inferences that other children need to have
spelled out for them.
Take less for granted, seeking the "hows" and
"whys."
Can work independently at an earlier age and can
concentrate for longer periods.
Some Additional Possible Characteristics
of a Child Exhibiting Evidence of
Giftedness
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Often have seemingly boundless energy, which
sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity.
Usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers,
and other adults.
Like to learn new things, are willing to examine the
unusual, and are highly inquisitive.
Tackle tasks and problems in a well-organized, goaldirected, and efficient manner.
Exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or
explore and are often very persistent. "I'd rather do it
myself" is a common attitude
Myths About Students with
Giftedness
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Gifted students are like cream that rises to the top in
a classroom
Gifted students do not have learning disabilities
Gifted students are so smart they do fine with or
without special programs
Giftedness, when it occurs, is generally global.
Gifted children are glowing with psychological health.
Identification Process
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Universal screening
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Multiple criteria
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IOWAS in Grade 1
COGATS in Grade 2
Achievement a year or more above grade level on nationally normed and
validated tests
Rate of acquisition
Demonstrated achievement evidenced by excellent products, portfolio,
research as well as criterion referenced team judgment
Early skill development – early and measured use of high level thinking
skills, academic creativity, leadership skill, intense academic interest areas,
foreign language aptitude, communication skills or technology expertise
WISC IV – core subtest scores in vocabulary, matrix reasoning, coding, etc.
Standard Scores
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Very Superior: > 130
Superior: 120-129
High Average: 110 – 120
Average: 90-109
Low Average: 80-89
Borderline: 70- 79
Very Low: <69
Our “Magic” Number?
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Full Scale IQ or General Ability Index Score of
126 (brings possible score up to 130 with
confidence interval)
General Ability Index (GAI) is a score which is
derived from only the Verbal Comprehension
and Perceptual Reasoning Composites and
DOES NOT take into account Working
Memory and Processing Speed.
Gifted Evaluation Scale, 3rd
Edition
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Subscales:
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Intellectual
Creativity
Specific Academic Aptitude
Leadership Ability
Performing and Visual Arts
Yields Standard Scores
GIEP
Gifted Individual Education Program
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Present Levels of Educational Performance
Goals and Outcomes
Specially Designed Instruction
Dates
Objective Criteria
Assessment Procedures
Timelines
GIEP Team Participants
Support Services
NORA
Student Relocations
The Teaching/Learning
Framework for Gifted Students
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Approach is inquiry-based and uses problemsolving strategies
Problems are designed to ensure that students
gain knowledge, preferably integrated from many
disciplines
Projects help students to learn a set of important
concepts, ideas and techniques
Problems are authentic (real world) and hold
intrinsic interest or importance
The Teaching/Learning Framework
for Gifted Students contd.
Seven essentials for problem-based learning
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A need to know
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A driving question
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Student voice and choice
4.
21st century skills
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Inquiry and innovation
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Descriptive feedback and revision
7.
A publicly presented product
from J. Larmer and R. Mergendoller in Educational Leadership
The Teaching/Learning Framework
for Gifted Students contd.
Meaningful Work
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Pre-assessment – ability and interest
Student choice of assignments from a menu of
options that extend knowledge, expand critical
thinking and promote creativity
Modifications for Gifted
Students
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Ensuring advanced content
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Working with complex concepts
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Demonstrating interdisciplinary connections
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Practicing good reasoning and habits of mind and
self-directed action
Debating and discussing conflicting points of view
Elementary AE Curriculum
Content Focus by marking period
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Social studies & language arts (I)
Science (II)
Interdisciplinary (III)
Independent Study (IV)
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INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK
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Elementary AE Curriculum
contd.
Skill focus by marking period
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Writing and presentation (I)
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Research (II)
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Creativity (III)
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Integration of skills – higher levels of Bloom’s
taxonomy- analyze, synthesize, evaluate, create (IV)
Elementary AE Curriculum
contd.
Framework for Instruction
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Introductory activity – Critical Thinking Challenge (510 mins.)
Inquiry-based learning organized by content (50
mins.)
Application of problem-solving strategies and
mathematical reasoning (50 mins.)
Closing activity – Global awareness and current
events (5-10 mins.)
Elementary AE Curriculum
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Teacher Responsibility
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Providing explicit instruction with clearly identified learning targets
and assessment rubrics
Modeling
Guiding student choice; keeping activities open-ended
Providing appropriate learning environment and opportunities for
collaborative and individual effort
Monitoring student growth and conferencing to provide descriptive
feedback on performance
Student Responsibility
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Searching
Solving
Creating
Sharing
Middle School AE Curriculum
Curriculum Strands
Middle School AE Curriculum
Curriculum Strands
High School AE Curriculum
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9th
grade – English
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10th grade – Chemistry
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11th grade - Social Studies
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12th grade - English
Program Improvements
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Training in writing GIEP’s
Opportunities for collaboration
Support for professional learning at conferences on
topics to challenge gifted learners
Regularly scheduled meetings
Substitute coverage during teacher absences
Access to technology tools
Looking to the Future
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Gifted Program Committee to assess what the
program looks like at each level and to make
recommendations for a well articulated program from
grades 1 - 12.
Communication through newsletters (January and
June)
Expanding the use of technology tools to increase
student engagement and prepare them for the 21st
century world
QUESTIONS???