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
Level 2
Occasional
Level 3
Service for
Consistent service for SOME students
MANY students
Flexible ability grouping within specific
subject areas
Critical &
Creative
thinking;
Talent
Development
Opportunities for
Level 4
additional
Intensive service for
FEW students
challenge
and extended
learning
experiences
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 models
 Can
become unmotivated
 Need
needs
like-minded peers – affective
Peer
pressure
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 everything
Elementary aged
Have different intellectual
and affective needs
Heightened Multifaceted Sensitivity
& Asynchronous Development
Cognitive
advanced
comprehension
efficient
information
processing
excellent
memory
Affective
Overexcitabiltiites:
heightened
sensitivity
heightened
self-criticism-perfectionism
emotional
intensity
(Mendaglio, 2003)
Gifted Education Realities
Gifted students can have poor
grades and/or be behavior
problems
Underachievement
Asynchronous
development
Boredom
Asynchronous Development
Mismatch between…
Intellectual ability
Emotional maturity
Psychomotor capabilities
Social abilities
Bright Child
Gifted Learner

Knows the answer

Asks the questions

Answers the questions

Discusses in detail, elaborates

Top group

Beyond the top group

Has good ideas

Has wild, silly ideas

6-8 repetitions

1-2 repetitions for mastery

Is receptive

Is intense

Enjoys school

Enjoys learning

Absorbs information

Manipulates information

Good memorizer

Good guesser

Likes sequential
presentation

Thrives on complexity,
ambiguity

Is pleased with own
learning

Is highly self-critical
Bright Child
Gifted Learner

Knows the answer

Asks the questions

Answers the questions

Discusses in detail, elaborates

Top group

Beyond the top group

Has good ideas

Has wild, silly ideas

6-8 repetitions

1-2 repetitions for mastery

Is receptive

Is intense

Enjoys school

Enjoys learning

Absorbs information

Manipulates information

Good memorizer

Good guesser

Likes sequential
presentation

Thrives on complexity,
ambiguity

Is pleased with own
learning

Is highly self-critical
Intellectual
Emotional
Imaginational
Dabrowski’s
Overexcitabilities
Psychomotor
Sensual
Imaginational
Rich
imagery
, visualization,
inventiv
e
Difficulty in
separating real
from imaginary
Vivid dreams
Fantasy;
imaginary
playmates
Intellectual
Strong
desire to
Curiosity;
abundance
know
and to
of questions
understand
Desire to
learn
Sensual
Enriched perceptions of
and reactions to sensory
experiences
May involve one or more
senses
Sensory experience may
be viewed as too intense
Seeks sensory outlets for
tension
Heightened
excitability—
neuromuscular
system
Intense
physical
activity
Difficulty
relaxing
Rapid
speech
Need for
movement
Less
sleep
Deep attachment
Intense joy and
exuberance
Strong empathy and
compassion
Concern with death,
fears, anxieties, depression
SlocumbPayne
Scales
Gifted Education Realities
GT programs are equitable
Equal vs. equitable
Multiple
measures of
identification
COMAR 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 ability
 Learned skills to play a specific sport
Assessments for GT Identification
Re-screening

Cognitive Abilities Test- CogAT

Screening Assessment for Gifted
Elementary and Middle School
Students, Second Edition –
SAGES-2

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
Math/Science & LA/SS Achievement

Reasoning – aptitude

Primary and Intermediate
Test of Mathematical Abilities
for Gifted Students – TOMAGS

Age Percentile Scores


Mathematical reasoning/ability

Primary and Intermediate

Age Percentile Scores

Normal and Gifted



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
Graders
 The
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
 Assesses
peers
Reasoning
students in relation to their
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
NOTE:
the
Scores
CogAT has a
standard
deviation of
16, not 15
68% of
students
fall here
98% of students will fall in here
> Top 3%
HCPS Levels of Service Models
Level 1
Opportunities
for ALL
students
Level 2
Occasional
Level 3
Service for
Consistent service for SOME students
MANY students
Flexible ability grouping within specific
subject areas
Critical &
Creative
thinking;
Talent
Development
Opportunities for
Level 4
additional
Intensive service for
FEW students
challenge
and extended
learning
experiences
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
•
•
•
•
Ag Lab
STEM Day
Assemblies
Field Trips
Level 2
• After school activities
• Differentiation in classroom
Level 4
Individual project
time
• Cluster grouping
•
•
•
•
Conceptual & Inquirybased curricular
materials
Curriculum
compacting
Flexible grouping
Level 3
Curricular Example - Mathematics
Distance from
Finish Line
Orange Roll
Time
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
Gifted Children's Bill of Rights
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.