Elevating Differentiation by
Aiming at Underachievement
Allison List, GATE Magnet Counselor
Jennifer Rasmussen, GATE Magnet
ELA Teacher
Our 3 Main Goals
1.
Define underachievement and identify how
underachievement looks within the school
environment and causes of.
2.
Adopt academic differentiation strategies that combat
underachievement (presented from a GATE
perspective).
3.
Gain awareness of how a counselor can help you
address underachievement in your classroom
(presented from a GATE perspective).
Underachievement is…
Potential
Performance
GATE Student Needs at Clayton

Students receiving a Tier 2 intervention: 22%

Students receiving a Tier 3 intervention: 1%

Students who have been qualified for Special Education,
aka Twice Exceptional (2e): 2%

Students on a 504 plan: 9%

Student on a 504 plan that receive academic
accommodations for executive functioning deficits: 67%
Two Types of Underachievers
Selective Producers
Non Producers

Aware of intellect


Capable of high
performance
Refuse to do classwork
or homework

Are learning

Only engaged with
interests

Perform well on
assessments

Are not motivated by
grades

WILL FRUSTRATE
EVERYONE!
Underachievers
(from Clayton’s perspective)

Low self esteem

Poor attitude

Makes excuses

Wants to do well, but doesn’t know how

Confrontational

Compassionate

Confused

Reflective

Projects high self esteem

Failing courses

“Promises” to do better

Believes teachers are “out to get them”

Have responsibilities at home that trump education

Frustrated

Want everyone off their back
Let’s make it applicable!

On a post it, please write down the name or names of
those students at your site who you think could be an
underachiever.

As we go through more specifics on underachievement,
you can start gathering more in depth information on
how to help them.
How
Students
Achieve
Achievement
How Students Achieve
Factors That Support Achievement

Academic self concept

Attitude toward school

Attitude towards teachers and classrooms

Motivation and self regulation

Goal Valuation
Cash’s Cycle of Success
Deserving Child
Positive Feelings
Desire
Achievement
Underachievement
Underachievement Risk Factors

Academic self perception

Attitude toward school

Attitude toward teachers and classrooms

Motivation and Self Regulation

Goal valuation
Cash’s Cycle of Failure
Undeserving Child
Negative Feelings
No Desire
Failure
Characteristics Which Hamper
Achievement

Frustration with inability to master certain academic skill

Learned helplessness

General lack of motivation

Disruptive classroom behavior

Perfectionism

Supersensitivity

Failure to complete assignments

Lack of organizational skills

Demonstration of poor listening and concentration skills

Deficiency in tasks emphasizing memory and perceptual abilities

Low self-esteem

Unrealistic self-expectations

Absence of social skills with some peers
Underachievement Causes in our
Gifted Youth

Unusual or unexpected event

Power and control issues

Conflicting messages from significant adults

Lack of intellectually stimulating environment

Fixed mindset of intelligence. (insert ted talk on growth
mindset)

Problematic beliefs

Gender

Family dynamics

Peer influence
How to Reverse Underachievement
Teachers
Counselors
Family
Engagement
Underachievement
What Teachers Can Do

Overcoming Fear

Overcoming Perfectionism

Avoiding Confrontation

Varying Expectations
Overcoming Fear and Perfectionism

Collaboration

Voice and Choice

Self-Reflection on assignments and projects

Invade their binders, notebooks, etc…

Accept any work
Avoiding Confrontation

Shoulder to Shoulder discussion

Out of general population

Do not single out
Instruction Mindset
IS NOT…
- Tracking
- A New Strategy
- Static
- Teaching to the
Middle
- A series of activities
- Watered down
curriculum
IS…
- Flexible Grouping
- Student Centered
- Rigorous / Relevant
- For all Learners
- Based on academic
and personal needs
- Fosters relationships
and reflection
Improving Student Regulation

Pg. 78/79

Pg. 132

Pg. 142

Pg. 147
What School Counselors Can Do
Accommodations Counselors consider
to help access curriculum

Provide alternative means for accomplishing assessment of
curriculum outcomes

Allow child to choose the options he or she feels will be
successful

Divide longer term projects assigned into small pieces with steps
to be checked off

Use organizers such as webs, electronic organizers, study guides,
multiple modality access to content and assignment descriptions
as reminders for the child of what has to be done and by when

Work directly and collaboratively with the child to design rubrics
on how the work will be assessed
K.B. Rogers NAGC Presentation 2014
27
Counseling Mindset
IS NOT…




Punitive
statements or
actions
Punishing,
discouraging, put
downs, “I told
you so”
Directing or
solving problems
for them
Playing two sides
between the
student and the
teacher
IS…




Encouragement,
positive, and
strength-based
Descriptive
feedback, support,
specific , end with
encouragement
Provide choices, give
guidance, support
their search for
alternatives
Facilitate and model
professional problem
solving skills.
Strategies integrated within the
differentiated curriculum
• Adaptations of the curriculum
• Cognitive access, meta-cognition
• Behavior adjustments
• Social skills development
• Self-awareness, self-regulation
• Physical accommodation of
learning space
Interventions

Parent conferences

Individual counseling

Small group counseling

Focus groups

Classroom guidance focused on mindset and various SEL
topics such as coping skills and stress management
Tips for Working with Gifted Teens

Avoid preaching or cheerleading

Affirm intelligence and self worth

Screen for mental health concerns such as depression

Provide intervention and track with data to rule out
learning disabilities

Avoid saying that he can do better if he tried
Underachievement Intervention at
Clayton
(Classroom Based)
24 students are participating in a goal
valuation/organizational advisory. Each day has a different
topic:
Monday: Set up agenda, talk about planning evenings
Each student receives a “Goal Post it” and a missing work
post it.
Tuesday: Study Hall
Wednesday: Planning, Organization, Skills, Mindset
Discussions
Thursday: Study Hall – Check Agendas
Friday: Planning, Organization, Skills, Mindset Discussions;
Reward Days
Underachievement Intervention at
Clayton
(Counselor Based)

13 (10 male, 3 female) students were pulled from the
goal valuation advisory 1 day per week to participate in
a focus group based on barriers to learning.

1 student was also pulled for the group but was in a
different advisory.

Screening for candidates: Term 1 2.8 GPA or lower (19
students were selected)

Students divided into two groups based on team
discretion. 1. needing focus group (14), 2. struggled
with middle school transition but making improvements
(5)
UA Intervention cont.
(counselor based)

Week 1: Intro, grading scale, credit requirements, GPA
and what that means

Week 2: Student Academic profile (folder with term 1
grades and break down, includes GPA)

Week 3 Grade check, goal setting for term 2

Week 4 Discussion group- vocabulary: gifted and
underachievement. Discussed barriers to success

Week 5: Discussion group- cont. from previous week

Week 6: Goal review and plan for term 3.
How’d They Do?
Of the students participating in both interventions…
46% had a GPA increase from 9.5%-109%
77% passed all core courses
15% maintained their GPA
Another Counseling Intervention- in
process…
1.
Accelerated Algebra 1 course participants aware that they are not in the
advanced math course for 8th grade. Common problems: refusing to work,
saying they are stupid, not taking curriculum seriously, having emotional
reactions to tests
2.
Survey distributed on Math Anxiety- results showed that 80% of the class
experienced levels of math test anxiety.
3.
Survey developed on fixed mindset-is there a correlation between anxiety
and mindset?
4.
Data collected from both surveys will be used to design guidance lessons
based on decompressing stress and moving towards a growth mindset.
Family Engagement
So What Does This All
Mean?
Unique GT Characteristics
 Twice
exceptional (2e)
 Asynchronous development
Underachievement
 Overexciteabilities
 Multipotentiality
 Imposter
syndrome
 Perfectionism
GATE Students have Special Needs
What do the experts say?
James Webb, Ph.D.
“Because it is prominent in so many gifted children, some
professionals believe asynchronous development, rather than
potential or ability, is the defining characteristic of giftedness..”

One cannot assume that children with similar IQ scores have similar personalities,
interests, abilities, or temperaments. Gifted children often have substantial
variations in abilities within themselves and develop unevenly across various skill
areas.

For example, they may be excellent in reading but poor in math, or they may show
precocious ability with puzzles or machines but show average ability in verbal
development. Sometimes intellectual skills are quite advanced, while motor or
social skills are far behind. Or their knowledge is advanced, but their judgment in
social areas – such as tact – lags far behind.
GATE Students have Special Needs
What do the experts say?
Dan Peters, Ph.D.
“The word ‘gifted’ is loaded … it seems to imply that gifted people ‘have
more’ so it not only puts them in a position of being seen as elite, but also as
not needing ‘more’ of anything because they already have more than most.”
Common Characteristics of Gifted Youth

Rapid learners

Highly sensitive

Strong memory


Large vocabulary
Abstract, complex, logical,
insightful thinking

Advanced comprehension
of nuances

Idealism and sense of justice

Intense feelings and
reactions

Long attention span and
persistence

Largely self-taught

Unusual emotional depth
How GATE is
Proactive!

MTSS

SEL Implementation

Present in classrooms, connecting with students

Strategic Plan

Hiring support staff

Counseling vertical being implemented through Lync
Obvious or Hidden Disability?
MTSS Process
Our Current GATE SEL Support









NAGC SEL standards NAGC Programming Standards
Vertical collaboration: Sharepoint and Lync as
main tools
Weekly SEL tip for teams and
Project based learning (strategic grouping)
Engaging parents with Parent University,
newsletters
GATE SEL/Affective Curriculums
The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens
Parent-Teacher conferences (Strength-based
model)
Class meetings and encourage family meetings
Self Regulated Learning, Dr. Cash
Closing Activities
1.
Parent Teacher conference practice, use the scoring rubric to see how you do!
2.
Identify the differentiation techniques from Cash’s “blue” book that you would like
to use in the classroom
3.
Counselors group together and brain storm how you can form underachievement
interventions at the Elementary, Middle and High School levels
4.
Counselors and teachers from the same site, discuss how you would like to work
together to develop interventions for your students
5.
Ted Talk video on Mindset
(http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_i
mprove?language=en)
Parent Conference Scoring Rubric

Positive Parent-Teacher Conference
P/T Conference
member
names:______________________________________________________
_____

Objective: To complete a parent-teacher conference based on strengths,
goals, and empowering self regulated learning

Criteria:

_________/ 40 pts: Conference began by indentifying strengths that student
shares

_________/ 20 pts. List all of relevant issues, state problem, brainstorm
support, agree upon goals (include parent), and specify interventions.

_________/ 20 pts. All members participated with emphasis on student
participation. Student must negotiate reward/consequence.

Presentation: Be prepared to share your conference with session group

_________/ 20 pts. presentation. (30 – 60 second “commercial” of your
product)

References

Cash, Richard M. Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century. Minneapolis,
MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2011. Print.

Ferlazzo, Larry. Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges.
Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2011. Print.

Galbraith, Judy, and James R. Delisle. The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for
(almost) Anything. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2011. Print.

Heacox, Diane, and Richard M. Cash. Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going beyond the Basics.
Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2014. Print.

Peterson, Jean Sunde. The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens: Ready-to-use Discussions
about Identity, Stress, Relationships, and More. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2008. Print.

Rimm, Sylvia B. Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades: And What You Can Do about It. New York: Crown,
1995. Print.

Siegle, Del. The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing, Understanding, and Reversing
Underachievement. Waco: Prufrock, 2013. Print.