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Survival Guide Teachers Gifted Kids How to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate Programs for Gifted Youth K–12 Jim Delisle, Ph.D., & Barbara A. Lewis The for of

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Page 1: Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids - Free Spirit · Survival guide for teachers of gifted kids : how to plan, ... Intelligence and Achievement Tests ... 11 1.2 Redfern School

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SurvivalGuide TeachersGifted KidsHow to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate Programs for Gifted Youth K–12

Jim Delisle, Ph.D., & Barbara A. Lewis

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Page 2: Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids - Free Spirit · Survival guide for teachers of gifted kids : how to plan, ... Intelligence and Achievement Tests ... 11 1.2 Redfern School

SurvivalGuide for

Teachers of Gifted Kids

The

Page 3: Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids - Free Spirit · Survival guide for teachers of gifted kids : how to plan, ... Intelligence and Achievement Tests ... 11 1.2 Redfern School

Jim Delisle, Ph.D., & Barbara A. Lewis

Edited by Marjorie Lisovskis

SurvivalGuide for

Teachers of Gifted Kids

The

How to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate

Programs for Gifted Youth K–12

Page 4: Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids - Free Spirit · Survival guide for teachers of gifted kids : how to plan, ... Intelligence and Achievement Tests ... 11 1.2 Redfern School

Copyright © 2003 by Jim Delisle, Ph.D., and Barbara A. Lewis

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Unless otherwise noted, no part of this book may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordingor otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations or critical reviews. For more information,go to www.freespirit.com/company/permissions.cfm.

Free Spirit, Free Spirit Publishing, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Free Spirit Publishing Inc. A complete listing of our logos and trademarks is available at www.freespirit.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataDelisle, James R., 1953-

Survival guide for teachers of gifted kids : how to plan, manage, and evaluate programs for gifted youth / by Jim Delisle and Barbara A. Lewis.

p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 1-57542-116-X

1. Gifted children—Education—United States—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Lewis, Barbara A., 1943- II. Title.

LC3993.9 .D45 2003371.95—dc21 2002013573

eBook ISBN: 978-1-57542-858-1

Free Spirit Publishing does not have control over or assume responsibility for author or third-party websites and their content. At thetime of this book’s publication, all facts and figures cited within are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, andwebsite URLs are accurate and active; all publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in this book; andall have been verified as of November 2010. If you find an error or believe that a resource listed here is not as described, please con-tact Free Spirit Publishing. Parents, teachers, and other adults: We strongly urge you to monitor children’s use of the Internet.

Cover design: Marieka HeinlenInterior book design: PercolatorAssistant editor: Douglas Fehlen

10 9 8 7 Printed in the United States of America

Free Spirit Publishing Inc.217 Fifth Avenue North, Suite 200Minneapolis, MN 55401-1299(612) [email protected]

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For more than twenty years, Ann Wink, my cherished friend and colleague from Texas, hasbeen an inspiration to my work and my thinking. This book is dedicated to her because so

much of who she is, and what she believes, is within its pages. Ann, thank you!J.D.

My husband, Lawrence, who is one of the most gifted people I have known, has devotedmuch of his life to developing the intellectual abilities of others. I dedicate this book to him,

my dear friend, who has also led my mind across bridges to the unknown.B.L.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

If I listed the name of every person whose thinkingand other work contributed to the content of thisbook, there would be no room for anything other thanthe acknowledgments! What this tells me is that thelearning I now possess in relation to designing pro-grams for gifted kids is due, in great part, to the par-ents, professional educators, and gifted students Ihave met in my twenty-five-year career quest. Iacknowledge and thank each of these individuals forthe unique insights that have helped to shape thebeliefs and principles I now espouse. Thanks to mycolleagues, friends, and students, this book hasbecome a reality.

Of course, the crack editorial team at Free SpiritPublishing was invaluable in making all the piecesand parts of the book come together. Thank you to all,but especially to Margie Lisovskis and Douglas Fehlen,whose patience rivals Job’s and whose detective skillswould give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money.

—Jim Delisle

Just as it takes the work of many to build a bridge overwhich others may travel, the work of many peoplehas served to inspire and shape this book. First, Iwould like to thank the Park City School District andthose administrators who allowed me to design thePATHS gifted program for Park City, Utah: Dr. NancyDeFord (a superintendent with both vision andtenacity) and Merry Haugen (who allowed freedomof thought).

I will always be indebted to my mentor, Sally Laf-ferty, Salt Lake City School District, for her generosity

in sharing all she knew about the field of gifted edu-cation. Other people have also influenced my think-ing and shared materials with me: Becky Odoardi,Davis School District; Phyllis Embly, Jordan SchoolDistrict; Sue Sakashita, Granite School District; ScottHunsaker, Utah State University; Connie Amos, SaltLake City School District; and Kay Erwin, MurraySchool District. All of them have in some way lefttheir footprints on the bridge of this book.

My thanks to Sally Walker for generously sharingthe Illinois plan with me. Thanks, too, to numerousnational consultants who have inspired, mentored,and befriended me: Dr. Linda Silverman (who hastime for anyone), Barbara Clark (who enlightenedmy brain), and Sally and Joe Renzulli (who providedsome theory upon which I could ground my practice).

My thanks also go to the organizations that haveleft their imprint upon me, and thus upon this book:NAGC, UAGC, and NRC/GT. I’ve been truly lucky to have had such a broad network of caring individu-als to help design my education, both directly andindirectly.

I am delighted to have shared the writing of thisbook with Jim Delisle, who has such a broad histori-cal scope on gifted education and who is also tal-ented and easy to work with.

Finally, my gratitude goes to my publisher, JudyGalbraith, who always exemplifies integrity (andwho is a gifted child herself), for her continued sup-port, enthusiasm, and friendship; and to my editor,Margie Lisovskis, and assistant editor, Douglas Fehlen.

—Barbara Lewis

vii

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List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

List of Reproducible Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Teacher of the Gifted: Fainthearted Need Not Apply.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Why We Wrote This Book .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . and Who We Wrote It For .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The Challenges You Face.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Your Greatest Challenge (and Opportunity): Turning Skeptics and Critics into Stakeholders .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5How to Use This Book .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Before You Begin .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Survival Strategy 1: Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program . . . . . . . . . 8

Keys to Developing a Successful Gifted Education Program... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Gifted Education Committee .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Program Development and Planning .. . . . . . 9Identification, Selection, and Placement of Students .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Staff Development and Involvement.. . . . . . . . 9Publicity .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Parent Involvement.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Program Evaluation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Networking and Trend Monitoring .. . . . . . . . 10

Getting Started: Stating Your Mission and Philosophy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Look First at Your District’s Philosophy and Mission.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Develop a Statement That Fits Your District’s Focus.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Conducting a Needs Assessment .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Tips for Gathering and Using Information .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Setting a Focus for the Gifted Education Program .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Resources .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Survival Strategy 2: Cast a Wide Net to Identify Students . . . . . . . . . 34

Defining Your Terms.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Pitfall 1: Creating a Definition That Isn’t Inclusive .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Pitfall 2: Creating a Definition ThatSuggests All Kids Are Gifted .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Identification: The Beginning Steps . . . and Missteps .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Pitfall 3: Treating Identification as an Event and Not a Process.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Pitfall 4: Once in a Program, Always in a Program (and Vice Versa) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Pitfall 5: Using Limited Methods of Identification .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Pitfall 6: Failing to Match Identification Criteria to Programming .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Get Off on the Right Foot .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Using a Range of Identification Methods.. . 43Standardized Group and Individual Intelligence and Achievement Tests . . . . . . . . 43Teacher Recommendations.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Parent Checklists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Student Nominations .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Other Methods for Identifying Gifted Students.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

The Next Steps .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Make Selections.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Review Close Cases with the Committee .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Share the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Plan an Exit Policy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Keep Your Perspective .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Notes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Resources .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Survival Strategy 3: Lay the Groundwork for a Well-Structured Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Getting Started with Program Planning .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

viii

Contents

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Step 1: Take the Inventory of Excellence.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Step 2: Note the “Gifted Gaps” .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Step 3: Set Your Program Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Step 4: Establish Your Program Structure .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Notes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Resources .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Survival Strategy 4: Plan Programming You Can Build On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Gifted Services in the Regular Classroom .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Early Entrance and Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . 71The Inclusive Classroom .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72In-Class Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Gifted in the Regular Classroom: Benefits and Drawbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Special Classes for Gifted Students . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Pull-Out Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76The Self-Contained Gifted Classroom .. . . 78Ability-Grouped Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79High School Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Weighted Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Seminar Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Special Schools for Gifted Students . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Other Options for Serving Gifted Kids . . . . . . . 84Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Survival Strategy 5: Plan andConduct Ongoing Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . 91

Ongoing Program Evaluation: What Does It Look Like? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Why Are You Conducting Your Evaluation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Who Will Take Part? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95When and How Will You Gather Information .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96How Will You Report the Results? . . . . . . . . . . . 97What Will You Do to Follow Through? .. . . 97

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Survival Strategy 6: Strengthen Your Program by Communicating and BuildingRelationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Keeping the Program Visible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Make Connections .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Provide Usable Information and Data.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Develop a Newsletter for Parents . . . . . . . . . . 118Seek and Create Publicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Becoming a Resource for Parents and Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Involve, Inform, and Support Parents . . 120Build a Bridge to Teachers.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Start a Resource Library .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Provide Opportunities for Staff Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Sustain Veteran G/T Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Supporting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Addressing Parents’ and Students’ Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128A Few Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Who’s Who in Gifted Education? A Short List of Key Players, Past and Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

What’s What in Gifted Education? A Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Parents and Gifted Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Publishers of Gifted Education Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

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1.1 Shattuck Public Schools Mission/Philosophy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.2 Redfern School District Mission/Philosophy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.3 Los Manos District #22 Mission/Philosophy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.4 Shattuck Public Schools Gifted Mission/Philosophy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.5 Los Manos District #22 Gifted Mission/Philosophy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.6 Gifted Education Mission and Philosophy Statement Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.7 What About Involving Students in Needs Assesment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.1 Positive and Negative Aspects of Gifted Children’s Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

2.2 Sample Overview Ranking Form .. . . . . . . . . . . . 462.3 Sample Form Letter to Parents

Announcing Student’s Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483.1 IPESI Mission Statement .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643.2 IPESI Program Philosophy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.3 IPESI Definition of Gifted Children.. . . . . . . . . . 653.4 IPESI Program Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.5 Goals for Gifted Students.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653.6 Goals for Gifted Education

Programming .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

3.7 Pyramid Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674.1 Is Ability Grouping Controversial

in Your District? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804.2 Examples of Project Plus Middle School

Seminars in Twinsburg, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824.3 Examples of Magnet School Programs . . . . 834.4 Sample Gifted Programming Planner . . . . . 855.1 How to Evaluate Your Gifted Program:

A Step-by-Step Plan .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935.2 Program Evaluation Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945.3 Goals for the District 11 Gifted

Program .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945.4 Evaluation Purpose for the District 11

Gifted Program .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946.1 Suggestions for a Staff Development

Plan .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1226.2 Securing a Guest Speaker: 20 Steps

to Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1236.3 What I’ve Learned in My Role as a

Gifted Educator .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1286.4 District 11 Homework Policy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1316.5 Where Eagles Soar .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1326.6 Keeping Your Own Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

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List of Figures

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Teacher Survey: Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Parent Survey: Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Administrator Survey: Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . 22Teacher Survey: Improving Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Parent Survey: Improving Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Administrator Survey: Improving Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Teacher’s Gifted Student Recommendation Form .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Teacher’s Gifted Student Nomination Form .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Teacher’s Gifted Student Observation Form .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Parent Checklist of Child’s Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Gifted Student Nomination Form .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Gifted Education Program Action Plan . . . . . . . . . . 59Gifted Programming Planner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Teacher Survey: Evaluating Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Parent Survey: Evaluating Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Parent Survey: Gifted Program Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Student Survey: Evaluating Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Administrator Survey: Evaluating Gifted Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Public Service Announcement: Evaluating Gifted Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Student Growth Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

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Teacher of the Gifted: Fainthearted

Need Not ApplyWhat’s your job title? Resource teacher? Gifted spe-cialist? Gifted coordinator? Half-time classroom/half-time gifted teacher? G/T paraprofessional? Parentmember of the gifted education committee? Whateveryour official designation, the fact that you’re readingthis book means that you probably work with, or onbehalf of, gifted kids. Depending on your particularrole, the job you do may call for some or all of alaundry list of written and unwritten qualificationslike these:

• completion of graduate coursework in gifted education

• experience teaching gifted children in a school setting

• ability to work well with parents and professionals

• knowledge of curriculum models and differentiationstrategies for varying grade levels

• capability to conduct staff development sessionswithin the school district

• skills in persuasiveness and finding commonground among disparate voices

• capacity to tirelessly and creatively advocate, troubleshoot, solve problems, and apply for funding

And, as though the list weren’t long enough already,there is one more unwritten qualification for teachinggifted children and coordinating their education, onethat is probably the most valuable credential of all:

• possession of a very thick skin

To be sure, no job in education is easy, but the jobof a gifted teacher or coordinator* is often among themost difficult of all. Why? Because gifted education is

one of the few fields for which some people, profes-sionals included, question the need for the position atall—indeed, they may question the need for any pro-gramming for gifted kids. Not only must you do yourjob, but also you’re likely to find yourself called uponto smile in the face of criticism as you defend its veryexistence. Thus, the most vital qualification for some-one in the role of gifted teacher/coordinator/special-ist/volunteer is a personal sense of conviction aboutthe field itself. Without you, many gifted students(and their parents) may have no professional advo-cate at all. And, as you already know or will soonrealize, advocacy is an element of nearly every aspectof the work you do.

Indeed, this is not a field for the timid!

Why We Wrote This Book

The beginnings of this book can be found in our ownpersonal experiences in gifted education:

Jim: When I took my first job as a teacher ofgifted children in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, itwas a part-time position for a resource (pull-out)program in grades 4–6. The district had never hada gifted program before, and there was no budget(other than my salary) and no classroom space (Iworked out of a school library). There were also nomaterials and no guidelines for identification,curriculum planning, program evaluation, workingwith other teachers, staff development, or parentinvolvement. Nada. Zippo. Zero.

Equally frustrating, there was not a text or resourcebook I could find that pointed out, usefully andsuccinctly, the steps to establishing a gifted pro-gram. Nuts-and-bolts questions were many, butanswers were few: Should the gifted program cur-riculum coordinate with the regular curriculum orbe separate from it? Could homework be assigned?Would the kids receive report-card grades for their

1

Introduction

* Just like in the real world of gifted education, in this book we use theterms “coordinator” and “teacher” pretty much interchangeably. Amyriad of titles can apply to the same job description, and two peoplewith similar job titles may have different responsibilities.

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involvement in the gifted class? Should students berequired to make up the work from their regularclassroom? Added to these implementation concernswere the more overarching issues about programphilosophy, identification, and the politics of run-ning a program that was seen by various groupsas either necessary or frivolous, equitable or elitist.

This was in 1978, which coincided with my firstyear as a doctoral student in gifted-child educa-tion. The two years I spent in this program wereinstructive in every way. I learned who gifted kidswere and what I should (and shouldn’t) expect ofthem. I learned what strides could be made whena group of people pulled together to work on build-ing a program for gifted kids. At the same time, Ilearned to count to ten when confronted with“gifted disbelievers” who questioned why we wereproviding specialized services for kids who alreadysucceeded in school.

Barbara: I served as a classroom teacher beforeentering the field of gifted-child education in 1985.Thanks to many innovative “gifted pioneers,” Ilanded in an established program in Salt Lake City,Utah, where I taught ethnically diverse and eco-nomically disadvantaged gifted children. Within afew years, my students’ problem-solving activitiesgarnered national and international kudos andhelped reinforce the concept that gifted childrencan be found in all populations.

Fueled with enthusiasm for working with giftedkids, I then initiated, designed, coordinated, andtaught in a program for gifted students in the ParkCity, Utah, school district. With a supportive admin-istration and the dedication of teachers and parents,the program received recognition and convertedmany skeptical souls into recognizing the needs ofaccelerated learners. People who had previouslyconsidered gifted education to be unnecessary,unfair, or elitist changed their minds.

Today, a generation after we started on our own“gifted journeys,” levels of programming and supportfor gifted education vary widely from district to districtand school to school. One thing remains the same,though: resource books to answer teachers’ questionsremain few. And that’s why we decided to bringtogether our expertise and experience and write thisbook. We wanted to create a comprehensive, hands-onresource that addresses the diverse needs and chal-lenges inherent in developing and implementing a

gifted program and the vital skills required to teachand direct it.

. . . and Who We Wrote It For

It’s possible that there are as many different jobdescriptions for those who work in gifted education asthere are positions to fill. As we wrote The SurvivalGuide for Teachers of Gifted Kids, the readers we had inmind fell mainly into four broad categories:

Full-time coordinator of gifted programmingfor a large school district. If you are in this role,you are often more an administrator than a teacher.Generally, you work in a large city, suburban, or con-solidated school district (5,000 students or more,K–12) and are responsible for multiple buildings andgrade levels. You are probably part of the district’scentral office staff rather than an employee assignedto a specific classroom or building. You have respon-sibilities for hiring (and firing) staff; planning anarray of identification options that respect the diver-sity within your district; answering calls that are“delicate” in nature from parents, principals, andjournalists; and preparing a budget. This is by nomeans a complete list of your responsibilities, so yourdays (and nights) are usually quite full. If you’relucky, you have the part-time support of a secretaryor an administrative assistant who shields you fromtoo many interruptions and apprises you of paper-work that’s due.

Full-time teacher of gifted children who is alsoassigned various administrative responsibilities.In our experience, this is the most common descrip-tion of a gifted coordinator. If it fits your position, youprobably work in either a rural or suburban setting.Your gifted program services are concentrated in some,but not all, grade levels (often, grades 3–8). You teachkids all day, every day, except for occasional releasetime to complete administrative assignments. You arenot usually required to do any supervision or hiring ofother gifted personnel (although you may be asked tosit in on interviews). It’s likely that you’re responsible,at least in part, for completing various forms requiredby your State Department of Education, and that you’reinvolved to some degree in student identification(although this may be someone else’s main job—thedirector of special education, perhaps). You may beasked to lead inservice workshops within your build-ing and, if you coax a bit, might be allowed to attendthe state-level gifted conference. (With luck, some of

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your expenses might even be reimbursed.) You’re prob-ably expected to write and distribute a newsletter toparents and staff about the gifted program’s happen-ings. Last, if there are small jobs to be done (sendingin payment for the Destination ImagiNation teams,scheduling a school bus for a field trip), they are nodoubt yours to do. Your budget may be quite small, ornonexistent. Relying on the goodwill of your buildingprincipal may garner you the funds you need to pur-chase resources or curriculum materials. Clerical assis-tance? Most likely, that would be you typing your letters.

Classroom teacher with supplemental respon-sibilities in the gifted program. Usually, thisposition category is found in school districts wherethe majority of services received by gifted childrenare delivered in the regular classroom (through clus-ter grouping or various means of differentiation) orin homogeneous classrooms of high-ability students.Beyond the hands-on teaching that you do, yourtasks may include providing materials and curricu-lum ideas to the other classroom teachers who servegifted children; reporting to the State Department ofEducation on the numbers of gifted children identi-fied in your district; and keeping your principalinformed of matters that you hear about from assortedkids, parents, and teachers in your building. Gener-ally, someone else handles the broader administra-tive responsibilities, either at the central office orthrough a county liaison responsible for multipleschool districts. It’s possible that you have a supple-mental contract for your services, but more likely thatyou get release time of a very limited nature. Thoughin essence your main job is as a classroom teacher,people are likely to look to you for leadership regardingthe gifted program or services offered in your school.

Off-site gifted coordinator serving multipledistricts. This is a particularly difficult assignment,as your role may encompass several school districtsthat have different levels of interest in and services forgifted children. Your office might be miles removedfrom the actual schools you serve, and individual dis-tricts purchase your services by the day—25 days peryear in Hoboken, 35 in East Orange, and so forth.Your tasks involve student identification, staff develop-ment, communicating with various school personnelwho work with gifted students, and procuring cur-riculum materials for teachers who request them. Yougenerally don’t work directly with students, andmuch of your time is spent putting out fires lit by oth-ers. Since you’re not based in any single district, youprobably have little clout with the schools you serveand may be viewed by some as an outsider. Your lack

of consistent presence in any one building requiresyou to wear a name badge so people will recognizeyou, and at the end of the month, your mileage reim-bursement comes close to equaling your paycheck.Your car resembles a used bookstore and is often lit-tered with leftover wrappers from the fast-food outletsyou frequent between here and there.

If you don’t find your situation among these fourpositions, read on. A second audience we felt ourbook would be important for were gifted educatorswhose focus was more pinpointed. You may be suchan educator. For example, you might be a full-timeclassroom teacher who has volunteered (or beenasked) to conduct a pull-out program in a specificarea—say, math or science. You may be a paraprofes-sional or parent volunteer charged with introducingand running a particular program such as a GreatBooks group. Or, perhaps you’re a director of specialeducation with a small percentage of your time slatedfor gifted education.

Whatever your role in the design and operation ofyour district’s or county’s gifted programs, we’ve writ-ten this book to provide you with practical, effectiveadvice for surviving and thriving as a gifted educator.It is our hope that the book’s structure, strategies, rec-ommendations, examples, and forms—gatheredthrough our own combined 40+ years’ experience inworking with and for gifted children and the parentsand professionals who come with them—will help youbecome the finest advocate you can be for the youngpeople we all care so much about: gifted kids.

The Challenges You FaceWorking in our home districts and traveling theUnited States and Canada speaking with other giftededucators, we have found that teachers face someuniversal concerns. In fact, it may well be one ormore of the following challenges, echoed by teachersacross North America, that led you to open this bookto begin with:

1. “There isn’t much funding, if any. How canwe have a sound program without money topay for it?” Plenty of funds are earmarked for stu-dents with special needs ranging from learning dis-abilities to speech and language impediments tobehavioral challenges. Often, though, when it comesto funding for the unique learning needs of giftedchildren, dollars seem scarce. Educational money iscompetitive; this means that specialized educationalopportunities for students with exceptional ability are

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rarely given financial priority. To overcome this chal-lenge, people working in the trenches of gifted edu-cation routinely find it necessary to both advocateand search for additional funding to pay for specialprograms, trips, or resource materials. Tracking downand harnessing money for your program is only partof this challenge, though. Equally important is find-ing ways to help those people in charge of the pursestrings recognize the critical need to establish andsupport a solid budget for gifted education.

2. “Many education professionals don’t recog-nize or understand the learning needs ofgifted students.” Often in a school system there areadministrators, teachers, and parents who argue thatfast learners can fend for themselves and therefore donot need special programming or advanced learningopportunities. For these people, the fact that manygifted students already know much of the curriculumstands as proof that those kids are “doing fine ontheir own” and that additional services aren’t neces-sary. A common related perspective many gifted teach-ers face is the view that all students, not just those whoare gifted, deserve the same advanced and enrichedlearning opportunities. Demonstrating exactly howand why gifted learners need unique educationalexperiences calls for a host of knowledge and skills:You need to know where to find resources and infor-mation. You must learn to listen so you fully under-stand people’s objections and concerns. You need tofind ways to respond with respect and evenhandednessand to be compelling when you present your case.

3. “Providing specialized instruction for giftedstudents is considered elitist.” Many people feelthat any special accommodation for gifted students isa form of snobbery. They say (or think), “Why shouldthose who already have so much get more?” Thecharge of elitism is an especially frustrating one toanybody who cares deeply about students whoseappetite for knowledge and growth seems insatiable.You know that the term “gifted” is no more of a valuejudgment than the term “dyslexic” or “musical” or“at grade level” or “brown-haired.” You know thatgiftedness is a trait; it isn’t better than or worse than,superior to or inferior to—it just is. The challenge is tohelp others come to know this, too.

For some teachers and coordinators, an added bur-den tied to the question of treating giftedness as if itwere a value is that other teachers are either judg-mental about the gifted program or seem jealous ofthe gifted teacher’s involvement in it. In other words,people sometimes assume that it’s an “easy job to workwith kids who always want to learn.” But it’s not.

You may have also heard the charge that placinggifted children in special programs reinforces “intel-lectual segregation.” If you want a hot-button word inour egalitarian society, it is the term segregation. Thevery sound of it sends chills up the spine of any caringand thinking individual. However, when it comes todesigning unique programs for gifted learners, theterm is misapplied (sometimes for dramatic effect bycritics of gifted education). Gifted coordinators arechallenged to demonstrate that separating giftedlearners from the rest of the class for a portion oftheir school time doesn’t divide students but ratheropens up broader opportunities for all.

“A child miseducated is a child lost.”—John F. Kennedy

4. “Administrators don’t support gifted pro-grams.” This is not universally the case, and you cancount yourself fortunate indeed if you work with acurriculum coordinator, principal, or superintendentwho is a strong backer of gifted education. Unfortu-nately, however, there are still many administratorswho don’t recognize the unique educational needs ofgifted children, or who give those needs a low prior-ity. (Conversely, what principal has ever said, “Youknow, I always wondered if we really needed fourthgrade. Can someone justify this to me?” Or, “I don’treally believe there is such a thing as a learning dis-ability, so let’s cut the special education program andjust let these kids learn on their own.”) This challengeis a critical one, because the administrator is essen-tially the captain of that ship called The Gifted Program.If the captain isn’t on board, how can the programeven stay afloat, let alone cruise full-steam ahead?

5. “It’s difficult to get parents organized andsupportive of the gifted program.” From the so-called pushy parent to the one who is reluctant tohave his or her child singled out for gifted education,moms, dads, and other family adults can help or hin-der your cause. Yet you need them on your team. Infact, parents can be tremendous allies in advocatingfor gifted students and gifted education in a school ordistrict. Forming those alliances is essential.

6. “I can’t get everything done, and I constantlyhave to advocate for gifted students. It neverends. How do I keep from burning out?” Thoughwe often joke about this issue, there’s really nothingfunny about burnout—and finding ways not only toprevent it but also to keep a positive perspective on

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your job is critical for you and for the students whodepend on you. Yes, this is a high-stress field, but oth-ers who share your concerns and questions are many.Finding people with like concerns, seeking out men-tors and other people who can help you, and figuringout when and where to draw the line on the time youcan put in are some of the strategies that can helpyou stay balanced.

7. “How can I train teachers so they can be theones differentiating instruction in their class-rooms?” Classroom teachers, typically overwhelmedalready with their many obligations, are not alwayseager to take on additional training and classroomduties. Gifted coordinators face two hurdles here:helping teachers see that learning to differentiate canmake their job more manageable while they reachmore students, and finding a way—on their own or byhiring a qualified presenter—to provide the trainingteachers need in order to do this. Easy tasks? No.Worthwhile in the long run? You bet.

8. “I’m not a psychologist, and I don’t knowhow to help my gifted students cope with theirown differences and get along with other kidsand teachers.” Some gifted kids have problemswith behavior in school. At times they turn to thegifted teacher to discuss some of their deepest emo-tional concerns. This can be unnerving for the adultinvolved, who cares about the students, wishes tohelp, but wants to be sure to do and say the rightthings. The fact that it is among the concerns teach-ers routinely bring up is probably actually a positivething—it means that educators have come to seegifted students as more than simply great brains, butas real people with real feelings and problems.

Your Greatest Challenge(and Opportunity): Turning Skeptics and

Critics into StakeholdersObviously, the challenges are many and diverse. Yetthey all move along a common undercurrent: a needfor understanding and collaboration among giftedstudents, their teachers, administrators, parents, andall the other people who play a role in gifted education.

What we’re talking about here can be summed upin a one word: buy-in. The need for buy-in is some-thing all of these challenges have in common. Withbuy-in, school boards and administrators see theimportance of funding and staffing for gifted educa-

tion. With buy-in, parents, others teachers, and stu-dents are interested in getting involved with thegifted program. Why? Because they’ve come to seeand understand the value of gifted education, to careabout the educational needs of gifted students, toconsider themselves stakeholders who want to have avoice and a part in these kids’ lives.

How do you achieve buy-in? There are a host ofways, large and small, to make this happen. Theways include sharing information and resources,bringing everyone to the table to imagine a vision forgifted students in the school or district, exploring theacademic needs of gifted kids in the school or district,working together to chart a course for the programand to determine how to identify students for it, con-tinually evaluating what and how the program isdoing, and inviting ideas and participation whereverpossible. And, perhaps most important of all, listen-ing. There is probably no surer path to buy-in thanthrough listening to what the stakeholders have tosay. Few educators or parents really “have it in” forgifted kids or gifted ed, but sometimes their frustra-tions with general education spill over into yourarena. Listening—and patience—go a long, long waytoward calming these waters.

The strategies in this book can help you join withothers in your school or district to develop a thrivingcommunity for gifted education. Doing so won’t bequick or easy, and there’s no guarantee of coopera-tion and smooth sailing. As an advocate for giftedkids and gifted programming, your role is to beassertive, passionate, inclusive . . . and persistent. Itwill be worth your while. Working to help all of theparties involved in gifted kids’ education be engagedin the process may be the most important effort youmake. Though you may feel alone right now, youwon’t be on your own for long. Within your schoolcommunity there is at least one administrator, oneteacher, or one parent who really cares about provid-ing challenging opportunities for gifted kids. Thatperson may be waiting for someone to take the firststep. With the help of this book, you can be thatsomeone.

“Education is all a matter of building bridges.” —Ralph Ellison

How to Use This BookThe Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids addressesthe interests of people working with gifted children inall grades. The book presents a set of survival strategies

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that comprise both map and guidebook for design-ing, building, implementing, sustaining, and growinga gifted program from the ground up.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 1: SET A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR YOUR PROGRAM This strategy gives an overview of the elementsinvolved in planning how to develop a new giftededucation program or enhance and enlarge an exist-ing one. It includes information on crafting a philos-ophy and mission for gifted education in your schoolor district and recommendations for gathering theinformation you need in order to focus programmingand services.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 2: CAST A WIDE NET TO IDENTIFY GIFTED STUDENTS Covered in this strategy are the factors to consider indeveloping a definition of giftedness that fits yourmission and focus and in determining ways you willscreen and select students for gifted programming.Addressed in detail are pitfalls to avoid, advantagesand disadvantages of different methods of assess-ment, fair and inclusive means of identification, andeffective ways to use information from varied sourcesin selecting students for gifted services. We also dis-cuss ways to communicate the results of your search,steps to take when a decision is challenged, and fac-tors to weigh in planning an exit policy.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 3: LAY THE GROUNDWORKFOR A WELL-STRUCTURED PROGRAM Here you’ll find steps for examining learning oppor-tunities your school already has in place that canbenefit gifted students, noting gaps to be filled, andsetting program goals that take into account boththose factors and the mission and philosophy youhave already established for your gifted services. Thestrategy also presents a research-based model forplanning a balanced, comprehensive gifted educa-tion program that includes services in the regularclassroom, special classes, and special schools.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 4: PLAN PROGRAMMINGYOU CAN BUILD ON In this strategy we present detailed descriptions ofprogramming options for each of the three dimensionsof the planning model set forth in Survival Strategy 3.Described under the first option—gifted services inthe regular classroom—are early entrance and accel-eration, in-class grouping, and differentiated instruc-tion and curriculum. For the second option—specialclasses—we explore pull-out programs, ability group-ing, self-contained gifted classes, high school honors

and Advanced Placement options, weighted grades,and seminar series. The chapter examines the bene-fits and drawbacks of both regular-classroom servicedelivery and pull-out programs, presents examples ofspecialized institutions such as magnet schools, anddiscusses additional programming options includingmentorships and various support and enrichmentprograms.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 5: PLAN AND CONDUCT ONGOING EVALUATION Survival Strategy 5 presents a best-practice approachto systematic evaluation focused on measuring andimproving the depth, breadth, and quality of a giftededucation program. You’ll find both step-by-stepguidelines for an exemplary evaluation process and aset of “just the basics” recommendations for gettingstarted with evaluation when time and financialresources are in short supply. The goal is to help youestablish an ongoing evaluation process that is realis-tic for your school or district and free of bias inaddressing the interests of all those involved in giftededucation, recognizing what’s working well, pointingout areas where change or improvement are calledfor, and providing direction for follow-through.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY 6: STRENGTHEN YOUR PROGRAM BY COMMUNICATING AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS This survival strategy highlights some of the chal-lenges involved in forming alliances with administra-tors, parents, and other teachers in order to sustainand strengthen the gifted education program. You’llfind ideas on where to look for data and informationthat can help you and your administrators state thecase for program funding; suggestions for establish-ing parent groups and developing a newsletter; tipsfor supporting classroom and G/T teachers; recom-mendations on planning inservice training for teach-ers; and strategies for resolving problems withparents and students. The chapter also discusses theunique social and emotional needs of gifted kids andthe actions you and other adults can take to help chil-dren cope with perfectionism, peer ridicule, highintensity, stress, and other personal challenges theyface. This final strategy concludes with first-personnarratives from teachers and coordinators on sus-taining yourself and reaping the personal rewards ofworking in gifted education.

Along with step-by-step guidelines, each strategyincludes a wealth of real-life examples; recom-mended books, organizations, Web sites, and otherresources specifically related to the strategies; andreproducible forms to help you implement procedureswe recommend. At the end of the book, you’ll find a

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glossary of terms related to gifted education, a shortbiographical history of the people whose researchand efforts have shaped the field, and an expandedlist of resources.

Our goal has been to make The Survival Guide forTeachers of Gifted Kids as thorough as possible in orderto meet the needs of many different readers. Pleasedon’t let the broad scope of the book intimidate you!You may be in the position of spearheading a com-prehensive gifted education program in your schoolor district. Or, you may need information pinpointedto implementing a teaching strategy, exploring enrich-ment options, or arranging for teacher training. Ifyou are inaugurating your district’s first-ever giftedprogram, we suggest you read this book from cover tocover to get a good feel for the various elements ofprogram operation. If you want information or strate-gies regarding a specific topic, such as identification,evaluation, or gaining administrative support, usethe contents and index to point you to the sections ofthe book that are of interest to you.

Whatever your goal, don’t be afraid to start small.Small efforts, carefully planned and implemented,hold the best promise of success for you, your pro-gram, and the gifted students you serve.

Before You BeginIn writing this survival guide, we realize that nearlyall states (and Canadian provinces, too) have specificregulations regarding identification, gifted teachercertification, and almost every other aspect of pro-gramming addressed between these covers. Theserules are constantly changing, as are the peopleresponsible for monitoring their compliance. Thus,we recommend that before reading this book, youfirst acquaint yourself with the national organizationthat supports gifted education in the United States:

National Association for Gifted Children(NAGC)1707 L Street NW, Suite 550Washington, DC 20036(202) 785-4268www.nagc.org

Visit the NAGC Web site, find your way around it, andthen use its links to visit the association of your ownstate. (If you teach in Canada, visit the Gifted CanadaWeb site at www3.telus.net/giftedcanada and click thelink to provincial organizations.) Here you will findspecific information governing gifted education pro-gramming where you work, general information

about gifted kids and the programs that serve them,and links to other organizations and Web sites. Then,when you return to The Survival Guide for Teachers ofGifted Kids—which is filled with advice and sugges-tions that deal little with law and more with logis-tics—you can weave the “have to’s” of your localewith the “how to’s” revealed in this book.

We’re interested in learning how our book hashelped you survive and thrive as a teacher of giftedkids. Which recommendations have worked best foryou? Which haven’t? What other strategies have youfound helpful? Please share your experiences by writ-ing to us in care of our publisher:

Free Spirit Publishing Inc.217 Fifth Avenue North, Suite 200Minneapolis, MN [email protected]

We wish you all the best on your adventure!

Jim Delisle, Ph.D.Barbara A. Lewis

Introduction 7

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8

Eight-year-old Ada is obsessed with bugs. She collects themin jars, dissects them, and draws them with skillful, metic-ulous detail on the corners of her assignments. For Ada,the best part of her school week comes on Wednesdayafternoon when she meets with her mentor, a biologyteacher from the middle school, to pursue her study andexperiments in entomology.

HHH

Contrary to Ada, Mario detests bugs and bug parts, but heis passionate about Einstein’s theory of time dilation. Hemaroons himself at the back of the classroom and workson writing his own science fiction book about time travel.In a meeting with Mario, the gifted resource teacher, andMario’s sixth-grade math and English teachers, the groupdevised a project Mario could do to replace the science uniton plant species, which he already knew, with research intotime travel. He could then work on his novel as part of thecreative writing unit in English class. The resource teacherfound sources and Web sites Mario could use to learn moreabout the genre of science fiction.

HHH

Carson, a gregarious fourth grader with a huge vocabu-lary, worries constantly about the homeless families in hiscommunity. Recognizing Carson’s intellectual and leader-ship abilities and his strong social conscience, his teacherrecommended that he participate in the district’s FutureProblem Solving Program (FPSP). Carson quickly becameintensely involved, and has now recruited a group of kidsfrom the program to work on the issue of homelessness in

their city through the Community Problem Solving Compo-nent of FPSP.

HHH

At sixteen, Xiang struggles with her world history class andworks with an English as a Second Language teacher everyday. At the same time, she has already completed or testedout of all of her high school math choices and is currentlyworking on her second college-level calculus course throughan online independent study with a local university.

ll of the preceding examples point out howimportant it is for a gifted program to provide a

broad base of services focused on the specific needs ofthe students. A successful gifted program requiresfunding and commitment from the district. In a per-fect world, a full-fledged gifted education programwould include a consistent continuum of services,with a scope and sequence all the way from kinder-garten (or prekindergarten) through twelfth grade,and into all curricular areas. It would allow for flexi-ble groupings of students and would be incorporatedinto the regular school educational plan, as opposedto being an after-school enrichment club. Instructionwould be differentiated and fast paced to meet theacademic needs of individual students.

Sound a little too good to be true? While many dis-tricts do offer such a thoughtfully structured array ofaccommodations for gifted kids, many more providea narrower range of programming or are continuallyworking to add services one step at a time. And, as youprobably know, some districts offer a bare minimum

1

Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program

Survival Strategy

A

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Survival Strategy 1: Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program 9

of opportunities to stimulate and challenge theirgifted learners.

No matter how much or how little formal giftededucation your district currently offers, you can startfrom that point to develop broader and improvedprogramming. Maybe you’re part of a committeecharged with imagining and designing a comprehen-sive set of services. If so, lucky you! Maybe your dis-trict has a mix of services, but they have gaps or don’tseem well thought out. Or, maybe you’re starting outwith little more than $1,285.32 from the PTA bakesale. Don’t despair! Begin with what you have. Dosomething well on a small scale, maybe a pilot pro-gram in one building or training on differentiationfor a couple of enthusiastic classroom teachers. Then,as you gain appreciation and approval for the serv-ices, you can work with others to expand the program-ming. Use the skills and talents that you have in place.Complete gifted programs are not “built in a day.”

Keys to Developing a Successful Gifted Education Program

Services for gifted students might be organized inmany ways. Whether you’re starting with a lot or alittle, a successful gifted program is built on a similarset of elements. Here is a brief summary of these fun-damental components, which are covered in detail inthe remainder of this book.

The Gifted Education CommitteeIf you are the district’s gifted coordinator, the job ofspearheading the formation of this committee mayfall to you. It might also be the responsibility ofanother administrator, who may assign leadershipfor different tasks to one or more individuals. Regard-less of who’s in charge or what your specific role maybe, the committee will set or help set the direction foryour program. Its members will work in various capac-ities, often with people outside the group, to accom-plish the different tasks and processes of building andsustaining a districtwide program. Ideally, the com-mittee will include representation from all the peoplewith vested interests: administrators, teachers, par-ents, interested PTO or PTA members, communityleaders, and even a few students.

Program Development and PlanningTasks here include:

• writing the program mission or philosophy statement and goals

• writing, implementing, and reviewing policies and procedures

• setting a focus for gifted education programming

• seeking approval for the program plan from the district and State Department of Education,if necessary

Individuals charged with actually designing theprogram will want to poll teachers, administrators,and parents to determine what student needs are ofparticular interest or concern and to see what types ofservices people feel will be most useful. It will also beimportant to research different exemplary programs.NAGC (the National Association for Gifted Children—see page 7) and state gifted organizations can beexcellent resources here, as can other districts in yourregion known for high-quality gifted services. Withthis information in hand, the next tasks are:

• determining who participates in programmingand how it is delivered

• selecting curriculum, programs, and other services and materials

Identification, Selection, and Placement of Students Means of identification will depend on the types ofprogramming that will be offered. Beyond program-ming, selection and placement will also depend onthe number of students your resources (human andmonetary) will allow you to serve.

Staff Development and InvolvementInservices for teachers in gifted education philosophy,instructional strategies, identification, and imple-mentation can make the difference between a pro-gram that plods or limps along and one that thrives.Equally important are regular meetings for teachersinvolved with the program. Often these meetings canbe used for training and education. They will alsogive teachers a forum for sharing strategies, discussingproblems or concerns, and supporting each other.

“Combine two or more people in the pursuit of a common purpose and you can achieve more with less. Together we are able to accomplish what none

of us could achieve alone.”—Dan Zadra

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10 The Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids

PublicityLocal media outlets present the opportunity to spot-light your program’s successes, inform the communityabout what’s happening with gifted students in theschool or district, and invite people into the process.Newspapers, TV and radio stations, and the Web sitesof your district and the local gifted organization areall forums for educating people about the need andvalue inherent in gifted education and for cultivatingbuy-in. Best of all, this publicity can be free.

Parent InvolvementParents want and need to be involved with the school’sgifted education services. Your planning should con-sider all of the following:

• Parent meetings several times each year. Duringthe meetings, you can encourage advocacy andparticipation in your program. You can also pres-ent information and host discussions of topics ofinterest to parents of gifted kids, such as socialand emotional needs, ability testing, giftednesscoupled with another learning difference, or planning for college.

• A parent newsletter. Send this out several times ayear to keep parents informed about what’s goingon and about trends in gifted education.

• Parent advocacy. Encourage parents to develop a parent advocacy committee, making sure thatschool personnel attend the meetings to keepabreast of parents’ concerns and to support theirinvolvement in their children’s education.

• Volunteer opportunities. Invite parents to volun-teer, in and out of the classroom, and provideappropriate training if they will work directly with students or staff.

Program EvaluationFrom the beginning, you will need to collect data thatgives a snapshot of how the program is succeedingand what changes or improvements are called for.Plan to submit to the school board an annual reportof the strengths and weaknesses of the program.Include ways for all “players”—teachers, parents,students, and administration—to evaluate gifted serv-ices. Set in place a procedure for reviewing the infor-mation gleaned from evaluations and using it toimprove your program and services so they truly meetthe needs of gifted kids in the district.

Networking and Trend MonitoringTime and money need to be allotted so that giftededucation personnel can attend local and nationalworkshops to keep informed about current trends andstrategies in gifted education. This should includemembership in local, state, and national gifted organ-izations as well as plans for someone to serve on dis-trict, state, and professional committees that have thepower to make decisions impacting gifted students. Inaddition, no matter what programs and services youdecide to implement, you will want to plan for aresource center. Even if this starts out as a single shelfin the office or library, it’s important to initiate thisearly on. Include books, pamphlets, videos, and otherresources for parents, teachers, and students. Theresource center is also the place to house publicationsfrom national and state gifted organizations.

Yes, the list of elements for developing a successfulgifted program is a long one. Your planning will taketime and patience. As with many endeavors, to buildor strengthen your program, start at the foundation.The remainder of this chapter will look at three essen-tial pieces of groundwork: determining your missionand philosophy, conducting a needs assessment, andsetting the focus for your gifted program.

Getting Started: Stating Your Mission

and Philosophy

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.”

—Alfred Adler

Writing a mission and philosophy statement can be achallenge, especially when doing it as a committee,but is essential to know your parameters and followthem to design the path your program will take. Theprocess is necessary in order to allow all parties witha vested interest to identify with the program. This iscreative, buy-in time for the participants. Muchenthusiasm and built-in advocacy can be generatedat this step.

We recommend that you think in terms of threetypes of information here:

• philosophy (what)—the focusing, identifying, descrip-tive information

• mission, or purpose (why)—your stated reasons forthe program

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Survival Strategy 1: Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program 11

• goals (how)—outlining specific steps and somedetails about the way you will address the philos-ophy and accomplish the purpose (goals are addressed in Survival Strategy 3; see pages 64–66)

Look First at Your District’s Philosophy and MissionYour statement will need to align with the district’sstated mission, so start by looking at the official lan-guage your district has put in place. Virtually everyschool district and many individual schools have writ-ten philosophy and mission statements—sometimesseparate, sometimes combined. These statements areusually quite short, seldom longer than a few sen-tences, and have generally been sanctioned by theboard of education in some type of formal approvalprocess. Though some schools start with their philos-ophy and move to their mission, often they begin bythinking about their mission—the purpose behindwhat the school district wants to project for its overallimage and goals.

Mission statements tend to take on a particulartone and character. Some emphasize the child’sdeveloping role as a “global citizen,” while othersfocus on the child as a “lifelong learner.” Still othersaddress the student as a member of a “democraticsociety.” Very rapidly, you can sense in a missionstatement whether the school district sees its primaryeducational job in terms of benefiting the individualchild or in serving as the conduit for acculturating thechild into a larger world.

Close to a school’s mission statement is its philoso-phy of education. A natural link to the mission, thephilosophy is usually a bit longer and more detailed.Also, it is here that you will almost always find lan-guage and values that can support the idea of serv-ices for gifted students. Nearly all philosophystatements include elements on which a gifted edu-cation mission can be founded, as there is often men-tion of something akin to “allowing each child toreach his or her potential.” Here are some examplesof mission and philosophy statements:

The mission of the Shattuck Public Schools is toproduce responsible, educated citizens who areequipped with the skills required for success in anever-changing, highly diverse, technological world.

Figure 1.1 This combined mission/philosophy statement puts theemphasis on children’s future employment and the role they will playin society. Though individual children’s needs are not noted as a par-ticular focus, diversity is acknowledged.

The Redfern School District will foster an academi-cally excellent educational system to develop criticallythinking, civic-minded learners who will contributeto our global society. To accomplish this mission,the district will encourage and support a committedpartnership with staff, parents, and the community.

Figure 1.2 This mission includes a bit of philosophy as well as somedirection for goals. The statement would appear to have a direct link toservices for gifted students, as it emphasizes academic excellence andcritical thinking as fundamentals. It’s apparent, too, that the district val-ues collaboration.

The mission of public education for Los Manos District#22 is for every student to develop the attributesnecessary to become a lifelong learner, to reach per-sonal fulfillment, and to contribute productively to ademocratic society. This calls for an educational sys-tem that responds to the differing abilities, needs,interests, and aspirations of the entire student body.

The philosophy of public education for the LosManos District #22 is to provide every student withthe maximum educational experience the studentcan absorb, subject only to each individual’s limita-tions. This includes providing the maximum educa-tional experience for fast, average, and slow learnersand for those children with disabilities and learningdifferences.

Figure 1.3 Here’s a wonderful statement that emphasizes personalgrowth within a larger society and clearly expresses a commitment toindividual student needs. It just follows that gifted students can beserved well within this mission and philosophy.

Develop a Statement That Fits Your District’s FocusIf you are working from a base of statements similarto any of these, it should be relatively easy for yourcommittee to construct a gifted program philosophyand mission that complements what the board ofeducation says it wants to provide for all students. It’sparticularly easy to do this when districts state theircommitment to being “responsive to the differingneeds, interests, abilities, and aspirations of the entirestudent body,” to “academic excellence,” or to havingstudents “achieve personal fulfillment.” It’s not astretch, either, to link the value of gifted education todistrict missions and philosophies that emphasize“commitment to quality,” “critical thinking,” or “life-long learning.” It can be a little more challenging toconnect the dots from language like “basic knowledgeand skills for making constructive use of the law” or

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12 The Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids

“acquisition of skills, attitudes, and interests whichallow an individual to be aware of the options avail-able, not of the absence of restraints” (these latterstatements are both from actual district missions),but this can legitimately be done.

Indeed, it will be in your best interest to do as inthe following examples: refer back to the district’smission or philosophy as the reason behind yourdesire to offer specific services for gifted students.

The Shattuck Public School District has a responsi-bility to foster in all students critical-thinking, lead-ership, and academic skills that are necessary forsucceeding in a global society. Fulfilling this missionfor all students requires that the district’s schools cap-italize on students’ inherent and developed talentsand abilities. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the dis-trict to provide gifted students with individual learn-ing prescriptions, resources, and experiences thatcapitalize on their inherent and developed talentsand which provide the potential for self-fulfillment,creativity, and responsible production in our society.

Figure 1.4 By identifying attributes required in students’ future rolesas workers and contributing members of society, this statement makesa clear link between the school district’s mission and philosophy andthe needs of gifted students.

Meeting the individual learning needs of children isa well-established mission in Los Manos District #22.It is acknowledged that no single learning prescrip-tion fits all children. In recognition of this diversity,Los Manos District #22 will provide services to iden-tified gifted children. We will provide a wide rangeof opportunities that accommodate the learning dif-ferences of these children and that incorporate theacademic, psychological, and social needs of giftedchildren into program structure.

Figure 1.5 Some pretty big promises are made in this gifted programphilosophy, which is clearly tied to a stated district mission. Note thatthe statement on gifted education includes specific accommodation forgifted kids’ psychological needs—a critical area that is often overlookedat this early stage in the process.

Though not usually a difficult task, writing yourgifted program philosophy and mission may be oneof the most important steps you take in establishingyour program, as it defines both what the programwill offer and why it needs to exist in the first place.Think of your statement as a compass that will pro-vide direction for the program and services you willprovide. Focus is the operative word here.

GIFTED EDUCATION MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT CHECKLIST

4 The statement is consistent with district andstate goals.

4 The statement matches the identification andprogramming practices currently in place.

4 The statement aligns with the gifted educa-tion committee’s agreed-upon vision.

4 The language in the statement provides anumbrella for all the elements the committeeknows it wants to include in the gifted program.

4 The statement is clear and unambiguous.

Figure 1.6

Conducting a Needs Assessment

There are lots of reasons for starting or changing agifted program. Most commonly, there is pressurefrom some community group—usually, parents ofgifted kids—to do more for highly able students thanis currently being done. At other times, a schoolboard member or superintendent may see a need forsuch a program, either because of a lack that is notedor in response to parents’ or teachers’ calls for moreattention to the needs of the gifted. Or, the state mayhave a new mandate requiring services for the gifted.

Whatever the reason, one of the best things youcan do to get the ball rolling at program onset orexpansion is to do a formal needs assessment. A keypurpose in doing this is to learn about the specificeducational needs of the gifted children in yourschool or district—the kids who are actually beingserved or who will be served. The needs assessmentprocess leads to creating a focus for your curriculum.For example, if the assessment results in a demandfor a strong English program, then the focus can becentered on writing, reading, research, speaking, crit-ical thinking, and problem solving. A needs assess-ment also lets you take the temperature of key playersin gifted education when it comes to their views bothon the school’s approach to gifted programming andon gifted education in general. It can tell you whereyour pockets of support and struggle are likely to beas your program begins or changes. A third value ofthe needs assessment is in seeking buy-in: people liketo be asked for their views and feel more connectionand commitment to a program when their concernsand ideas are heard and they are allowed to contributein this way.

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Survival Strategy 1: Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program 13

Input from a variety of people can help the giftededucation committee shape a new program or tailoran existing one. You’ll want to seek information from:

• teachers who work with gifted children—boththose in the regular classroom and those who specialize in gifted education

• parents of identified gifted students (if there’s anexisting program) or interested parents from PTAor PTO (in any case)

• administrators—particularly principals, assistantprincipals, and school counselors

WHAT ABOUT INVOLVING STUDENTS IN NEEDS ASSESSMENT?

Student input can be very helpful at this stage.One approach is to gather a group of identifiedgifted students or students recommended byteachers (probably high-achieving or creativekids likely to be identified for services). Have thisgroup sit down with you and brainstorm whatcomponents they think a gifted program shouldhave—a wish list. After brainstorming, invite dis-cussion and ask students to select and prioritizethe elements they think are most important.Keep notes about this input to use in conjunctionwith the information from the written needsassessments completed by adults.

Another approach is to invite some highschool students—those identified as gifted orwho are in National Honor Society, student coun-cil, or debate, for example—to engage in a simi-lar discussion. Tap the memories of these studentsto learn what they appreciated, didn’t appreciate,and wished for in terms of gifted services in ele-mentary and middle school.

Students involved in the development of the ParkCity, Utah, G/T program insisted upon one thing:they wanted to go to space camp. The planningcommittee included this as an enrichment optionin the gifted program, and space camp devel-oped into one of the most motivating and chal-lenging programs for the students. From thenon, the crafty kids who were responsible forrequesting it walked tall among their peers.

Figure 1.7

An effective way to gather information about needsis through anonymous questionnaires. Pages 16–33provide reproducible needs assessment forms you can

photocopy and distribute to teachers, parents, andadministrators. (Use the “Gifted Services” forms forbeginning a new program and the “Improving GiftedServices” forms for enhancing or expanding existingservices.) You may also have forms available to youthrough your school or district, or wish to work withothers to develop questionnaires that fit your school’sparticular circumstances.

Formal (written) assessment is important becauseit gives you paper in hand with data that can be com-piled and interpreted. Be prepared to hear somethings you don’t want to hear. Since the question-naire is anonymous (to encourage honest responses),people may reveal their biases. For example, somerespondents may dismiss the whole idea of gifted pro-gramming because their child wasn’t included in aprogram years ago. Or, a teacher may resent “losing”his or her “best kids” to another teacher. Who knows?Some adults, and even kids, may think that giftededucation programs are elitist, undemocratic, orunfair, and use the questionnaire to air these views.

Of course, you may also learn that there is greatsupport for a gifted program, or come to realize thatwhile a self-contained gifted class will never fly, manyteachers would appreciate a cluster grouping of giftedkids in particular classrooms.

Whatever the results, you will learn more by doinga formal needs assessment than by forgoing this crit-ical early step in your program planning.

Tips for Gathering and Using Information1. If you create your own questionnaires, avoid jar-gon wherever possible, or define your terms. Forexample, if parents or teachers aren’t familiar withthe terms AP or curriculum compacting and you use thewords in your form without explanation, people’sresponses may not be helpful to you.

2. If you are going to distribute the needs assessmentto different schools, use different-colored paper foreach building. You’ll be able to tell where your great-est (and fewest) numbers of respondents are from,and you can send reminders accordingly.

3. Think of attaching a piece of candy or some othersmall goody to each form you distribute. You’ll beamazed how such a small courtesy can increase yourresponse rate.

4. Most high schools do not have gifted programs.Instead, they offer services that benefit gifted students—AP classes, honors courses, drama club, forensics, andso forth. So, don’t survey the high school staff unlessyou plan to alter or add to the existing options for

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14 The Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids

those students There is nothing more frustrating forteachers than to take time to complete a survey, onlyto discover that little or nothing will come of theresults. This isn’t to say that high school services areunimportant—on the contrary. But concentrate yourneeds assessments on the grade levels where programservices are to begin or where they are to be modifiedor expanded.

5. Give school personnel no more than ten days toreturn the needs assessment to you. Also avoid dis-tributing it right before a weekend or vacation, theweek before grades are due, or the day before openhouse. Although no time is convenient, some timesare more inconvenient than others.

6. Invite parent participation by announcing the sur-vey in your PTO or PTA newsletter, on a school Website, or along with another mailing. In this announce-ment, tell parents how to get the survey (perhaps bystopping at the school office, calling to request one,or downloading it from the Web). If possible, providea self-addressed stamped envelope for returning sur-veys. In some cases, it can also be valuable to hold aneeds assessment discussion with parents rather thanask them to complete a questionnaire. This open-ended format sometimes reveals information thatmight not emerge on a structured form.

7. Don’t be surprised by a small return rate on sur-veys. We consider fifty percent to be an excellentreturn, but the percentage of completed question-naires you get back may be considerably lower. This isokay, because you can still get enough information toidentify trends.

8. Once you determine you have gathered or receivedas many responses as you are going to get, compilethe data in a short report that can be shared withadministrators and the gifted education committee.You might want to separate out data based on whichgroup of participants gave input (parents, teachers,administrators, students). With the committee, dis-cuss your results in terms of ideas that emerged anddirections these might give to the gifted program.

9. Write a one-page letter (no longer) and share thehighlights of the findings with teachers and parents.There’s no need to distribute the entire summary toevery respondent, but do invite them to ask you forone if they have a particular interest in seeing it. Cre-ate a brief kid-friendly report or letter for student par-ticipants as well, thanking them for their input andletting them know what you learned from them andfrom others who participated in needs assessment.

10. Probably the best way to compile the data is tonote any trends that develop. For example, teachers

may believe that gifted children should not be identi-fied until third or fourth grade, while parents maywant identification to occur in kindergarten or firstgrade. Likewise, some groups or individuals may wishservices to be offered within the regular classroom,while others would prefer a more “visible” program,like a pull-out or self-contained class. Your job is not tosay things like, “Because sixty percent of the respon-dents want a pull-out program in grades 4–6, that’swhat we should have.” Instead, rely on the data aspoints of information that your gifted education com-mittee can use as they discuss the pros and cons ofvarious program designs. Remember: needs assess-ment results provide a snapshot, not a panorama,and they are intended as an initial source of feedbackand information from people who can ultimatelymake or break whatever you design.

Setting a Focus for the Gifted

Education ProgramAnother early step is to take some time with yourcommittee to think about the general focus for thegifted education you will provide.

What programs or accommodations does your dis-trict already have in place? Is there a particular schoolthat specializes in math, science, performing arts, oranother area? Are practices like differentiation orcluster grouping already being used? If so, those par-ticular services should be included in your focus.

Are you starting from scratch? In this case, youmight want to keep your focus smaller, so that youare better able to carry out the program. The pro-gram can always expand, but it’s difficult and defeat-ing to return back home from first base.

Consider the strengths, resources, interests, andskills of your district to design the focus of the program.Who will get the services? What will the services be?Who can help provide services in the district?

The majority of gifted programs have an academicfocus; however, your program may have a single focusor be a combination of choices. Programs are gen -erally grouped into these categories, with criticalthinking and leadership opportunities incorporatedthroughout:

• academic overall

• math

• literature, writing, publishing, and speaking

• science and technology

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Survival Strategy 1: Set a Solid Foundation for Your Program 15

• social problem solving

• visual arts

• performing arts: music, dance, theater

With your philosophy and mission in place, yourneeds assessment conducted, and your focus set, youare ready to begin identifying students for the giftedprogram, setting your goals, and designing the pro-grams and services you will provide in order to meetthose goals.

ResourcesThe following resources apply specifically to topicsaddressed in this strategy’s chapter. For a completelist of gifted education resources, see pages 146–154.

Gifted Programming Today: A National Sample, 2d ed., by ElizabethPinkney Coyne (Washington, DC: NAGC, 1998). A 430-pageguide for anyone involved in program planning for elementaryand secondary students. Includes state directors of gifted educa-tion and much more.

“National Association for Gifted Children Pre-K–Grade 12 GiftedProgram Standards” (www.nagc.org/webprek 12.htm). This Webpage is the online source for a document that delineates bothrequisite and exemplary standards for gifted education pro-gramming in seven areas: Curriculum and Instruction, ProgramAdministration and Management, Program Design, ProgramEvaluation, Socio-Emotional Guidance and Counseling, Profes-sional Development, and Student Identification.

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H Teacher Survey: Gifted Services H

Dear Teacher:

Our school/district is considering providing specialized services for gifted students, and we need your

input. Would you please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey and return it to

____________________________________ at __________________________________________________ on or before

_____________________________________.

Thank you for taking the time to help us determine how best we might serve highly able students. We will

get back to you with a summary of the results and keep you informed as our plans progress.

Sincerely,

_____________________________________________

1. For each statement, write the letter that best expresses your view:

A=Agree N=Not Sure D=Disagree

A. ______ Gifted children need specialized gifted services.

B. ______ Gifted students have special learning needs.

C. ______ Gifted students have special social and emotional needs.

D. ______ All children are gifted.

E. ______ I currently tailor teaching strategies and curricula for gifted students in my classroom.

F. ______ I differentiate instruction for gifted students in my classroom.

G. ______ I incorporate critical-thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills into my lessons.

H. ______ I use lessons that require a student to be creative.

I. ______ I provide enrichment and acceleration in my classroom.

J. ______ Only students who demonstrate achievement in the regular classroom should receive gifted program services.

K. ______ Some type of special learning opportunity should be available to students who may be gifted but who do not excel in the regular classroom. MORE

From The Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids by Jim Delisle, Ph.D., and Barbara A. Lewis, copyright © 2003. Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN; 800-735-7323; www.freespirit.com. This page may be reproduced for individual, classroom, or small group work only.

For other uses, contact www.freespirit.com/company/permissions.cfm.16

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MORE

From The Survival Guide for Teachers of Gifted Kids by Jim Delisle, Ph.D., and Barbara A. Lewis, copyright © 2003. Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN; 800-735-7323; www.freespirit.com. This page may be reproduced for individual, classroom, or small group work only.

For other uses, contact www.freespirit.com/company/permissions.cfm.

2. How do you think a gifted program should be focused? Please rank your top 3 choices, with 1 beingthe highest priority:

A. ______ academic overall

B. ______ math

C. ______ literature, writing, publishing, and speaking

D. ______ science and technology

E. ______ critical thinking

3. Please rank order the following methods for identifying gifted students, with 1 being the highestpriority:

A. ______ standardized intelligence and achievement tests

B. ______ teacher nominations, recommendations, and anecdotal information

C. ______ parent checklists and anecdotal information

D. ______ student portfolios or work samples

E. ______ instruments that measure creativity and problem-solving ability

F. ______ interviews with students

G. ______ other: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Please rank order the following arrangements for meeting the academic needs of gifted students,with 1 being your strongest preference:

A. ______ in the regular classroom by their classroom teachers

B. ______ in the regular classroom, with occasional assistance from a teacher trained in gifted education

C. ______ in cluster groups of several gifted students

D. ______ in a pull-out program once or twice a week

E. ______ in a full-time classroom where all the children are identified as gifted

F. ______ in a resource room where children work independently

G. ______ other: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

F. ______ social problem solving

G. ______ visual arts

H. ______ performing arts: music, dance, theater

I. ______ other: _______________________________________

HTeacher Survey: Gifted Services (cont’d)

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