DVUSD Gifted Services

State Mandates

Characteristics of Gifted Students

Our Models

Testing Procedures

DVUSD Resources

Summary of Mandatory K-12 Services for Gifted Education in Arizona

▪ Gifted students must be provided with special education services commensurate with academic ability and potential

▪ Curriculum for gifted students must be differentiated in content, process, product, and learning environment from standard classroom curriculum

▪ Services must be provided to students who obtain a 97% or higher on any of the verbal, quantitative, or non-verbal subtest of a state approved test

Continued…

•Teachers of the gifted must hold or be working toward obtaining a gifted endorsement•Professional development (of characteristics, learning needs, instructional strategies, social & emotional issues and support) must include: administrators, teachers (all certified staff), counselors, and school psychologists•Services must be provided as an integrated, differentiated part of the regular school day•Gifted Scope and Sequence must be approved by the governing board

ARIZONA STATE MANDATE

A “Gifted Child” is defined as any child of lawful school age who, due to superior intellect, advanced learning ability, or both, is not afforded an opportunity for otherwise attainable progress and development in regular classroom instruction and who needs appropriate gifted education services to achieve at levels commensurate with the child’s intellect and ability. ARS 15-779.2

The primary role of the gifted student is learner, not instructor, tutor, clerk, or role model.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Who is Gifted?

1. Discuss and sort the characteristics into two groups:

The Bright Child

and

The Gifted Child

2. Compare your lists with others at your table

3. Check the key

Are you surprised? Discuss.

Work with your table group.

Giftedness is…

• Having an ability or aptitude at a level

significantly above what is expected

at a given age.

• The potential for high performance.

Top 10 Characteristics of Gifted Students

▪ commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice

▪ have a mature sense of humor (i.e., understands satire)

▪ have well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis

▪ often display a questioning attitude and seek information for its own sake as much as for its usefulness

▪ good guessers and can readily construct hypotheses or “what if” questions

Top 10 Characteristics of Gifted Students

▪ elaborative thinkers, producing new steps, ideas, responses, or other embellishments to a basic idea, situation, or problem

▪ often skeptical, critical, and evaluative; quick to spot inconsistencies

▪ fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences, or related ideas.

▪ flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving

▪ original thinkers, seeking new, unusual, or unconventional associations and combinations among items of seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts.

In Addition…

Gifted Students have:

• Unique Learning Characteristics

• Unique Social and Emotional

▪ Characteristics

▪ Learning

Social and Emotional CharacteristicsCommon to Gifted StudentsSocial and Emotional

• Strong sense of justice and fairness.

• Self- confident.

• Asynchronous development.

• Tendency toward perfectionism.

• Self-critical and critical of others.

• Emotionally intense/highly sensitive.

• Underachievement/lack of motivation

Risk Factors of Gifted Students

▪ Difficulty with social relationships

▪ Refusal to do routine, repetitive assignments

▪ Inappropriate criticism of others

▪ Lack of awareness of impact on others

▪ Lack of sufficient challenge in schoolwork

▪ Depression (often manifested in boredom)

▪ High levels of anxiety

Risk Factors of Gifted Students

▪ Difficulty accepting criticism

▪ Hiding talents to fit with peers

▪ Nonconformity and resistance to authority

▪ Excessive competitiveness

▪ Isolation from peers

▪ Low frustration tolerance

▪ Poor study habits

▪ Difficulty in selecting among a diversity of interests(Silverman, 1987)

Gifted kids at risk: Who's listening?Patricia A. Schuler (link to article)

“Educators, reexamine your own attitudes and

beliefs about gifted children and adolescents… All

school personnel need to understand the

differentiating characteristics of gifted individuals,

related needs, and possible concomitant problems.

Teachers need to open the lines of communication, and

LISTEN, really listen to what bright kids are saying --

about themselves, their values, their interests.”

DVUSD Gifted Service Models

K-6:

Cluster Classrooms

SAGE (Grades 3-6)

Renaissance Academy (at Highland Lakes and Canyon Springs)

7-8:Renaissance at HLS

Advanced middle school classes, high school honors classes at all schools

International Baccalaureate Middle Year Program at Paseo Hills

High School:AP and honors classes at all high schools

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Barry Goldwater

Choice focus at all high schools

Our Models- Gifted Clusters

▪ Full day service model- all content areas

▪ The school has one Gifted Mentor or Instructional

Coach, and a “Cluster Teacher” at every grade

level

▪ The cluster teacher and mentor/coach work together to

plan and implement an integrated, differentiated

curriculum in all content areas

▪ Can service all grades that have identified gifted

students

Our Model:

Common Language

“Gifted Cluster Classroom”

A designated class with a specific percentage of students at each academic performance level that typically includes up to 8 identified gifted students. Curriculum is differentiated with an intentional focus on gifted students’ needs.

Our Model:

Common Language

“Gifted Cluster Teacher”

A teacher who…

▪ understands, respects, and appreciates the unique strengths and needs of gifted students

▪ has or is pursuing a gifted endorsement

▪ participates in cluster teacher meetings and professional development

▪ Plans and teaches collaboratively with gifted specialist or instructional coach

This role can rotate among qualified teachers.

Our Models: SAGE(Content Replacement)

The school has one SAGE teacher

Students receive instruction in reading and/or math each day in the SAGE classroom, and spend the rest of the day in a general education classroom

Services grades 3-6

The SAGE teacher may offer support to cluster teachers and other staff as needed

Our Model:

Common Language

“SAGE Teacher”

A teacher who…

▪ understands, respects, and appreciates the unique strengths and needs of gifted students

▪ has or is pursuing a gifted endorsement

▪ meets with students daily for reading and/or math outside of the general education classroom

Our Model:

Common Language

“SAGE Classrooms”

There is one SAGE classroom at the school where identified gifted students receive instruction during math and/or reading. Students are guaranteed a minimum of one year acceleration.

Our Models: Renaissance Academy

▪ Highly gifted students (must qualify and apply)

▪ Self contained

▪ Application process

▪ Grades 1-8 at HLS, 1-4 at CS to expand through 8th grade

▪ Curriculum is accelerated a minimum of one year in math, two years in ELA

Highland Lakes- Music AcademyCanyon Springs- STEM Academy

“Renaissance Teacher”

A teacher who…

▪ understands, respects, and appreciates the unique strengths and needs of gifted students

▪ has or is pursuing a gifted endorsement

▪ has students all day in a self-contained classroom.

Our Model:

Common Language

Gifted Identification

Cognitive Abilities Test

Verbal

Quantitative

Non-Verbal

97% or higher in any area qualifies as gifted

95%-96% DV places student “provisionally”

This is a reasoning test…not an achievement test! Students cannot “study” for it.

Renaissance Placement

▪ 97th percentile or higher in 2 out of 3 areas

▪ 90th percentile in 3rd area

Application submitted by parents to Gifted Services at the District Office by April 25, 2014

Other criteria are included when making the final placement determination

Any DVUSD teacher may be asked to complete a “Gifted Characteristics Profile” as part of the application process. Always return these directly to Gifted Services, never to the parent.

Placement using a Matrix

▪ Used to increase the identification of underrepresented populations (ELL, Title 1, Twice exceptional)

▪ SAGE teacher or the school’s gifted contact fills out the matrix and submits to Gifted Services at District Office

▪ Gifted Services determine the final placement decision

▪ Placement on the matrix is provisional

▪ Student progress is monitored at the school level at the end of every semester to ensure that the student is thriving and placement is appropriate

Underrepresented Populations

▪ ELL, CLD, and Low SES

Among students who qualify for gifted services in 2nd grade and do not receive gifted services, 44% will no longer qualify as gifted by 5th grade (NAGC).

▪ Underrepresented student populations can be identified for gifted services using a matrix (piloted in 6 schools in 2012-13, and used district wide in 2013-14).

Nominating for Gifted Testing

Nominations can come from parents, teacher, or any qualified staff member

You may want to use the following forms to help you decide who to nominate (available from your school’s SAGE teacher or your Gifted contact):

• Differences Between the Bright Child and the Gifted Learner• Characteristics of Gifted Students• Teacher’s Class Screening Form

If you are uncertain about whether or not to nominate, ask your SAGE Teacher, a Cluster Teacher, Gifted Coach, or Instructional Coach

Fill out the electronic Homeroom Teacher-Nominations For Gifted Testing form

Gifted Teacher will provide Parent Permission to Test forms to be sent home

Testing Procedures

Testing takes place 3 times per year (fall, winter, spring)

Students cannot be tested more than once per calendar year

Testing takes place on campus and is administered by the Gifted Services teacher

Spring testing is the “BIG” one for next year’s class placement decisions

K-2 students should wait until spring; all grade levels have access to spring testing!

Spring test results will be back in time for class placement

Summer testing takes place at the district office, typically only for out of district students

Read…

DVUSD Gifted Services HandbookLocated on the Gifted page of the DVUSD

website

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

Join us…

DVUSD offers ongoing professional development for free! Consider adding a gifted endorsement

to your credentials. Ask your Gifted Services teacher or email Kim Lanese for more

information.

How can I learn more?