Servicing the Primary Talent Pool

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Servicing the Primary Talent Pool

• Ms. Tracy Inman, The Center for Gifted Studies at
  Western Kentucky University
• tracy.inman_at_wku.edu
• in collaboration with
• Dr. Mary Evans, Cumberland Trace Elementary
  School, Bowling Green, KY mevans_at_warren.k12.ky.us

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What is the Primary Talent Pool (PTP)?

• The Primary Talent Pool is a group of students
  who possess demonstrated or potential ability to
  perform at exceptionally high levels in the
  primary years (P1-P4 Kindergarten through Third
  Grade). These students may be referred to as
  high potential learners. The purpose of
  selecting a Primary Talent Pool is to provide
  early enrichment for those students whose talents
  must be nurtured in order for those talents to
  fully develop.

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What is a high potential learner?

• Students who learn and comprehend at a faster
  pace and more complex level than their age peers
  are considered high potential learners. They
  acquire skills earlier and progress at an
  accelerated rate.

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How are students selected for the PTP?

• A minimum of three informal assessment measures
  are used to provide evidence that students should
  participate in the Primary Talent Pool. Evidence
  can be gathered from classroom and home
  observations of student behaviors and work
  samples. A school committee reviews the evidence
  to determine if a primary student is a high
  potential learner and should be included in the
  Primary Talent Pool. The committee should
  consider environmental, cultural, and disabling
  conditions. It is recommended that school
  committees follow the principle When in doubt,
  err on the side of inclusion.

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What is meant by informal assessment measures?

• Informal assessment measures rely on observation
  and professional judgment rather than being
  standardized or norm referenced with numbers and
  scores. Examples of informal assessment measures
  used to determine high potential in primary
  students include primary portfolios, behavior
  checklists, anecdotal records, parent
  interviews and questionnaires, teacher
  assessments, work samples, products, and
  performances.

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Can any formal testing be done with PTP students?

• Formal, normed measures may be used for
  diagnosing the level of instructional service
  needed by a student and for evaluation of student
  progress. Data from formal, normed measures
  shall not be used for the purpose of eliminating
  eligibility for services to a child in the
  primary program, but may be used to discover and
  include eligible students overlooked by
  informal assessments.

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Describe the membership of a school committee
that would make decisions about the PTP.

• Membership of the school committee could consist
  of an administrator, gifted education personnel,
  primary teachers, guidance counselor, special
  area teachers (art, music, dance, drama),
  parents, and community members.

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What percentage of students in primary should be
included in the PTP?

• According to 704 KAR 3285, "high potential
  learners" are students who typically represent
  the top quartile (25) of the entire student
  population in terms of the degree of demonstrated
  gifted characteristics and behaviors.

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Why should 25 of primary students be involved
in the PTP?

• It is important to cast a wide net to find high
  potential learners. The PTP should include the
  top 5 in each of five areas (general
  intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude,
  leadership, creativity, and the visual and
  performing arts) for a total of 25 of the entire
  primary school population.

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How are students served in the PTP?

• Students in the PTP should receive differentiated
  services that are matched to their needs,
  interests, and abilities. Some PTP students may
  need to be cluster grouped for reading and/or
  math and served by a regular classroom teacher
  who compacts their curriculum. Acceleration by
  subject or grade is appropriate for some advanced
  PTP students. PTP students selected in the area
  of general intellectual ability might be in
  cluster groups in math and/or reading and also
  meet with the gifted/talented specialist.

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Seeing a gifted/talented specialist once a week
would not be an appropriate service delivery
option for a student requiring services in math.
Math is a daily subject and services need to be
delivered daily. Other PTP students requiring
services in leadership development may meet with
the Guidance Counselor and be mentored by an
older student identified in leadership. A student
placed in the PTP for visual art may be served by
an art teacher who would cluster group the visual
art students and serve them in a pull_out program
which meets one hour each month. There should be
multiple service delivery options at each
grade level.
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Do PTP students automatically qualify as gifted
students once they exit the primary grades and
move into 4th grade?

• No, PTP students must be formally identified in
  one or more areas of giftedness at the 4th grade
  level. Each school district will have a
  screening and identification process which will
  include formal standardized testing in the areas
  of general intellectual ability, specific
  academic aptitude, and creativity. Portfolios
  and performances are utilized in the areas of
  leadership and the visual and performing arts.

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Do PTP students have a Gifted Student Service
Plan (GSSP)?

• GSSPs are not required for PTP students, but the
  teacher(s) providing services to PTP students
  should have a record of differentiated and
  enrichment services provided for each student.

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Is it necessary to nominate students for the PTP
in the five areas, or is being in the PTP all
inclusive of the areas?

• PTP students should be nominated in the specific
  areas where they show strengths. Once a student
  is selected for the PTP, he/she should be served
  in the area of specific strength.

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Keys to Servicing the PrimaryTalent Pool

• DIFFERENTIATION
• especially reading and math
• ACCOUNTABILITY
• Talent Development Plan is ideal tool
• documentation

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Basic Questions Leading to Appropriate
Differentiation

• PLANNING What do I want students to know and/or
  to be able to do?
• PREASSESSMENT Who already knows the information
  and/or can do it?
• DIFFERENTIATION What can I do for him/her or
  them so they can make continuous progress and
  extend their learning?

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Talent Development Plan

• Serves as guidelines for teacher
• Prelude to GSSP
• Lists areas of strengths, multiple services, and
  people responsible

• Ensures accountability
• Tool to use in parent conference spring of P4
  year identification not automatic, but
  nomination unnecessary

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General Intellectual

• Pull-Out
• Junior Great Books
• Research-Based Internet Projects
• Thinking Skills
• Problem Solving
• SCAMPER

• Ability grouping in subject areas
• Subject acceleration
• Curriculum Compacting
• Contracts

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Your Ideas?
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Reading

• Contracts
• Literature Circles
• Read-O Project
• Junior Great Books
• Pullout
• Ability group

• Ability Grouping
• groups read same book/level of book but questions
  and tasks differ
• groups read different books and have different
  tasks

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Your Ideas?
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Math

• Contracts
• Research-Based Project
• as teachers instruct, top science students go to
  research with librarian
• Ability Grouping
• Curriculum Compacting
• Subject Acceleration

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Your Ideas?
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Science

• Contracts
• Research-Based Project
• as teachers instruct, top science students go to
  research with librarian
• Science Fair
• formal fair for 4, 5, 6 but informal for PTP in
  science (principal gives comments in lieu of
  judging)

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Your Ideas?
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Social Studies

• Contracts
• Research-Based Project
• as teachers instruct, top social studies students
  go to research with librarian

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Your Ideas?
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Creativity

• Open-Ended Projects
• Emphasis on Fluency, Flexibility, Elaboration,
  and Originality in classroom
• Pull-out

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Your Ideas?
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Creativity KillersMarvin Bartel (2001)

• I Kill Creativity when I encourage renting
  (borrowing) instead of owning ideas
• I Kill Creativity when I assign grades without
  providing informative feedback

• I Kill Creativity when I allow cliché symbols to
  substitute for original or observed
  representation of experience.
• I Kill Creativity when I demonstrate instead of
  having students practice.

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Creativity KillersMarvin Bartel (2001)

• I Kill Creativity when I show an example instead
  of defining a problem.
• I Kill Creativity when I praise neatness and
  conformity rather than expressive original work.

• I Kill Creativity when I give freedom without
  focus.
• I Kill Creativity by making suggestions instead
  of asking open questions.
• I Kill Creativity if I give an answer instead of
  teaching problem solving methods.

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Leadership

• Service Projects
• e. g., Pennies for a Purpose
• Kid Leaders, Jan and Dwight Trabue
• mentoring
• Point person at school
• Warren County Schools Counselors for 4, 5, 6 and
  classroom teacher for PTP

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Your Ideas?
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Visual Arts

• Monthly or Weekly Pullout
• grant
• college student
• creative scheduling (45 minutes a week even a
  month)
• Art Fest
• PTA/PTO Fundraiser

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Visual Arts

• Holiday Card Fundraiser
• Art Contests
• Showcase Talent
• Morning Meetings
• Displays
• Business Partners

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Your Ideas?
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Performing Arts Music

• Monthly or Weekly Pullout
• creative scheduling (45 minutes a week even a
  month)
• Music Centers in Classroom
• partner with music teacher (e.g., create song
  using water in bottles, then put notes to it)

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Performing Arts Music

• Monthly or Weekly Pullout
• creative scheduling (45 minutes a week even a
  month)
• Showcase Talent
• Morning Meetings
• Talent Show

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Your Ideas?
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Performing Arts Dance

• Monthly or Weekly Pullout
• grant
• college student
• creative scheduling (45 minutes a week even a
  month)
• Showcase Talent
• Morning Meeting
• Talent Show

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Your Ideas?
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Today, Mommy, I learned an inch, but I want to
learn fifteen miles every day.

Chelsea, age 7