Nature of High Ability Students

1
Nature of High Ability Students

• Introduction to High Ability Education
• RCS

2
Domains of Giftedness

• General intellectual
• Specific academic
• General creative
• Technical and practical arts
• Visual and performing arts
• Interpersonal (Leadership)

3
State Definition for High Ability

• A student who
• 1) performs at or shows the potential for
  performing at an outstanding level of
  accomplishment in at least one domain when
  compared with other students of the same age,
  experience, or environment
• and
• 2) is characterized by exceptional gifts,
  talents, motivation, or interests.

4
State Requirements

• Districts must identify and serve K-12
• Districts must identify and serve 1) general
  intellectual and 2) specific academic
• Identification process must be multi-faceted
• Indiana offers professional development support
  1/2 tuition reimbursement for high ability
  coursework for teachers providing high ability
  services 1/3 tuition reimbursement for teachers
  contemplating providing high ability services

5
RCS High Ability Mission

• To engage and challenge high ability learners
  to reach their full intellectual,
  social-emotional, and creative potential.
• BBPC 2005

6
Elementary Services in RCS

• Pullout program one half day per week
• LOGOS General intellectual
• ASPIRE Specific academic
• (participation by trimester topic)
• Flexible grouping within classrooms/
• grade levels
• Math / Reading

7
Elementary Support Services

• HA Professional Development Support Staff
• One representative in each building
• High Ability Coordinator
• 2.5 High Ability Instructors
• State grant funding for staffing, supplies, and
  professional development opportunities

8
Middle School Program Options

• LOGOS Program
• General intellectual
• Elementary identification
• ASPIRE classes
• Specific Academic
• Language Arts/ Math
• Scantron and teacher recommendation

9
High School Program Options

• Humanties Class
• Offered each trimester
• Portfolio for identification
• Honors Classes
• AP Classes
• Dual Enrollment
• Project Lead the Way
• College and Career Counseling for High Ability
  Students

10
Secondary Support

• High Ability Secondary Prof. Dev. Support Team
  (New this year)
• 4 High Ability instructors in LOGOS
• High Ability instructor / counselor at High
  School
• High Ability Coordinator
• State grant funding for staffing, supplies, and
  professional development opportunities

11
Options with Board Guidelines

• Subject Acceleration
• Grade Acceleration
• 2 or more years above grade level
• Above average intelligence (130)
• Social-emotional maturity

12
RCS Current Identification Process

• Who is tested?
• 2nd and 5th graders in pool (Pool consists of
  students scoring in the 85th percentile in
  reading or math on fall Scantron.)
• Students new to district recommended for testing.
• Students recommended for testing by teacher,
  student, and/or parent recommendation.

13
RCS Current Identification Process

• When are students tested?
• Pool students are tested January through April.
  Results are mailed to parents by May 1.
  Exceptions include students who require more
  information.
• Recommended students are tested as requested.

14
RCS Current Identification Process

• Assessments collected for profile
• Scantron (standardized measure of achievement)
• Scales for Rating the Behavior Characteristics of
  Superior Students (Survey for qualitative data,
  new in 2008)
• Naglieri (standardized non-verbal measure of
  ability)
• This will be replaced in 2008 with CogAT, a more
  comprehensive measure of intelligence including
  nonverbal, quantitative, and verbal reasoning
  abilities.
• Additional assessments used for appeals or to
  gather more information
• Torrance (standardized measure of creativity)
• SIGS (parent/teacher rating scale)
• K-Bit (alternate individual ability test)

15
RCS Current Identification Process

• Steps in process of identification
• Group Naglieri (CogAT) tests administered to
  students in pool.
• Teachers complete SRBCSS for students in pool.
• Team examines profiles CogAT, Scantron,
  SRBCSS.
• Team sorts clearly qualifies from clearly does
  not based on profiles. Team reconsiders profiles
  with inconsistent scores or consistent scores in
  80 range. Determines additional information to
  be collected.
• Additional assessments collected and reviewed.
• Parents and schools notified of results.

16
Information on Testing Tools

• Naglieri Non-verbal intelligence/ reasoning
  test using visual puzzles. Should not
  disadvantage English learners or children from
  poverty. Does not assess quantitative or verbal
  reasoningboth are critical to school
  performance.
• Torrance Scores do not correlate with
  intelligence. Useful to include a student never
  used to exclude a student.
• SIGS Rating scales for teachers and parents to
  provide input based on observations.
• SRBCSSanother comprehensive behavior rating
  scale.
• K-Bit Brief intelligence test that includes
  language. Used for children who indicate verbal
  strengths and have inconsistent reading and
  ability percentiles when tested with Naglieri.

17
Students Who Do Not Qualify

• may be eligible for participation by trimester.
  Elementary pullout trimesters are arranged by
  subject area
• Trimester I Social Studies/ Leadership
• Trimester II Language Arts/ Research
• Trimester III Science/ Mathematics

18
ASPIRE Participation Protocol

• Teacher completes the appropriate subject area
  rating scale for student, including academic
  subject area Scantron scores.
• Teacher meets with HA instructor to review
  rating, assessments, and space availability. If
  teachers determine placement is appropriate,
  parents are notified for permission to
  participate for the trimester only.
• Work samples and assessments are collected during
  participation to review for identification
  purposes as needed.

19
Exit Procedures

• Students typically exit the program through
  parental request. If high ability instructors
  see that an identified student does not need the
  services, a conference must be held with all
  parties to consider the students performance and
  service needs. Participants in the conference
  determine appropriate placement for student.

20
General Tips Role of Classroom Teacher

• Be knowledgeable about high ability
  characteristics. Studies show low correlations
  for teacher recommendations and actual
  identification results. Yet teachers are in a
  position to be students best advocates.
• Include classroom activities that allow students
  to demonstrate their complex thinking skills,
  leadership, and creativity. Document what you
  see.
• Pre-assess regularly to find out what students
  already know and can do. Adjust instruction
  accordingly.
• Work with colleagues to provide flexible
  groupings and differentiated assignments for high
  ability students.

21
Role of GT Prof. Dev. Consultant

• Be a liaison between HA coordinator, HA
  instructors, and classroom teachers.
• Access forms in buildings for grade skipping and
  requests for testing.
• Be knowledgeable about HA students
  characteristics, needs, and the identification
  process.
• Provide assistance in identification process.
• Advocate for HA students in building.
• Collect data to demonstrate HA student progress
  in building.

22
Final Notes

• Identifying students for high ability services
  is complex and inexact. We maintain a continuous
  improvement stance, adjusting and modifying
  procedures as we learn from our practice and the
  best efforts of researchers.
• Identification will not improve
  learningresponding to our high ability students
  with appropriate instruction will. Our best
  efforts must be focused on that end.