High Ability Program, K4

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High Ability Program, K-4

• Zionsville Community Schools
• March 2009
• Jenny Bivans
• High Ability Coordinator

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Tonights Agenda

• What are the requirements of the Indiana law on
  high ability?
• How does the state define high ability?
• How does Zionsville identify students for high
  ability?
• What are the characteristics of a high ability
  child?
• Whats the difference between a high achieving
  student and a high ability student?
• What is the timeline for identification?
• What happens if my child qualifies?
• What happens if my child does not qualify?
• Who can answer my questions?
• How can I learn more about the specifics of the
  high ability curriculum?

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What is the difference between high ability,
gifted, academically talented, and PAGE?

• nothing

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High Ability Program What does Indiana law
require?

• Identification of high ability in the general
  intellectual and specific academic domains, K-12.
  
• Multifaceted Assessments (ID) that include high
  ability students from poverty, limited English
  proficiency, and all ethnic groups
• Curriculum and Instruction appropriately
  differentiated for students with high ability
• Professional Development
• Systematic Program Assessment
• A Guidance and Counseling Plan
• Reporting of program effectiveness, specific use
  of funds, and student achievement.

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High Ability Student

• High Ability Student is one who performs at,
  or shows the potential for performing at, an
  outstanding level of accomplishment in at least
  one domain when compared to other students of the
  same age, experience, or environment and is
  characterized by exceptional gifts, talents,
  motivation, or interests.
• The Indiana Code

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Multifaceted Student Identification Plan

• General Intellectual Specific Academic
  REQUIRED (presently we identify for general
  intellectual, math, and/or language arts)
• Qualitative (characteristics) and quantitative
  (test scores)
• Best practices guidelines At least three
  measures

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Issue Who Decides?

• An identification committee rather than a single
  person makes placement decisions based upon
  students needs.
• Identification Committee will meet the end of May
  and letters will be mailed in early June to
  parents of all children considered for the
  program.

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Quantitative Measures

• Kindergarten
• NWEA Spring Primary MAP and ability test for
  those in talent pool
• First Grade This Year ALL STUDENTS
• Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)
  Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) Winter
  and Spring
• Otis Lennon School Ability test (April 7th)
• Second Grade and Third Grade ALL STUDENTS
• NWEA Fall, Winter, and Spring
• Otis Lennon School Ability test (January 21st
  2nd grade last year for 3rd graders)
• (Change from last year No additional testing
  for HA at grades 1-3 so no parent permission to
  test needed. All students are screened so no
  parent nomination necessary.)

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Qualitative Measures

• Kindergarten and First Grade
• Kingore Observation Inventory 4 weeks in
  process
• Scales for Identifying Gifted Students Parent
  and Teacher versions
• Second and Third Grade
• Scales for Identifying Gifted Students

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What is the Kingore Observation Inventory?

• A research-based observation tool to identify
  students who are gifted.
• Kindergarten and 1st Grade teachers have been
  trained to use the KOI and are using it for six
  weeks, concluding in April.
• Teachers are providing enriched learning
  opportunities for ALL students and observing
  behaviors that exceed the level and complexity
  typical for the age group.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Advanced Language uses words that seem advanced
  for the age-level expectations rewords own
  language for younger or less mature children
  explains how unrelated things are similar uses
  words for time concepts (clock and calendar)
  accurately uses similes, metaphors, or
  analogies asks questions about words.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Analytical Thinking demonstrates complex or
  abstract thinking analyzes household or school
  tasks notices surprising depth of details about
  surroundings takes apart and reassembles things
  or ideas with skill expresses relationships
  between past and present experiences makes up
  songs, stories, or riddles about experiences
  organizes collections of things uniquely likes
  to plan or arrange things

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Meaning Motivation is philosophical asks
  surprisingly intellectual questions is curious
  experiments demonstrates an unexpected depth of
  knowledge in one or more areas exhibits intense
  task commitment and energy when pursuing
  interests remembers is independent.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Perspective explains anothers point of view
  shows dimension, angle, perspective in art,
  writing, math solutions, or problem solving
  creates complex shapes, patterns, or graphics
  applies left and right without prompting adds
  interesting details to enhance products.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Sense of Humor says or does something
  indicating an unexpected, sophisticated humor
  catches an adults subtle sense of humor
  understands and uses puns and riddles plays
  with language develops humorous ideas to an
  extreme.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Sensitivity cares deeply intense concern for
  human issues tries to take action to help
  someone in need expresses feelings through words
  or art explains others feelings displays
  strong sense of fairness expresses high
  expectations of self and others seems to
  overreact at times.

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Kingore Categories of Gifted Characteristics

• Accelerated Learning learns new things quickly
  with minimum practice uses multiple
  characteristics when discussing items reads
  passages at an advanced, fluent reading level for
  the age-level expectations explains the meaning
  of what has been read demonstrates an unexpected
  mastery of math or science concepts uses a
  dictionary, encyclopedia, map, atlas, or computer
  to gain advanced information, creates products
  which seem advanced for the age-level
  expectations.

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What are some negatively perceived
characteristics of the gifted?

• Self-critical impatient with failures
• Critical of others or of the teacher
• Overreacts
• Domineers
• Gets angry or cries if things go wrong
• Hands in messy work
• Refuses to accept authority

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What are some negatively perceived
characteristics of the gifted?

• Refuses to do rote homework
• Bored with routine tasks
• Is more concerned with concept than the details
• Makes jokes or puns at inappropriate times
• Disagrees vocally with others or with the teacher
  about ideas and values
• Is nonconforming/stubborn
• Is reluctant to move on to another topic

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High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative
Thinker Bertie Kingore, Ph.D. 

• Identification of gifted students is clouded when
  concerned adults misinterpret high achievement as
  giftedness. High-achieving students are noticed
  for their on-time, neat, well-developed, and
  correct learning products. Adults comment on
  these students' consistent high grades and note
  how well they acclimate to class procedures and
  discussions. Some adults assume these students
  are gifted because their school-appropriate
  behaviors and products surface above the typical
  responses of grade-level students.

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High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative
Thinker Bertie Kingore, Ph.D. 

• Educators with expertise in gifted education are
  frustrated trying to help other educators and
  parents understand that while high achievers are
  valuable participants whose high-level modeling
  is welcomed in classes, they learn differently
  from gifted learners. In situations in which they
  are respected and encouraged, gifted students'
  thinking is more complex with abstract inferences
  and more diverse perceptions than is typical of
  high achievers. Articulating those differences to
  educators and parents can be difficult.

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Timeline?

• Kingore Observation Inventory is ongoing through
  April K and 1st
• OLSAT April 7th for 1st grade
• NWEA end of April and first of May
• If your child is a kindergartner and in the
  talent pool, you will be contacted by April 30 to
  give us permission for further testing ability
  and NWEA. You will also be asked to complete a
  SIGS.
• If your child is in the first through third grade
  talent pool, you will receive a SIGS to complete
  on April 30.
• May 27th Identification Committee meets to
  review Student Profile forms
• June 10th-12th Letters sent to all parents
  whose children were in the talent pool -those
  parents who were asked to complete a SIGS
• June 22 All elementary parent appeals are due
• June 25 Appeals Committee meets

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Student Identification Profile

• Student Profile.doc
• Sample forms
• Student Profile - sample 1.doc
• Student Profile - sample 2.doc
• Student Profile - sample 3.doc
• (You will not be able to link to these documents
  from another computer.)

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What happens if my child qualifies?

• If your child will be in grades 2-4, he or she
  will receive math that is a year or more
  advanced. Mathematics instruction focuses on work
  with logic and inductive/deductive reasoning
  work with algebra and geometry concepts and
  problem solving. Instruction is faster paced
  with few repetitions. (K-1 HA curriculum will be
  designed this summer.)
• Language arts is differentiated for all students.
  High Ability students do more complex analysis
  of text and in-depth study of advanced
  vocabulary.
• The learning needs of high ability students are
  met in a variety of settings. At K-2 students
  will either be cluster grouped together or be
  placed in flexible instructional groups. At
  grades 3-4 they may also be placed in
  self-contained classrooms, if the numbers
  warrant, or a multi-age high ability setting.
• Placement may vary from grade level to grade
  level, from one years class to another, or from
  one building to the other.

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What happens if my child does not qualify?

• We recognize that in ZCS, high achieving students
  are typical.  Overall, our students out perform
  their peers nationally and on the state level. 
  Our median scores on a national achievement test
  (NWEA) are between five and ten points above the
  norm.  Our test scores on the ISTEP rank us
  among those top-performing schools in the state. 
  Most of our high achieving students needs can be
  met by our grade level curriculum and
  instruction.

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What happens if my child does not qualify?

• ZCS is committed to providing the appropriate
  level of instruction for each student.
• All students who are not in the program are
  screened at the end of each year and reconsidered
  for high ability services.

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Questions?

• High Ability webpage www.zcs.k12.in.us Click
  on Academics, then on High Ability
• Please direct your building-specific questions to
  your child's school counselor or to your child's
  principal.
• Joan Nicolet is the High Ability Administrative
  Assistant and can answer most general process
  questions and can assist new families.
  317-873-2858 x 11240, jnicolet_at_zcs.k12.in.us
• Jenny Bivans is the K-12 High Ability Coordinator
  and can answer questions specific to K-4.
  317-733-4007 x 16999, jbivans_at_zcs.k12.in.us
• Kris Devereaux is the Asst. Coordinator and can
  answer questions specific to middle school and
  high school. 317-873-1240, x 10998,
  kdevereaux_at_zcs.k12.in.us

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Breakout Sessions Gr. 2-4

• PVE Remain in this room
• Stonegate Freshmen Center café
• Eagle Presentation Room, MIC
• Union Classroom, MIC