Thinking Through Formal Identification for Gifted and Talented Education Services

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Thinking Through Formal Identification for Gifted
and Talented Education Services

• Kentucky Department of Education
• Gifted and Talented Education Services
• Greg Finkbonner, KDE
• Gregory.Finkbonner_at_education.ky.gov
• Ed Amend, Psy.D.
• Dramend_at_amendpsych.com

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What do we need to understand?

• Kentucky Administrative Regulation 704 KAR 3285.
  Programs for the Gifted and Talented.
• Fourteen (14) Gifted and Talented Assurance
  statements sent annually to each district
• Identification process required for each of the
  five categories of giftedness and talent
  recognized in regulation

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At the Local School District Level

• A local school district SHALL have in operation
  and available for public inspection local board
  approved policies and procedures which address
  each requirement in the administrative regulation
  (704 KAR 3285. Programs for the Gifted and
  Talented.) and are consistent with KRS 157.200,
  157.224, 157.230, and 703 KAR 4040.

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At the Local School District Level

• A district shall adopt policies and procedures
  which shall provide for identification and
  diagnosis of strengths, gifted behaviors and
  talents through
• Formal identification and continuous diagnosis of
  a student in grades four (4) through twelve (12)
  and
• Provision of multiple service delivery options in
  primary through grade twelve (12).

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At the Local School District Level

• The identification procedure shall include a
  combination of informal measures, formal
  measures, and objective-based eligibility
  criteria.
• Determination of appropriateness of level and
  type of services to a student shall be subject to
  continuous assessment.

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At the Local School District Level

• There shall be a system for diagnostic screening
  and identification of strengths, gifted behaviors
  and talents which provide equal access for racial
  and ethnic minority children, disadvantaged
  children, and children with disabilities.

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Can we answer in the affirmative?
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More questions for effective planning

• How can other staff be involved in the formal
  identification process? How can parents be
  involved in the formal identification process?
• How much time do we need?
• How much training do we need?
• How much money is available for formal
  identification in each of the five categories?

• What procedures are in place for the formal
  identification of 4-12 students in each of the
  five categories?
• How many 4-12 students are in our district?
• What support systems are in place from district
  and building leaders?
• How can classroom teachers be involved in the
  formal identification process?

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Parents and Grades 4-12
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General Intellectual Aptitude

• General Intellectual
• Ability
• Observation of applied advanced reasoning ability
• Checklist inventories of behaviors specific to
  underachieving learners, disadvantaged learners,
  or limited English proficient learners

• General Intellectual Ability
• Formal testing data (test of intellectual
  ability) specific to General Intellectual Ability
  (Required)
• High performance on additional individual test of
  mental ability

11
Specific Academic Aptitude

• Specific Academic Aptitude
• Formal testing data (achievement test scores) for
  four (4) areas of Specific Academic Aptitude
  (Required)
• High performance on an additional individual or
  group test of academic achievement
• Student awards or critiques of performance or
  products

• Specific Academic Aptitude
• Off-level testing
• Portfolio of high academic performance
• Student progress data
• Checklist inventories of behaviors specific to
  underachieving learners, disadvantaged learners,
  or limited English proficient learners

12
Creative or Divergent Thinking

• Creative or Divergent Thinking
• Creative writing samples
• High scores on tests of creative ability
• Behavioral checklists specific to creative or
  divergent thinking
• Anecdotal observations of original ideas,
  products, or problem-solving
• Other

• Creative or Divergent Thinking
• Formal assessment measures of a student's
  capacity for originality of thought, fluency,
  elaboration, and flexibility of thought
• Informal assessment measures of a student's
  capacity for originality of thought, fluency,
  elaboration, and flexibility of thought

13
Psychosocial (Intra/Interpersonal)or Leadership
Skills

• Psychosocial or
• Leadership Skills
• Sociograms (Questionnaires designed to assess
  leadership characteristics)
• Peer recommendations
• Behavioral checklists specific to leadership
  behavior
• Portfolio entries which display leadership skills
• Offices held by student in extracurricular
  activities and class government
• Other

• Psychosocial or
• Leadership Skills
• Documentation of student willingness to assume
  leadership roles in class
• Documentation of student willingness to assume
  leadership roles in a student organization
• Documentation of student willingness to assume
  leadership roles in the community

14
Visual or Performing Arts

• Visual or
• Performing Arts
• Auditions
• Letters of recommendation
• Products
• Portfolio assessment by specialists or
  professional artists

• Visual or
• Performing Arts
• Awards or critiques of performance
• Portfolio of visual or performing arts ability
• Questionnaires
• Other

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What shapes the key that opens the door to
providing services for our 4-12 students
identified in one or more of the five categories
of giftedness?

• Knowledge about the demographic make-up of our
  district
• Knowledge about the gaps in achievement in our
  district
• Knowledge about the abilities, interests, and
  needs of our formally identified students in
  order to ensure continuous progress

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Delivering Services to Formally Identified
Students
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Multiple Service Delivery Options No Single
Service Option Existing Alone Districtwide At A
Grade Level

• Various acceleration options (e.g., early exit
  from primary, grade skipping, content and
  curriculum in one (1) or more subjects from a
  higher grade level)
• Advanced placement and honors courses
• Collaborative teaching and consultation services
• Special counseling services
• Differentiated study experiences for individuals
  and cluster groups in the regular classroom 
• Distance learning
• Independent study

18
Multiple Service Delivery Options No Single
Service Option Existing Alone Districtwide At A
Grade Level

• Enrichment services during the school day (not
  extracurricular)
• Independent study
• Mentorships
• Resource services delivered in a pull-out
  classroom or other appropriate instructional
  setting
• Seminars
• Travel study options or
• Special schools or self-contained classrooms,
  grades four (4) through twelve (12) only.