Gifted and Talented Education

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Gifted and Talented Education in New York State
A Presentation for the New York State Board of
Regents
Audrey K. Dowling, President Advocacy for Gifted
and Talented Education in New York Charmy Perry,
Coordinator Gifted and Talented
Education Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES
February 9, 2009
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New York State Definition
The term gifted pupils shall mean those pupils
who show evidence of high performance capability
and exceptional potential in areas such as
general intellectual ability, special academic
aptitude, and outstanding ability in visual and
performing arts. Such definition shall include
those pupils who require educational programs or
services beyond those normally provided by the
regular school program in order to realize their
full potential.
New York Education Law Chapter 740, Article 90,
Section 4452.a
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Expanding Views of Intelligence and Giftedness
Single dimensional Multi-dimensional
Creative and Productive Accomplishments
High IQ
Revealed in different ways as individuals
interact with their environments
Measured as a point on a statistical distribution
Belief in the influence of culture and environment
Heredity is central
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Emphasis primarily on demonstrated achievement
Acknowledgement and belief in potential
Recognition of domains of giftedness
Emphasis on truly gifted
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Definition of Children with Outstanding Talent
Children and youth with outstanding talent
perform or show the potential for performing at
remarkably high levels of accomplishment when
compared with others of their age, experience, or
environment. These children and youth exhibit
high performance capability in intellectual,
creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an
unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific
academic fields. They require services or
activities not ordinarily provided by the
schools. Outstanding talents are present in
children and youth from all cultural groups,
across all economic strata, and in all areas of
human endeavor.
National Excellence A Case for Developing
Americas Talent
U. S. Department of Education 1993
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Characteristics of Gifted Learners

• Possess extraordinary quantity and/or quality of
  information, unusual retentiveness
• Advanced comprehension skills
• Unusual interests and levels of curiosity
• Tenacity in one or more academic or artistic
  areas
• High level of language development in one or more
  languages
• Ability to generate original ideas and solutions

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More Characteristics

• Early ability to tolerate ambiguity
• Ability to see unusual and diverse
  relationshipsintegration of ideas and
  disciplines
• Ability to generate original ideas and solutions
• Early ability to use and form conceptual
  frameworks
• Unusual intensity persistent, goal-directed
  behavior
• Heightened sense of purpose, fairness
  (moral/ethical dimension)

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Beliefs Fundamental to the Field

• Students of great promise exist among all
  groups from all cultural and socioeconomic
  backgrounds.

• All students, including high ability students,
  must have the opportunity to move forward in
  their learning.

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• Challenge is necessary for growth. High ability
  students who are not challenged appropriately are
  at risk for underachievement.
• Achieving success for all students is not
  equated with achieving the same results for all
  students. (National Excellence A Case for
  Developing Americas Talent, 1993)

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What do we know about academic excellence and the
education of gifted and talented students in New
York State?

• New York State has a long history of
  educational leadership and a national reputation
  for commitment to high academic standards.
• Knowledge about the quantity and quality of
  gifted education programs and services in New
  York State, and about the number of students
  served is very limited because data is not
  collected at SED for these non-mandated services.
  

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What we do know about New York State
There appears to be an uneven and inequitable
distribution of services for high ability
learners across the state.

• Programs and services in urban school districts
  vary greatly. Precocious learners from poverty
  often do not receive the same access to
  educational opportunities as wealthier urban
  students.
• Precocious learners in some of the wealthier
  suburban districts have regular and frequent
  access to appropriately challenging programs and
  services.
• Gifted and Talented programs and services do
  not exist in many rural school districts.
• Twice Exceptional students and high ability
  students in alternative education settings rarely
  have access to Gifted Education services.

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Further

• New York State is one of only 15 states that do
  not mandate gifted education services.

• New York State is one of only 7 states that
  neither mandate services nor have dedicated
  funding for gifted education .

Source Davidson Institute for Talent Development
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And we know from a synthesis of national research

• The needs of gifted students are generally not
  met in American classrooms where the focus is
  most often on struggling learners and where most
  classroom teachers have not had the training
  necessary to meet the needs of gifted students.
• The lack of teacher training and professional
  development in gifted education for classroom
  teachers will result in fewer challenges, less
  differentiation, and lower achievement for gifted
  and talented students.

Research that Supports the Need for and Benefits
of Gifted Education Report for National
Association for Gifted Children by Sally M. Reis,
2008
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What are the Consequences of Not Attending to the
Needs of our Most Promising Students?

• High percentages of gifted students do
  underachieve. (Research that Supports the Need
  for and Benefits of Gifted Education Reis, 2008)

2. 20 of all high school drop-outs score in the
range of giftedness. (Davidson Institute for
Talent Development)
Intellectual and creative talent cannot survive
educational neglect and apathy. This loss is
particularly evident in the minority groups who
have in both social and educational environments,
every configuration calculated to stifle
potential talent.
Sidney P. Marland, United States Commissioner of
Education Report to Congress, 1972
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Programs and Services to Meet the Needs of
Gifted and Talented Students are critical because

• Discovering and nurturing the strengths and
  talents of students from culturally diverse and
  limited economic backgrounds can be a powerful
  catalyst for closing the achievement gap.

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• Our global competition pays particular
  attention to the most proficient students.
  Higher education and business leaders who think
  about preserving our lead in innovation also
  think about our top students.

(A Call to Action Follow up to the New York
Education Summit, 2005)
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Neglect of Americas most gifted and talented
young people will leave a dearth of scientists,
engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and creative
contributors to all areas of the arts and
sciencesNeglect of our most gifted and talented
students, including those who come from limited
economic circumstances, will make it impossible
for America to compete in a global economy driven
by new ideas.
A Quiet Crisis is Clouding the Future of RD, by
Joseph Renzulli, Education Week, May 25, 2005
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What are Considered Best Practices in the field
of Gifted and Talented Education?
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• Ongoing, flexible identification practices that
  use multiple measures and include intentional
  efforts to find high potential students among
  traditionally underserved populations.

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• A continuum of services that challenge students
  appropriately in the regular classroom and in
  other educational settings.

• Differentiated curriculum and instruction
• Acceleration
• Advanced and honors courses
• Specialized enrichment opportunities in areas
  of talent/ interest
• Mentorships
• Independent Studies
• Counseling and guidance services

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3. Grouping practices that provide regular and
frequent opportunities for high ability students
to be grouped together for enriched or
accelerated learning.
Grouping gifted students together for
instruction increases achievement for gifted
students, and in some cases, also for students
who are achieving at average and below average
levels.
(Research that Supports the Need for and Benefits
of Gifted Education Reis, 2008)
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4. Staffing positions specifically for gifted
education to develop, implement, monitor, and
evaluate programs and services.
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5. Gifted Education is integrated into the
fabric of the school culture. Gifted Education
programs and services are viewed as important
contributors to the overall success and
effectiveness of the school. The curriculum and
pedagogy of gifted programs are viewed as a
resource for general education.
We must help our teachers learn how to teach
analytical skills, how to apply
multi-disciplinary knowledge to a problem, how to
inject deeper meaning and relevancy into
classroom materials, how to manage ambiguity.
Nicholas Donofrio, Executive Vice President, IBM
Corp. New York Education Summit, November 2, 2005
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Recommendations to Consider
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• Reinstate dedicated funding for gifted
  education.
• Develop a comprehensive P-16 Acceleration
  policy that supports a range of acceleration
  options for advanced learners.
• Consider models for NYS assessments that allow
  students to demonstrate abilities far above the
  mastery level.
• Require a minimum of 3 credit hours of
  coursework, specifically designed as an
  Introduction to Gifted Talented Education,
  for all undergraduate education majors.
• .

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• Support gifted education services through the
  BOCES, by requiring at least one BOCES full time
  staff position to have responsibility for
  coordinating gifted education support services on
  a regional basis.
• Have a full time Director of Gifted Education
  Programs and Services at SED.

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• Establish a Study Group comprised of
  representatives from a range of stakeholder
  groups in the state (e.g. parents, teachers,
  BOCES Gifted Education coordinators,
  administrators, gifted education experts, higher
  education, etc.) to study the current status of
  Gifted and Talented Education in New York State
  and make recommendations for the best course of
  action.
• Existing organizations such as AGATE and the
  BOCES Gifted Coordinators stand ready to assist
  in any way needed.