How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds

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How to Stop Wasting OurBrightest Young Minds

• Davidson Institute for Talent Development
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Gifted Learners are Exceptional Learners

• There is a greater difference among the range of
  abilities and educational needs of gifted
  students than there is in the mainstream
  population being educated.
• Serving gifted students requires a great deal of
  differentiation within the population.
• Like other exceptional students, gifted students
  should have an Individualized Educational Plan
  (IEP) to address their exceptional needs.

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Gifted Children are Exceptional Learners

• Children who think about complex ideas are going
  to talk about complex ideas.
• Theyre going to stand out from their age peers
  as being different.
• They may be teased or tormented for making
  out-of-the-ordinary comments, for being a little
  quirky, for being different.
• Developing satisfactory friendships is often
  difficult, especially when they are forced to
  only associate with their age peers.
• Especially in the early years, their intellectual
  development is likely to be out of sync with
  their emotional and physical development.
• Many are more sensitive.
• Numerous studies have found that they tend to be
  more socially and emotionally mature than their
  age peers, particularly during their adolescent
  and teen years.

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For Teachers of a Gifted Child

• Get over being normal!
• Youre teaching an exceptional child!
• It takes more work.
• Its more challenging.
• It requires more flexibility, more originality,
  more creativity.
• It takes more time.
• It requires more patience.
• . . . And it has its special joys and rewards.

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Whats happening in our schools today

• The vast majority of gifted students are provided
  little more than the standard curriculum.
• Being under challenged denies gifted students the
  joy of achievement, as well as the necessary
  skills to struggle to solve a problem or complete
  a difficult task.
• Highly gifted students are the most likely to
  fall between the cracks in American classrooms
  they are the ones experiencing the greatest gap
  between their potential and what is asked of
  them.

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Where were spending our Educational Dollars

• 80 cents of every education dollar is spent on
  students who function in the average range )I.Q.
  85-115)
• 20 cents of every education dollar funds special
  education
• A fraction of a penny of every education dollar
  funds gifted education

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What do we want to happen?

• We want gifted children to have the opportunity
  other children have in school
• to learn to the full extent of their ability and
  motivation.
• What can schools that dont have extra funds, but
  really care about the learning of their bright
  students do?

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Cost-effective interventions schools can take to
educate gifted students

• 1. Early Entrance to kindergarten, if a child is
  developmentally ready before the age or date
  specified, she can enter school early.
• 2. Pre-assessments are done before a unit or a
  course if a student demonstrates mastery, he is
  able to move to a more advanced course.
• 3. Self-contained classes for the gifted,
  particularly in core curriculum subjects.
• 4. Multi-age, self-contained gifted classes are
  even more effective.

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The Truth About Skill-Based Groupings

• Skill-based groupings of students are more
  effective for all skill levels
• academically
• social-emotionally
• Children develop a self-concept by comparing
  themselves to others around them.

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Cost-effective interventions schools can take to
educate gifted students

• 5. Subject acceleration is encouraged when a
  student is proficient in a particular subject.
• 6. Grade acceleration is encouraged when a
  student demonstrates proficiency in a particular
  grade level.
• 7. Opportunities for dual enrollment are
  available to students, i.e. taking some high
  school courses when a student is in middle
  school.
• 8. Advanced Placement (AP) courses and/or
  International Baccalaureate (IB) program are
  available to students.

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Grade Acceleration Research

• When appropriately evaluated and monitored
• Grade skipping is a highly effective
  intervention.
• Grade skipping does NOT result in social or
  emotional issues.
• The Iowa Acceleration Scale is an extremely
  effective tool.

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What are the Consequences of Failing to Educate
our Brightest Students?

• Some become depressed.
• Some become unhealthy perfectionists.
• Some act out and become behavior problems in the
  classroom.
• Some pursue dangerous behaviors to drive away the
  boredom.
• Some drop out. (20 of school dropouts test in
  the gifted range).
• Our nation suffers as well.

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Findings of the Templeton ReportA Nation
Deceived

• No other arrangement for gifted children works as
  well as acceleration.
• Acceleration is far more effective in raising
  student achievement than the most successful
  school reform models.
• Acceleration is a virtually cost-free
  intervention.
• Accelerated students are more likely than
  non-accelerants to aspire to advanced educational
  degrees.
• For many gifted students, acceleration provides a
  better personal maturity match with their peers
  than do non-accelerated programs.
• There is no indication of social or emotional
  maladjustment arising from well-planned programs
  of radical acceleration.
• Research on early entrance to college has shown
  extensive evidence of short-term academic
  success, long-term occupational success, and few
  social and emotional difficulties.

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Cost-effective interventions schools can take
to educate gifted students

• 9. Provide counselors who are trained to counsel
  gifted students, including advising them of
  talent development opportunities.
• 10. Work with the Talent Searches and give
  students credit for the credit they earn in their
  academic summer programs.
• 11. Create a school culture that values
  intellectual discovery and achievement, where
  students encourage one another to accomplish more
  than they would on their own.
• 12. Administrators and teachers who are
  knowledgeable about the wide range of exceptional
  abilities among bright students. They are
  flexible in addressing the individual students
  learning needs.

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How are we going to affect change?

• By Working Together!
• An advocacy group of parents working with caring
  educators to affect change can accomplish more
  than individual parents working alone.
• Fixed goal flexible strategies.
• Figure out the politics.
• Learn how to negotiate.
• Practice your pitches. Refine your arguments.
• Respect educators as the caring professionals
  they are.
• Respect educators time.
• Be pleasantly persistent.
• Follow up all meetings with a thank you letter or
  note.
• Realize this is a long term effort.

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To Recap

• A gifted child is an exceptional child, with
  exceptional learning needs.
• It is critical for gifted children to have the
  opportunity to learn to the full extent of
  his/her ability.
• There are cost-effective strategies schools can
  use to meet the educational needs of gifted
  learners.
• Parents and educators working together can affect
  positive change!

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• Not every child has an equal talent or an equal
  ability or equal motivation but children have
  the equal right to develop their talent, their
  ability, and their motivation."
• -John F. Kennedy

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Resources

• Templeton Report on Acceleration A Nation
  Deceived How Schools Hold Back Our Nations
  Brightest Youth, by Nicholas Colangelo, Susan
  Assouline, and Miraca Gross www.NationDeceived.org
  
• Iowa Acceleration Scale by Susan Assouline,
  Nicholas Colangelo, Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik,
  Jonathan Lipscomb, and Leslie Forstadt
• Re-Forming Gifted Education by Karen Rogers
• Developing Mathematical Talent by Susan Assouline
  Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik