Aligning Gifted Programming and Services With National and State Standards (original) (raw)

Gifted Programs and Services: What Are the Nonnegotiables?

Theory Into Practice, 2005

This article focuses on the "nonnegotiables" of gifted programs and services, emphasizing the importance of appropriately differentiated curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment procedures. Differentiation is discussed in the context of providing acceleration and grouping as basic policy provisions in gifted programs-within which a curriculum base that is advanced, in-depth, complex, creative, and challenging may be offered. Alignment with content standards is also suggested as a way to promote connection to general curriculum reform. Ideas about creating an optimal match between the learner and the curriculum-delivery system are explored. The use of advanced resources, including technology, is described. Two inquiry-based instructional techniques are delineated, specifically problem-based learning and question-asking techniques. The article ends with an emphasis on the need for quality teaching for the gifted population and for collaborative support between home and school in promoting talent development.

Bridging the Gap: A Tool and Technique to Analyze and Evaluate Gifted Education Curricular Units

Gifted Child Quarterly, 2002

Research on the quality of educational standards, our knowledge about the quality of textbooks, and the performance of high-achieving students on international assessments all point to the need for exemplary curricula for gifted and talented young people. The gap between research in these areas and the needs of gifted and talented learners is startlingly clear. This article includes information about the development of a rubric that was originally designed to assess the quality of curricular units that are submitted annually to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Curriculum Division's Curriculum Competition. The article also includes information about 4 different, but related, uses for the rubric. Ultimately, we hope that the use of this tool and assessment technique by practitioners across the country will begin to close the enormous gap between the learning needs of gifted and talented young people and curricula.

Toward A New Era of Gifted Education: Principles, Policies, and Strategies

Turkish Journal of Giftedness and Education, 2019

Gifted education as we know and practice is by and large the product of early 20th century. In this paper, I am arguing for a paradigm shift in gifted education to make it more responsive to the challenges of the 21st century, as well as new opportunities for optimal development of many children and adolescents, rather than exclusively focusing on the identified and selected few (often in a once-and-for-all fashion). This argument is based on the preponderance of evidence that human potential is widely distributed in a population, and highly pluralistic and dynamic, not amenable to a uniform formula that fits everyone into a Procrustean Bed of giftedness with the assumption of its homogeneity and permanence (Dai, 2016a). I elaborate on what it takes to make such a shift in terms of four W questions: What, Why, Who, and How. I argue that by envisioning a broader agenda of gifted education, gifted education can be made more equitable and productive. At the social and organizational le...

Is there still a need for gifted education? An examination of current research

Learning and Individual Differences, 2010

What recent research has been conducted about gifted and talented students and their learning experiences in school? As we complete the first decade of the new century we are entering a time when much attention is focused on remediation and test preparation; it only seems appropriate to reflect upon what has been learned about gifted education during the last few decades and consider the compelling evidence that may or may not support special services for gifted and talented. Consensus on which research themes and studies should be included in this type of examination would difficult to reach, but we have identified six important themes that are discussed in the article. This review of research strongly suggests that the need for gifted education programs remains critical during the current time period in American education when our nation's creative productivity is being challenged by European and Asian nations.

SERVING THE GIFTED: A NATIONAL SURVEY OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

Gifted students are among the most underserved population in American schools and are some of the most underperforming in the world, ranking last in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, and Geometry among 13 other developed countries. To improve services for the gifted, possible gaps in training and service delivery must be identified. There is a lack of research addressing many of the practical aspects of the delivery of services to the gifted. There is also a lack of research examining how well school psychologists are prepared to provide services to gifted and talented students. We conducted a national survey of school psychologists to evaluate the amount of time school psychologists allocate for gifted assessment and consultation. We also collected information about graduate school and professional development on gifted topics, familiarity with prominent figures in the gifted field, and gifted assessment methods. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Many argue that gifted students are undervalued by American society and that they are targets of negativity by those who advocate for equality in education (Gallagher, 2008; Sternberg, 1996). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2002) focuses on bringing all students to academic proficiency by 2014. As a result, school districts are likely to focus their limited resources on assisting low-performing and even " average " students, while neglecting students who are performing above average, but not necessarily near their potential. In fact, according to the most recent " State of the States " report, published by the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC, 2009), NCLB was rated as one of the most negative factors impacting gifted education. Because the federal government is not involved in funding a national program for gifted education, states are left to cover the cost of these programs. However, according to the NAGC (2009), a majority of states rely on local rather than state funding for gifted education. Sternberg (1996) reports that 99.9% of special education funding is channeled to the low end of the ability continuum, and Winner (1997) poignantly notes that only 2 cents out of every $100 spent on special education is spent on gifted programs. Recent budget cuts due to the economic downturn have also negatively impacted gifted education. The NAGC (2009) reports that during the 2008-2009 school year, 18 states had no specific funding allocation for gifted programs. Furthermore, although states establish mandates for gifted education, only six of those report fully funding that mandate. The majority of respondents to the NAGC survey (36 of 48) reported that gifted funding was one of the greatest needs of attention in gifted education. In addition to a lack of funding, psychology and education have not yet agreed on a uniform definition of " gifted. " Pfeiffer (2001) reported that experts in the gifted field indicate a " lack of consensus on how to conceptualize and define the gifted and talented " and " problems with the identification process " (p. 176) are two prominent assessment issues. Borland (2005) describes giftedness as a chimera—a social construct of questionable validity; Feldhusen (2005) conceptualizes gifts as genetic potentials that unfold in interaction with stimulating experiences; and Gardner (1983) has popularized the notion of multiple intelligences that can be used to identify broad categories of gifts. In 1971, the Marland Report recommended that a minimum of 3% to 5% of students should be classified as gifted based on IQ scores, although more recent authorities advocate for giftedness representing more than a score on one test (

The Challenge of Providing Gifted Education

Global education review, 2017

Introduction to this special issue of Global Education Review that explores gifted education. Though there is a lack of universal consensus on a definition of giftedness there is some agreement that giftedness involves multiple qualities, not just intellectual ones. Gifted education programs vary both among and within countries and who is served in these programs depends largely on the definitions used. The topics explored in this issue include perceptions and policies of gifted education in cultures and countries across the globe; the presumed dichotomy of equity and excellence in countries as different in ideologies as the United States and China; underrepresentation of culturally diverse students, a problem that has plagued the field for decades; gifted education in rural communities; and using a virtual environment for students to pose and share mathematical problems.

Gifted Education Structures in Elementary Schools and Their Connections to Program Focus

2017

Gifted education programs are diverse with respect to their structure and foci. This diversity is reflective of the field itself. With this large, multi-state study, we surveyed practices employed in elementary schools (N = 2,293). Differences were observed in the implementation mechanics of reading/English language arts and mathematics curriculum. Interrelationships between program structures emerged (e.g., existence of separate gifted math curriculum and pull-out instruction, ( = .16). Schools reported a focus on 21st century skills and enrichment techniques while neglecting acceleration strategies and cultural responsiveness. Lastly, we observed a number of statistically significant relationships between program structures and the foci used in gifted programs. These relationships may reflect underlying beliefs in the field. Introduction Gifted education programs in elementary schools take a variety of forms. They cut across many dimensions including: the identification process, ...

Gifted education: changing conceptions, emphases and practice

International Studies in Sociology of Education, 2014

Gifted education is leading an interdisciplinary paradigm shift moving education out of its historic role of entrenching systemic inequities. It is a crucible for pioneering investigations of optimal human development and provides a vehicle for increasing social equity. We review changing conceptions of intelligence, motivation and creativity, and consider current findings on processes that affect the development of high ability. We discuss the role of context and neuroscience as they apply to understanding the development of giftedness. We describe changing emphases in gifted education, focusing on the shift from categorical homogeneity to developmental diversity, concluding that giftedness and talent are best understood as dynamic, fluid, domain-specific and context-sensitive processes. Finally, we consider implications for educational practice: How do these changes impact definition, prediction, identification, programming, psychosocial practices and teacher development, opening up opportunities for optimal learning, development and fulfillment across the population, and across the life span?