Is your gifted and talented program giving you headaches? These programs can be explained and defended if they are grounded in research.

Is your gifted and talented program giving you headaches? These programs can be explained and defended if they are grounded in research. IN FEBRUARY 2005, THE NEW YORK City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. The school system these schools form is the largest system in the United States. Over 1. announced a new citywide approach to gifted and talented education inelementary schools. City schools now screen students for the program byusing a weighted combination of the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT?), published by Harcourt Assessment, Inc., is a measure of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children pre-K to 18. (OLSAT OLSAT Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (Harcourt Assessment Inc)) and an assessment of classroom performance called the GiftedRating Scales The GRS is a scholastic assessment for school children. It is used mostly for Gifted & Talented admissions. It is administered by a teacher who knows the child well. The teacher rates specific gifted behaviors that they have observed over time. . Additionally, twelve semester units in gifted andtalented coursework are required of teachers. In Region 10 New Yorkschools, the organization and delivery of instruction is based on theSchoolwide Enrichment Model that emphasizes broadening learningexperiences for gifted students, developing thinking skills, andengaging students in interest-based research. This ambitious project is grounded in the seminal work of JoeRenzulli from the Neag Center for Gifted Education The Center for Gifted Education is a program at the College of William and Mary created in 1988, under the direction of Joyce VanTassel-Baska, with a specific mission statement and goals, based on an understanding of the needs of gifted and talented individuals across the lifespan. and TalentDevelopment at the University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs.UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. . Renzulli has developedcontrary ideas about gifted and talented education that now form thebasis for many school programs. Renzulli's three-ring theory ofgiftedness broadens the definition beyond IQ scores. Gifted behavioroccurs when there is an interaction among three clusters of humantraits: above average ability, high levels of task commitment, and highlevels of creativity. Once students are identified as gifted, the critical work ofprogram development and instruction begins. Renzulli advocates a"revolving door" concept that emphasizes flexible grouping ofstudents with highly trained teachers. This has developed over time intothe Schoolwide Enrichment Model adopted by the New York City New York City:see New York, city. New York CityCity (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Schools.This model entails a combination of enrichment activities such as fieldtrips and assemblies, the development of thinking and problem-solvingskills, and interest-based projects and tasks delivered by trainedteachers and specialists. As a school or district administrator, you may be asked to defendprograms and practices for gifted and talented students when questionedby parents, teachers, or community members. Common questions include thefollowing: What does it mean to be gifted in this school or district? Many parents say, "I know what giftedness is, but I can'tput it into words. My child is gifted." It is important foradministrators and teachers to be familiar with concepts of giftednessdeveloped by researchers like Joe Renzulli. A broad conceptualization con��cep��tu��al��ize?v. con��cep��tu��al��ized, con��cep��tu��al��iz��ing, con��cep��tu��al��iz��esv.tr.To form a concept or concepts of, and especially to interpret in a conceptual way: dispels the sense of elitism e��lit��ismor ����lit��ism ?n.1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. associated with gifted programs andprovides services for more students. Ideally, your school or districtshould provide a definition of giftedness and outline criteria for theprogram in a Web site or publication. Why did my child fail to qualify for your gifted program? If you are lucky, your district uses a combination of standardizedtest scores, IQ/ability test scores, teacher input, and a portfolio ofstudent work to identify gifted and talented students. Criteria shouldbe transparent and easy to explain. Renzulli found that students withabove average IQ scores and high commitment levels can do just as wellin school and life as those who have higher IQ scores hut lackmotivation.. Why is my gifted child doing poorly in school? This is one of the toughest challenges for educators of giftedstudents. As Renzulli notes, it takes motivation and commitment fortalented students to produce high quality work. That is why it is socritical to identify interesting and real-world projects to motivatereluctant or bored students. Why does my gifted child's program seem like the same oldwork? Renzulli argues that differentiation of instruction is good intheory but that it often devolves into more of the same old didacticinstruction. To avoid this, modification of instruction at thecurriculum and program level, not just in individual lessons, isessential. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model encourages curriculum"compaction" to identify power standards or essential learningin order to make time for interest-based projects. Therefore, teachersemphasize certain content standards and deemphasize others so thatstudents spend more time on the most important concepts. An effective program for gifted and talented students demands clearthinking and the right teachers and resources, but the pay-off can beseen in deep and meaningful learning for students. RESOURCES The Center for Talented Youth “CTY” redirects here. For other uses, see CTY (disambiguation).The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a gifted education program for school-age children, founded in 1979 by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. www.cty.jhu.edu The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC NAGC National Association for Gifted ChildrenNAGC National Association of Government CommunicatorsNAGC National Association of Government ContractorsNAGC National Art Gallery of ChinaNAGC North American Grappling ChampionshipsNAGC National American Glass Club, Ltd. ) www.nagc.org The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT NRC/GT National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented ) www.gifted.uconn.edu/NRCGT.html Schoolwide Enrichment Model: Tools for Schools April 1998 www.ed.gov/pubs/toolsforschools/sem.html Eamonn O'Donovan is director of middle school support atCapistrano Unified School District Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is the second largest school district in Orange County, California and the 95th largest in the United States. The school district serves the following cities: Aliso Viejo Dana Point Laguna Niguel Mission Viejo in California.