Francis X. Archambault

The Classroom Practices Observation Study.

The Classroom Practices Observational Study conducted by The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) examined the instructional and curricular practices used with gifted and talented students in regular elementary classrooms throughout the United States. This article describes the procedures used in this study and the results obtained from systematic observations in 46 third or fourth grade classrooms. The observations were designed to determine if and how classroom teachers meet the needs of gifted and talented students in the regular classroom. Two students, one gifted and talented and one average ability student, were selected as target students for each observation day. The Classroom Practices Record (CPR) was developed to document the types and frequencies of differentiated instruction that gifted students receive through modifications in curricular activities, materials, and teacher-student verbal interactions. Descriptive statistics and chi-square procedures were used to analyze the CPR data. The results indicated little differentiation in the instructional and curricular practices, grouping arrangements, and verbal interactions for gifted and talented students in the regular classroom. Across five subject areas and 92 observation days, the observed gifted and talented students experienced no instructional or curricular differentiation in 84% of their instructional activities.

Classroom Practices Used with Gifted Third and Fourth Grade Students

The Classroom Practices Survey was conducted by The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) to determine the extent to which gifted and talented students receive differentiated education in regular classrooms. Six samples of third and fourth grade teachers in public schools, private schools and schools with high concentrations of four types of ethnic minorities were randomly selected to participate in this research. The major finding of this study is that third and fourth grade classroom teachers make only minor modifications in the regular curriculum to meet the needs of gifted students. This result holds for all types of schools sampled. It also holds for classrooms in different parts of the country and for different types of communities. Implications of these findings for researchers and gifted education specialists are discussed.

Physical Abuse in Canadian Runaway Adolescents.

Recent studies with Canadian runaway youth have questioned the prevalence of abuse experienced by teenaged runaways and the causal contribution of such abuse to runaway experiences (Kufeldt, Duriux, Nimmo, & McDonald, 1992; Kufeldt, & Perry, 1989). This is a descriptive investigation of the physical abuse experienced in a sample of 195 Canadian adolescent runaways: the occurrence, nature and frequency of abuse, the age of onset and duration of abuse, the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator(s), and, who, if anyone, knew of the abuse. This investigation compared and contrasted the physical abuse experienced prior and subsequent to runaway experiences. In this sample, 86% of the population (74% of the males and 90% of the females) reported at least one physically abusive experience. The data reported suggest that this population of adolescents have been the victims of chronic, extreme abuse, experienced at a young age, often perpetrated by the biological parent (most often the mother), and was initiated prior to the first runaway episode. Female runaways were at greater risk than males for all types of abuse experience. Once youths left home, the physical abuse experiences decreased in frequency, but grew in severity, particularly for males.

Role stress and perceived intensity of burnout among school psychologists

This study investigated the relationship between role stress and perceived intensity of burnout for 209 school psychologists. It also investigated differences in role stress and burnout for school psychologists and four other educator groups (i.e., classroom teachers, school social workers, guidance counselors, and reading specialists). Concerning the three measures of burnout, school psychologists reported midrange perceptions of burnout along the Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment dimensions and the second lowest level of burnout for Depersonalization, the second aspect of burnout. School psychologists also reported the second highest level of Role Conflict and the highest level of Role Ambiguity compared to other teacher groups. Findings also indicated that the components of role stress are significant predictors of the three aspects of burnout. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are offered.

A Survey of Classroom Practices with Third and Fourth Grade Students in the United States.

Advocates of special programs for gifted learners have claimed for years that the needs of gifted and talented students are not addressed in regular classrooms in the United States. Are these claims justifiable? The Classroom Practices Survey, conducted by the University of Connecticut site of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, investigated this issue through a survey of nearly 4000 third and fourth grade classroom teachers. The results of this nationwide survey indicated that only a limited number of teachers make any modifications in their instructional and curricular practices with gifted and talented students.

Measurement and Evaluation Concerns in Evaluating Programs for the Gifted and Talented

The evaluation of programs for the gifted and talented has become an increasingly frustrating challenge for project directors and evaluators, and, in many respects, for project officers as well. Although a number of factors contribute to this state of affairs, the major problems appear to center around the instruments used to measure program outcomes, and, more generally, the design of the evaluations themselves. With regard to instrumentation, there are two major concerns: (1) the lack of psychometrically sound tests and other measures to assess the extent to which program objectives have been achieved; and ( 2 ) the need to use out-oflevel tests (i.e., tests designed for older or younger populations) to measure certain outcomes. Regarding evaluation design, the major concern is the inappropriateness of the more traditional designs and the resultant need for alternative designs and procedures. The remainder of this paper provides details on these issues.

The Effect of Federal Policy on Services Delivered Through ESEA Title I

In recognition of the special educational needs of children of low-income families and the impact that concentrations of low-income families have on the ability of local educational agencies to support adequate educational programs, the Congress hereby declares it to be the policy of the United States to provide financial assistance to local educational agencies serving areas with concentrations of children from low-income families to expand and improve their educational programs by various means which contribute particularly to meeting the special educational needs of educationally deprived children.

Role Stress and Perceived Intensity of Burnout among Reading Specialists.

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between role stress and perceived intensity of burnout for 324 public school reading specialists. It also investigated differences in role stress and burnout for reading specialists and four other teacher groups: classroom teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers. Both measures of role stress, Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity, were found to be statistically significant predictors of burnout for reading specialists. Concerning the three measures of burnout, reading specialists reported the lowest comparable level of burnout for the Emotional Exhaustion subscale, a middle range level on the Depersonalization subscale, and the highest level of burnout on the Personal Accomplishment subscale. Reading specialists also reported the lowest comparative level of Role Conflict and a middle range of Role Ambiguity. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are offered.

A Cross Validation of the Porter Needs Satisfaction Questionnaire for Educators.

The Porter Needs Satisfaction Questionnaire (PNSQ) was developed to assess the level of need deficiencies perceived by workers in five need categories: security, social, esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization. This study was concerned with the construct validity and reliability of the PNSQ for educators (n = 1,954). Construct validity was examined by using principal components analysis with oblique rotation. Cronbach coefficient alpha reliability estimates were computed for the derived factors. Results do not support the use of the PNSQ as suggested by Porter. Suggestions for the revision and alternate use of the PNSQ are presented.

The Validity of Categorized Proficiency Test Scores.

As research on standard setting has been concerned with cut score variability and reliability, issues regarding the validity of decisions based upon proficiency test applications have received relatively little attention. This study addressed the validity of using proficiency test scores to make specific educational decisions, Ninth grade mathematics proficiency test scores are analyzed in both continuous and categorized form. The relationship of the proficiency scores and student mathematics achievement was investigated for each condition, and implications for the validity of interpreting the scores are discussed. The nature of the decisions to be made is examined as a factor in determining the categorization technique.