Susan K. Johnsen

Changing General Education Classroom Practices to Adapt for Gifted Students

Funded by the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act, the Mustard Seed Projects major goal T91maoivti1ts was to train teachers to differentiate curricula for gifted students in the general education classroom. This study addressed the changes in classroom practices and the factors that influenced these changes. Changes were measured using the Classroom Instructional Practices Scale Johnsen, 1992). The sample included 1 urban and 5 rural sites, 8 principals, 74 teachers, mentor teachers, and 18 community representatives. Throughout the two years of implementation, majority of teachers at each site made changes. Changes in classroom practices and influencing factors, were determined from interviews, field notes, formal and informal observations, and a final survey. Participants cited staff-development activities, leadership, mentoring, resources, and project support as extremely beneficial.

Test of Nonverbal Intelligence: A Language-Free Measure of Cognitive Ability

As the author of this chapter note, the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (Brown et al. 1982, 1990, 1997, 2010) was built over 30 years ago to address the increasing diversity and complexity of a society in which the evaluation of intellectual ability and aptitude was rapidly becoming common practice. It is a highly standardized, norm-referenced measure of abstract reasoning and problem solving that requires no reading, writing, speaking, or listening. The test is culture-reduced and largely motor-free, requiring only a point, nod, or meaningful gesture as a response, and is appropriate for use with people ranging in age from 6–0 through 89–11 years and its pantomime and oral formats make TONI-4 particularly well suited for not only English speakers but also people who do not understand spoken or written English, either for cultural reasons or due to trauma, disease, or disability. As mentioned in the critical reviews, TONI-4 is suitable for use with almost all populations other than people who are blind or visually impaired. TONI-4 can be administered individually in about 10–15 min, yields index scores and percentile ranks, is available in two equivalent forms containing 60 items each, and employs a multiple response format. Finally, TONI-4 is psychometrically sound, is normed on a large, demographically representative and stratified sample of 2272 people, and has been characterized as reliable, valid, relatively free of bias with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, and other relevant variables.

An Overview of Effective Practices with Gifted Students in General-Education Settings:

Approximately 675 citations in journals dedicated to gifted studies and 83 abstracts indexed by ERIC, PsycLIT, and Dissertation Abstracts International from 1989 to the present were reviewed. To qualify for this review, the reference needed to meet the following criteria: (a) sample included a clearly identified group of gifted students, (b) validity issues were considered, (c) qualitative or quantitative methods were clearly identified, (d) outcomes were related to learner or classroom changes, and (e) the practice could be or was implemented in a general-education classroom. The references were then categorized according to effective research methods, validity issues, and classroom instructional practices that might be modified or changed. These categories were used to assist researchers in planning and initiating future efficacy studies for serving gifted students in the general-education classroom. Only 39, or 5%, of the identified references were databased. The majority of the literature focused on specific instructional strategies and program models that are effective with gifted students. A need continues to exist for databased articles that examine effective practices with gifted students in the general-education classroom.

Social Effects of Hispanic Students Enrolled in an AP Class in Middle School.

Waco Independent School District (WISD) initiated a project offering AP Spanish Language to Hispanic students in the eighth grade. The Hispanic students in this AP Spanish Language class and a similar comparison group answered survey questions on parental involvement, composition of peer group, sense of belonging at school, academic attitudes, and academic aspirations. Data gathered indicated that the students enrolled in the AP course made friends with peers who cared more about grades, enjoyed reading in English, and were more optimistic about their future family, future job, and their service to the community. These results suggest that Spanish-speaking skills can be viewed as a strength and can be used as a gateway, rather than a barrier, to academic success. Enrolling at-risk native Spanish-speaking students in an AP Spanish Language class during their eighth-grade year can create a peer group that honors the students’ native language. This academically supportive peer group can play a role in students’ decisions to enroll in higher level coursework in high school. Because beliefs about self and school are deep rooted and peer group influences are intensifying during middle school, the academic benefits of AP participation need to be extended to Spanish-speaking Hispanic students. AP Spanish Language programs such as this seems to be a feasible way to target Hispanic middle school students and create an academically supportive peer group that will positively influence students’ educational aspirations.

The Validity of Portfolios in Predicting Performance in a Gifted Program

The nation is moving toward more authentic assessment procedures such as product portfolios. This study examined the degree to which samples collected in product portfolios from 216 kindergarten through second-grade students were able to predict their successful performance in a gifted program four years later. Successful performance was determined by scores on achievement tests and teacher classroom ratings. Hypotheses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This study found that students whose product portfolio scores are in the top quarter perform significantly better on math and reading achievement subtests, but their classroom performance is not rated significantly higher than students whose product portfolio scores are in the bottom quarter. No significant differences were found among racial or ethnic minority groups.

The past, present, and future of education for gifted children with sensory and/or physical disabilities

The authors examine the historical background, the current status, and the future possibilities of appropriate educational programming for gifted children with sensory and/or physical disabilities. They identify trends over the last two decades that are related to the growth of professional interest in this area of educational concern. They also look at those influential factors that seem to facilitate or impede program implementation. A model is proposed for the development of programs for this special population.

Standards in Gifted Education and Their Effects on Professional Competence

Educators need to know the professional standards in their field to maintain high levels of professional competence. This article focuses on four sets of teacher preparation standards in gifted education. They address initial and advanced preparation of educators who teach students with gifts and talents. Initial preparation standards include the National Association for Gifted Children/Council for Exceptional Children–The Association for the Gifted (NAGC/CEC-TAG) teacher knowledge and skill standards for gifted and talented education and the NAGC preparation for all teacher standards that were developed in response to the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Advanced preparation standards incorporate the CEC-NAGC Advanced Knowledge and Skill Set: Specialist in Gifted and Talented Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Exceptional Needs Standards. These standards relate to other national teacher preparation, content, and gifted education programming standards. Research suggests that standards have a positive effect on professional competence and the field and are used to legitimize the field of gifted education; to build consensus; to offer guidance for developing programs at the university, state, and local levels; and for evaluation and advocacy.

Remaining Challenges for the Use of RtI with Gifted Education.

Response to Intervention has many positive features that will help students not only succeed, but when paired with a strand that incorporates gifted, could even help students reach their potential. However, RtI will not be successful unless it is viewed as a systemic process that involves systemic change. For change to occur at the classroom level, it also must involve administrative support at the school and district levels. If implementation is not done systemically, RtI will meet with limited success.

Assessment Beyond Definitions.

Definitions do not provide enough information to guide the assessment of gifted and talented students. Although concepts of abilities, potential, talent development, and differentiated programs are directly or indirectly described in most definitions, the practitioner must still decide how to operationalize them. Using types of validity as criteria, the author proposes a model that uses measurement and nonmeasurement descriptions. The model includes (a) the identification of domain-related abilities that discriminate among gifted and talented students; (b) the use of differentiated activities during a prereferral process to determine the need for special services; (c) the dynamic assessment of abilities to determine the zone of proximal development or potential; (d) the use of norm-referenced measures that relate to the domain, differentiate among abilities, and are reliable; and (e) the design of effective programs that develop abilities. Not counting the various models and theories of giftedness, more than 100 definitions address such psychological constructs as intelligence, creativity, talent, ability, aptitude, leadership, and even entrepreneurship. The same construct may also be defined differently in diverse fields. Professionals emphasize invention in physics, novel products in business, imagination in art, and new classification systems in philosophy-all of which may

The Incidence of Potentially Gifted Students Within a Special Education Population

From a sample of 13,176 children with disabilities who were a part of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study, 330 students achieved a score at the 90th percentile or higher on the Woodcock-Johnson III. These children represent some 9.1% of children who have disabilities nationally and who might be identified as gifted or academically advanced. Only 11.1% of these students were participating in programs for gifted and talented students with African Americans, Hispanics, or females significantly less likely to participate. The discussion considers the reasons behind these results and possible approaches for identifying and serving students within a current response-to-intervention approach.