WHAT ARE BEST
PRACTICES IN
GIFTED
EDUCATION?
Adapted from
“Lessons Learned
About Educating the
G i f te d a n d
Ta l e n t e d : A
synthesis of the
research on
educational
p r a c t i c e ” - Ka r e n
Ro g e r s
AGENDA
Chapter 16 Regulations
Five Lessons
Take-Aways
AGENDA
Chapter 16 regulations
 Students identified as intellectually gifted and demonstrate a
need for services in an academic strength area.
 Services are enrichment, acceleration, or a combination of
both
 Services beyond what is already accessible (guaranteed)
through general education
 Services are on a Continuum
 A GIEP Team develops the GIEP
AGENDA
Chapter 16 Regulations
Five Lessons
Take-Aways
EFFECT SIZE IN EDUCATIONAL GROWTH
Effect
Size
Significance
What it tells us
.0-.15
No Significant
Difference between
two or more groups
0 months of additional achievement
.3
Some significance
Approximately 3 additional months of
achievement
.6
More significance
between two or more
groups
Approximately 6 additional months of
achievement
.8
High significance
between two or more
groups
Approximately 9 additional months of
achievement (almost an entire extra year).
“TALENT”
 Nationally – Any Strength Area
 General Academic Ability
 Specific Academic Ability
 Creativity
 Visual-Performing Arts
 Psychosocial skills
 Psychomotor (No longer part of the definition)
 Pennsylvania – Academic Area for which we can
provide measureable goals based on established
expectations (standards) for all students
LESSONS LEARNED
 Need daily challenge in Specific Talent Area
 Need regular opportunity to be unique and work
independently in Specific Talent Area
 Needs may include subject-based acceleration
and/or grade based acceleration as determined by
student profile
 Need opportunities to socialize and learn with like ability peers
 Need for instructional delivery in Specific Talent
Area to be differentiated by pace, amount of review
and practice and organization of content
presentation
- Rogers, 2007
LESSON #1
Level of Discrepancy
Subject Acceleration vs.
Subject Enrichment
One Year Above
 Starts with placement for instruction
Two Years Above
 Need daily challenge in Specific Talent Area
LESSON #1
 Need daily challenge in Specific Talent Area
 Must take into account general education options
 Use of multiple data sources to determine
instructional/mastery level
 Process is NOT scientific and does not stop with determining
current Grade/Course instructional level
 Formative assessments drive instructional decisions
 Unit, Lesson, Skill
LESSON #1
 Need daily challenge in Specific Talent Area
 Grouping considerations
 Tracking, clustering, schoolwide cluster grouping, within
classroom cooperative grouping, dyads, triads
 Consistent , progressively more complex in non
Specific Talent Areas
 Most effective when specific extensions of the
regular education curriculum
 Effect size: .34-.49 (Rogers, 2007)
LESSON #2
 Need regular opportunity to be unique and work
independently in Specific Talent Area
 Developmental considerations
 Wanting to work independently does not necessarily mean the
student knows how to work independently
 Higher impact when teachers collaborate to support
development
 Shown to have little effect on standardized test performance
 Independent Study Effect Size: 0 (Academic) to .25
(Rogers, 2007)
LESSON #2
 Need regular opportunity to be unique and work
independently in Specific Talent Area
 Greatest impact when students can demonstrate mastery and
“buy” time to extend his/her learning
 Credit by examination, Curriculum Compaction, credit for
prior learning
 Science/Math .8
 Literature/ Social Studies .2
LESSON #2
 Need regular opportunity to be unique and work
independently in Specific Talent Area
 Enrichment Level Learning
 Gifted Guidelines
 “In-depth learning experiences that provide interaction with
new ideas, skills, and topics that enhance the curriculum.
 These experiences are based upon individual student
strengths, interests, and needs.”
 Aligned to grade/course/instructional level standards.
LESSON #3
 Needs may include subject-based acceleration and/or grade
based acceleration as determined by student profile
 Early Entrance to Kindergarten or 1 st grade, subject
acceleration, dual/concurrent enrollment (Elementary/Middle,
Middle/High, High/College), online learning, cross -graded
classes, telescoping, continuous progress, Advanced
Placement, International Baccalaureate, college -in-the-schools,
mentorships,
 Effect size – Range from .22 to .7 (Academic)
 Effect size – Range from .01 to .71 (Social)
 Effect size – Range from -.27 to .82 (Psychological)
- A Nation Empowered, 2015
LESSON #3
 Needs may include subject-based acceleration
and/or grade based acceleration as determined by
student profile.
 Acceleration Protocol
 Transitions
 Articulated Curricula
LESSON #4
 Need opportunities to socialize and learn with like ability peers
 Full-time ability Grouping .49 (R) .33 (M)
 Performance Grouping .34
 Within Class grouping .34
 Cluster Grouping .62
 Schoolwide Cluster grouping .62
 Pull-out .65 (when aligned to curricula)
-Rogers, 2007
LESSON #4
 Need opportunities to socialize and learn with like ability peers
 Expertise of the Teacher is critical
 Affective impact increases as academic effect increase, but
will small to moderate difference
 Grouping has positive effects regardless of the length of time
spent together
LESSON #5
 Need for instructional delivery in Specific Talent Area
to be differentiated by pace, amount of review and
practice and organization of content presentation
 Pacing
 Learning rates of 130 can be 8 times faster than a child with
an IQ of 70
 Negative stress more likely from boredom / lack of
challenge
LESSON #5
 Need for instructional delivery in Specific Talent Area
to be differentiated by pace, amount of review and
practice and organization of content presentation
 Practice and Review
 Less Homework – should be for independent practice only
 Eliminate practice, skill and drill – try Most Difficult First
and/or pre-assessment
 Focus on depth and breadth (as opposed to spiraling)
 Use inquiry and problem-based strategies
 No perfect core program, curriculum often needs
supplemental resources
 Distributed versus mass practice / spaced reviews
LESSON #5
 Need for instructional delivery in Specific Talent Area
to be differentiated by pace, amount of review and
practice and organization of content presentation
 Whole-to-Part Concept Teaching
 Decontexualist – acquire information as a whole and store in
long term memory
 More likely to “switch gears” and try “alternate strategies”
than resort to trial and error
 Look for patterns, authentic applications to promote
generalizations across content areas
AGENDA
Chapter 16 Regulations
Five Lessons
Take-Aways
TAKE-AWAYS
 Highly skilled teachers in curriculum and pedagogy (what and
how of learning)
 In most cases, some form of grouping is necessary
 Pre-planning is essential
 Know how competency is demonstrated
 Know when students are ready to demonstrate competency
 Know what to do when competency is established
 Away from a “program” and toward an array of services that
best fit educational needs of the students
SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE ON A
CONTINUUM….
Need is determined at the local level
What is guaranteed available in the general educational setting?
Is enrichment happening in every classroom?
Can it be documented or articulated?
What evidence supports this?
Is the type of acceleration recommended for the student
available to any student based on identified prerequisites?
• Do all students have access to any additional supports for either
option to better insure success?
•
•
•
•
OR
Do the needs of the student go beyond what is already available? If
YES…
Specially Designed Instruction
IT’S ALL HANDS IN!!
Gifted Support Teacher
General Classroom Teacher(s)
Parents
Principal
Psychologist
Counselor
Curriculum Director
Director of Gifted
Superintendent
??QUESTIONS??
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