K-3 Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between high ability, gifted, and high achieving?
2. What are the requirements of the Indiana law on high ability?
3. How does the state define high ability and how is it defined in Center Grove?
4. I heard there are some changes to the elementary high ability programming. What
are these changes?
5. How does Center Grove identify students for high ability?
6. What is the Kingore Observation Inventory?
7. Are gifted or high ability students always the “perfect student”? What are some
negatively perceived characteristics sometimes associated with a gifted child?
8. What’s the difference between a high achieving student and a high ability student?
9. What if my child is new and he or she is already qualified elsewhere as a High
Ability student?
10. What happens if my child qualified as a High Ability student?
11. What happens if my child does not qualify?
12. Can my child start kindergarten or first grade early?
13. Who can answer my questions?
1. What is the difference between high ability, gifted, and high achieving?
In the past, the term gifted education was used to describe the services for high
ability students in Center Grove. Officially, we now refer to students who are
gifted as “high ability” because that is the term used by the Indiana Department
of Education. High achieving students are those students who earn top grades in
school and perform well on grade level tests. High achieving students are not
necessarily those who are high ability students.
2.
High Ability Program – What does Indiana law require us to do?
Identify high ability students in the general intellectual grades K-5 and in
generally intellectual; mathematics and English/LA for grades 6-12. (In Center
Grove, we identify students in three categories: general intellectual (K-12),
language arts (6-12), and math (6-12).)
Use multifaceted assessments (ID) that include high ability students from
poverty, limited English proficiency, and all ethnic groups
Appropriately differentiate our curriculum and instruction for students with high
ability
Provide professional development to teachers and counselors on the specific
needs of high ability students
Periodically conduct a systematic program assessment
Create a guidance and counseling plan
Report on our program effectiveness, specific use of funds, and student
achievement.
3. What is the definition of a High Ability Student?
“High Ability Student” is one who: “performs at, or shows the potential for
performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one domain
when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment;
and is characterized by exceptional gifts, talents, motivation, or interests.” (as
defined by Indiana Code)
We are looking for students with abilities that are comparatively rare
and significantly more advanced than others of their same age,
experience, or environment. Typicially, in Center Grove, this is a
student with an ability score or cognitive skills index (commonly
referred to as an IQ) of 132 and achievement scores 95th percentile
and above.
4.
I heard that there are some changes to the elementary programming at
Center Grove. What are they?
For the past few years, Center Grove has had a magnet program at CGES and at NGES
called Extended Learning for High Ability Students in grades 4 and 5 who would best
benefit from a separate learning experience with their academic peers.
Beginning in 2012-13, Center Grove will identify high ability students beginning in
kindergarten. In grades 1-5 students will cluster-grouped with the other identified high
ability students and with higher achieving students in a separate classroom called
“ENRICH”. There will be one ENRICH classroom at each grade 1-5 at each elementary
school.
The ENRICH classrooms will extend and enrich the curriculum to provide deeper and
more diverse opportunities for students to work with the curriculum. Differentiation
within the classroom will allow students to have their individual needs met.
Developmentally, it is important not to over-identify primary grade students. Therefore,
it is expected that very few students will be identified as HA in kindergarten and grade
1 and that more students will be identified each year as more information becomes
available.
5.
How are high ability students identified in Center Grove?
Multifaceted Student Identification Plan
o We identify students for general intellectual (K-12), math (6-12), and/or
language arts (6-12)
We use both qualitative (characteristics) measures and quantitative measures
(test scores).
ELEMENTARY LEVEL
K-3 Screening/Identification Process: Timeline Screening Process (all
students)
Grade Level
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Screening Tools
AIMSweb
Teacher recommendation
Kingore checklist
CogAT screener
AIMSweb
Teacher recommendation
Kingore checklist
Dates Administered
December sweep
December
December
November
December sweep
December - January
December - January
Grade 2
Grade 3
Use as needed for moveins and ―emerging‖
students
CogAT screener (have on
hand if needed)
AIMSweb
Teacher recommendation
Kingore checklist
InView
AIMSweb
Teacher recommendation
Kingore checklist
November
December sweep
December - January
December - January
November
December sweep
January - February
January - February
Identification:
Identification Process (top 20-25% of grade level)
Grade Level
Assessments
Kindergarten
CogAT screener
Kingore Experiences
(Terra Nova-have on hand
if needed)
IREAD-K
Grade 1
CogAT
Kingore Experiences
Terra Nova
IREAD-1
Grade 2
Use 1st grade scores and
2nd grade data. Do more
complete testing if add EL
in 3rd grade and use the
following assessments:
CogAT
Kingore Experiences
Terra Nova
IREAD-2
Writing prompt; Naglieri
Grade 3
InView
Terra Nova
Kingore
Experiences/teacher
checklist
Naglieri
Writing prompt
IREAD-3
Dates Administered
February – March
February – March
February – March
March
February - March
February – March
February – March
March
February – March
February – March
February – March
March
February – March
November
February – March
February – March
February – March
February – March
March
Issue: Who Decides?
An identification committee rather than a single person makes placement
decisions for EL program placement in grades 4-5 based upon students’ needs.
The committee makes these decisions “blind” without student names attached to
insure objectivity and fairness.
For 4-5 EL programming the identification committee is made up of teachers
with High Ability endorsements, and the HA coordinator.
The appeals process for the grade 4-5 EL placement allows the parent or
guardian to complete an appeals form and submit it by the due date with
additional information for the committee to consider. Once the committee meets
and reviews the appeal, the parent/ guardian will be mailed a letter with the
decision. The decision of the committee is final.
Identification for the Enrich classroom placements are made at a building level
based on the best grouping of students to meet student needs. Those identified
as HA in grades 1-3 and those in grades 4-5 who elect not to attend the EL
program are cluster grouped into the ENRICH classroom along with other high
achieving students.
An identification committee rather than a single person makes placement
decisions for HA designations for those in grades K-3. The committee makes
these decisions “blind” without student names or school information attached to
insure objectivity and fairness.
Developmentally, it is important not to over-identify students in the primary
grades. Therefore, it is expected that very few students will be identified as HA
in kindergarten and grade 1 and that more students will be identified each year
as more information is available.
High achieving students in grades 1-5 will be placed into the ENRICH program
based upon objective test scores, teacher and parent information. Student
placement into building classrooms is a building level decision made in the best
interest of all students. The final decision rests with the principal.
6. What is the Kingore Observation Inventory?
A research-based observation tool to identify students who are gifted.
All K-3 teachers have been trained to use the KOI and are using it for a six-week
period.
Teachers provide enriched learning opportunities for ALL students and are
trained to observe behaviors that exceed the level and complexity typical for the
age group.
There are seven categories of gifted characteristics defined in the KOI:
1. Advanced Language – uses words that seem advanced for the age-level
expectations; rewords own language for younger or less mature children;
explains how unrelated things are similar; uses words for time concepts (clock
and calendar) accurately; uses similes, metaphors, or analogies; asks questions
about words.
2. Analytical Thinking – demonstrates complex or abstract thinking; analyzes
household or school tasks; notices surprising depth of details about
surroundings; takes apart and reassembles things or ideas with skill; expresses
relationships between past and present experiences; makes up songs, stories, or
riddles about experiences; organizes collections of things uniquely; likes to plan
or arrange things
3. Meaning Motivation – is philosophical; asks surprisingly intellectual questions; is
curious; experiments; demonstrates an unexpected depth of knowledge in one or
more areas; exhibits intense task commitment and energy when pursuing
interests; remembers; is independent.
4. Perspective – explains another’s point of view; shows dimension, angle,
perspective in art, writing, math solutions, or problem solving; creates complex
shapes, patterns, or graphics; applies left and right without prompting; adds
interesting details to enhance products.
5. Sense of Humor – says or does something indicating an unexpected,
sophisticated humor; catches an adult’s subtle sense of humor; understands and
uses puns and riddles; “plays” with language; develops humorous ideas to an
extreme.
6. Sensitivity – cares deeply; intense concern for human issues; tries to take action
to help someone in need; expresses feelings through words or art; explains
others’ feelings; displays strong sense of fairness; expresses high expectations of
self and others; seems to overreact at times.
7. Accelerated Learning – learns new things quickly with minimum practice; uses
multiple characteristics when discussing items; reads passages at an advanced,
fluent reading level for the age-level expectations; explains the meaning of what
has been read; demonstrates an unexpected mastery of math or science
concepts; uses a dictionary, encyclopedia, map, atlas, or computer to gain
advanced information, creates products which seem advanced for the age-level
expectations.
8. Are gifted or high ability students always the “perfect” student? What
are some negatively perceived characteristics sometimes associated
with a gifted child?
High Ability (gifted) students are not always the “perfect” student. In fact, these
students may sometimes not earn top grades in a classroom that isn’t designed
for his/her academic needs. Sometimes high ability students may display some of
the following characteristics......
Self-critical; impatient with failures
Critical of others or of the teacher
Overreacts
Domineers
Gets angry or cries if things go wrong
Hands in messy work
Refuses to accept authority
Refuses to do rote homework
Bored with routine tasks
Is more concerned with concept than the details
Makes jokes or puns at inappropriate times
Disagrees vocally with others or with the teacher about ideas and values
Is nonconforming/stubborn
Is reluctant to move on to another topic
9. What’s the difference between a high-achieving child and a high
ability, or gifted, child?
This is a complex question to answer, but Bertie Kingore, an expert on gifted
education, has explained.....
“Identification of gifted students is clouded when concerned adults
misinterpret high achievement as giftedness. High-achieving students
are noticed for their on-time, neat, well-developed, and correct
learning products. Adults comment on these students’ consistent high
grades and note how well they acclimate to class procedures and
discussions. Some adults assume these students are gifted because
their school-appropriate behaviors and products surface above the
typical responses of grade-level students. Educators with expertise in
gifted education are frustrated trying to help other educators and
parents understand that while high achievers are valuable participants
whose high-level modeling is welcomed in classes, they learn
differently from gifted learners. In situations in which they are
respected and encouraged, gifted students’ thinking is more complex
with abstract inferences and more diverse perceptions than is typical
of high achievers. Articulating those differences to educators and
parents can be difficult.”
(from High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative Thinker, Bertie Kingore, Ph.D.)
10. What happens if my child qualifies as a High Ability student?
Classroom Placement: Research shows that gifted students need to be placed with their
intellectual peers, so we cluster group our high ability students in grades 1-3. This
means that we place small groups of identified high ability students together with other
students who are high-achieving in a designated classroom in each building.
The grade level math curriculum is differentiated to provide broader and deeper
experiences.
Mathematics instruction focuses on inductive/deductive reasoning skills; work
with algebra and geometry concepts; and problem solving. Instruction is faster
paced with fewer repetitions.
Language Arts is differentiated for all students in Center Grove Community
Schools. Beginning in kindergarten, we assess each child’s reading level and then
monitor his or her growth at least three times during the year. Our teachers use
the reading level information to help each child learn to read at his or her
instructional level.
High Ability students do more complex analysis of text and in-depth study of
advanced vocabulary.
11. What happens if my high achieving child does not qualify as a High
Ability student?
In considering data about children’s achievement, we recognize that in Center
Grove Schools, we have many students who score in the 95th percentile range
and above in math and or reading, but who are not identified as high
ability These students are certainly high achievers, but do not meet Center
Grove’s criteria for gifted identification.
Since we have so many high achieving students, our curriculum and instructional
strategies are designed to meet their needs. Our teachers are trained in
differentiation to provide instructional experiences to meet student needs within
each classroom.
Classroom Placement: High achieving students may be placed into the ENRICH
classroom with the High Ability student cluster-group. This decision is made at
the building level to consider the best fit for each student.
All students who are not identified as High Ability are screened each year and
reconsidered for high ability identification.
12. Can my child start kindergarten or first grade early?
If you believe your child is advanced socially, academically, and emotionally and would
benefit from early entrance to kindergarten or first grade, please fill out an “Early
Entrance to Kindergarten Application” or an “Early Entrance to First Grade Application”
available on the Academic Programs Area of the district website under “Early
Entrance.”
13. More questions?
If you have a question, please read all of the information elsewhere on this
website first. This website is revised often so parents can find accurate
information effectively.
Please direct your building-specific questions to your child's teacher, school
counselor or to your principal.
Please direct other questions to:
o
Pam Burnett, High Ability Administrative Assistant can answer most
general process questions and can assist new families.
[email protected]
o
Dr. Wendy Kruger, Curriculum Director for Center Grove Schools and
serves as a High Ability Co-Coordinator. [email protected]