2015 PAGE Conference

Katherine Guyer

Dover Area School District

kguyer@doversd.org

Reader’s Digest Version: PLEP 101

Anyone ever feel like this?

www.bigdatadecoded.com

Agenda for today

• Purpose of the PLEP

• Data sources

• Structure of the PLEP

• Decision-making

Purpose of the PLEP

Provides all the necessary information to determine the individual’s PRESENT needs as a gifted learner

• Acceleration

• Enrichment

• A combination of both

The goals and outcomes should reflect the student’s present levels of educational performance…

PA Dept of Education

Gifted Education Guidelines August 2014

Purpose of the PLEP

Should be able to answer the following

• What level is the student on now?

• What kind of learner is he/she?

• What type of specially designed instruction does THIS student need NOW?

Then lead to

• What opportunities/options are available in the regular education classroom(s)?

• What more does the student need in order to be successful?

Data Sources

• Should be within the last year

• Should include out of level assessments (OoLA)

• Should be a mix of quantitative and qualitative

• Should include information from student, parents, teachers, and anyone else who has knowledge of the student’s abilities, interests, and needs

Data Sources

• Benchmark assessments

• Diagnostic assessments

• PSSA, Keystone, PSAT, SAT

• PVAAS projections

• Surveys/questionnaires from student, teachers, parents

• Critical thinking or creative thinking assessments

• Grades as related to standards or course content

• Products/other sources of evidence

• Progress on GIEP goals

www.beyondrigor.org

Structure of the PLEP

A. Academic/Cognitive Strengths

B. Achievement Results (aligned to grade/course level standards to indicate instructional level)

C. Progress on Goals (for annual review only)

D. Aptitudes, interests, specialized skills, products, and evidence of effectiveness in other academic areas

E. Grades/Classroom Performance as Indicated by Subject Area Teachers

A. Academic/Cognitive StrengthsHow would you characterize this student as

a learner and a thinker?

What are the student’s learning preferences?

What type of specially designed instruction and supports have led to growth and achievement?

Precocious Intense Complex Learn new information

and skills at faster rates than their peers

Retain new information and skills after few repetitions

Become bored easily May make negative

growth if having to sit through lessons of the same material more than three times

May perform with mediocrity on assessments which are beneath their instructional levels

Are extremely interested in select topics or content areas

Tend to “hyperfocus” when reading or researching a topic of interest

NEED to know how and why of a select topic

Enjoy minute details of a topic and will construct meaning from those details

Will want to share their interests to anyone who will listen

See relationships between and among topics, content areas, and disciplines

“Mountains out of mole hill” makers

See the BIG PICTURE over the details

Continue to learn more on their own at the completion of instruction

Will often take the class off on tangents during discussions

Have a difficult time with multiple choice assessments

B. Achievement Results

Need to know ALL of the types of assessments being administered

Need to have access to ALL the data (better to have own account than rely on a third party)

Important to know how great the discrepancy between the student’s scores and age mates’

Decision-making

Use all of the available data to determine how to best meet the academic needs of the student

**Remember that needs may change during the year and adjustments to the GIEP may need to be made

Morret, 2012

Morret, 2012

Enrichment

Enrichment defined

According to the Gifted Education 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.

PDE, August 2014

Morret, 2012

Acceleration

Acceleration defined

According to the Gifted Education Guidelines –

Access to higher level learning activities and skill development than typically provided in regular education to students of the same age. The pacing, complexity and depth of planned coursework are modified as indicated by individual needs.

PDE, August 2014

Morret, 2012

Enrichment/Acceleration

Consider this data

Lauren is a sixth grade identified gifted student.

She is currently in a gifted cluster classroom with three other identified gifted students who have similar learning profiles. Lauren does well in reading but does not enjoy reading for pleasure unless it is a topic of choice. She prefers informational texts over literature if given a choice. Her responses to reading (both written and verbal) are spot-on, but she does not elaborate or explain how her evidence supports her reasoning. Lauren receives guided reading instruction with her gifted peers focusing mainly on seventh grade level skills and using texts on the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade reading levels. Her scores on summative assessments are generally in the proficient range. She readily participates in group discussions and is usually the organizer of any group projects.

Writing is a struggle for Lauren, not for a lack of skill, but for a lack of interest. She has commented that writing essays “is a waste of time.” Lauren will do the work assigned but is often one of the first ones done and chooses not to go back and edit. Her final pieces are borderline basic/proficient.

In math, Lauren has demonstrated skills far beyond her gifted peers. As a fifth grader, she completed both the fifth and sixth grade curriculum. Now as a sixth grader, she is being individually instructed by her sixth grade classroom teacher using a pre-algebra curriculum. Lauren enjoys working at her own pace and works well independently. She is currently working through Level III of Hands-On Equations. She has commented that she prefers algebra over the other types of math as she likes how “it’s all about figuring something out.” At home, Lauren will choose to do extra math homework or use Khan Academy videos to learn new concepts.

Consider this data

5th grade PSSAReading – 98th percentileMath – 99th percentileWriting – 85th percentilePVAAS projections place her in same math and reading percentiles for 6th grade.

6th grade Study IslandELA – #1 78%, #2 78%Math - #1 97% (100% in algebraic concepts

7th grade Study IslandELA - #1 66%Math - #1 80%, #2 93% (100% in algebraic concepts)

6th grade CDTReading - #1 1207, #2 1194 (above level 1125-2000) with strengths noted in Identifying Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts on bothMath - #1 1427, #2 1457 (above level 1099-2000) with strengths in algebraic concepts and measurement, data, and probabilityAnalytical Reading Inventory Instructional LevelsLiterature – 7th gradeInformational (science) – 8th grade +Informational (history) – 7th grade

Mid-year pre-algebra assessment – 100%

Orleans-Hanna Prognosis - 92nd percentile

What does Lauren need?

READINGenrichment? acceleration? combination of both?

MATHenrichment? acceleration? combination of both?

What other data do we need?

Consider this data

Josh is a newly-identified gifted third grader.

Josh loves chemistry and enjoys conducting his own experiments at home. He spends a lot of time watching science-related television shows and videos and is eager to share his knowledge with his teacher and peers. Josh is placed in a gifted cluster class with two other recently-identified students. Through flexible grouping, he is able to work with a variety of students based on pre-assessment results in both math and reading. He is also able to compact out of lessons to focus on independent projects which he then shares with his classmates.

His strengths in reading are often demonstrated in group discussions. Instruction is mainly 4th and 5th grades standards-based, and assessments typically yield proficient results with the occasional basic. Graphic organizers and sentence starters are used to assist Josh with his writing.

Josh’s affinity for experimentation can be seen in his math work, as he consistently performs well in measurement and data, particularly when organizing data. He is very strong in his basic facts and concepts of fractions.

Consider this data

3rd Grade Study IslandMath – 85% with strengths in Numbers and Operations in Base 10, Fractions, and Measurement and DataELA – 74% with strengths in informational texts

4th Grade Study IslandMath – 61% with strengths in FractionsELA – 71% with strengths in literary texts

3rd Grade CDTMath - #1 994, #2 1032 (above level 835-2000) with noted strengths in fractions; all successful questions at 3rd and 4th grade levelsReading - #1 1010, #2 1028 (above level 927-2000) able to answer several 5th grade level questions correctly in Literature Key Ideas and Details and was more successful in informational vocabulary than literature

STAR Reading – 98th percentile, ZPD 4.5-7.8STAR Math – 99th percentile

Analytical Reading Inventory Instructional LevelsLiterature – 5th grade (early)Informational (science) – 5th gradeInformational (history) – 3rd grade

In relationship to others

In relationship to others

What does Josh need?

READINGenrichment? acceleration? combination of both?

MATHenrichment? acceleration? combination of both?

What other data do we need?

• Consistent, timely record-keeping makes the process of writing the PLEP much easier.

• If possible, talk with the parents, teachers, and student for qualitative input.

• Focus on getting the data on the student’s identified strengths.

Final Thoughts

• The GIEP is a strength-based document. Struggles should only be documented if impacting the student’s ability to grow and achieve.

For all things gifted in PA, join the Gifted Education and Accelerated Learning Community on the SAS portal.

www.pdesas.orgLog in.Click on Teacher Tools.Click on My Communities.Search for Gifted Education…Click Join.

Feel free to contact me with any questions at

kguyer@doversd.org