Gifted Education at the

Middle School Level

2012-13

Gifted support is a service, not a

place!

CHAPTER 16 – SPECIAL EDUCATION

FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

State law mandating special education services for students

Placement (16.41) should ensure that the student is able to benefit meaningfully from the rate,

level and manner of instruction

should provide learning opportunities that go beyond the program the student would receive as part of regular education

does not require, but may include, the categorical grouping of students

ensure that the student is able to benefit meaningfully from the rate, level and manner of instruction

provide opportunities to participate in acceleration or enrichment as appropriate for the student’s needs

Districts are free to group across grades, according to academic talent, or based upon other performance characteristics

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Use of a varied approach and best practice strategies that address content, process, learning environment and product in response to a student’s interests, ability levels, readiness and learning needs

May be offered through a variety of settings and selections

Should feature enrichment, complexity, depth, challenge and creativity

Should stress higher-level thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills

Should set high standards that demand rigorous expectations for student work and performance demonstration

Instruction should allow for the development and application of productive thinking skills to enable students to re-conceptualize existing knowledge and/or generate new understanding

Overview of Research

Specific to Gifted Identified

Learners

Self-Contained Gifted Approach (Kulik, 1985; Kulik & Kulik, 1982, 1984, 1990)

• Marked academic achievement gain across all subject areas

• Moderate increase in attitude toward the subjects in which these students are grouped.

Cluster Grouping Within

Heterogeneous Classrooms

(Kulik, 1985; Kulik & Kulik, 1982, 1984, 1990)

• Sizeable academic gain across all

academic areas was reported for

this option.

• Greater gains reported when

compared to self-contained gifted

approach.

Grouping for Acceleration

of the Curriculum (Kulik, 1985; Kulik & Kulik, 1982, 1984, 1990)

• Gifted identified students who were

accelerated showed substantial

achievement gains over their gifted

counterparts who were not accelerated.

• There was no difference in their

performance from their equally gifted

older-aged peers.

Regrouping for Enriched

Learning in Specific Subjects

Kulik and Kulik (1990)

• Substantially higher effects for gifted

identified students when they are

regrouped for specific instruction in their

area of giftedness than for students at

other ability or achievement levels.

Enrichment Pull-out Approach

Vaughn, Feldhusen and Asher's (1991)

• Produced substantial improvements

in achievement, critical thinking, and

creative thinking for gifted and

talented learners.

• Gains appeared to be greatest for

achievement when the pullout

experience was an extension of the

regular classroom curriculum.

Within-class Ability Grouping

Kuliks (1982, 1984, 1990) and Vaughn et al. (1991) meta- analysis

• There is every reason to believe that

such forms of ability grouping,

although short-term, are extremely

beneficial to gifted identified learners

when the materials for those

groupings have been appropriately

differentiated.

Cooperative Grouping for

Regular Instruction

Robinson (1990)

• As compared to cluster grouping,

exhaustive search of the literature

was unable to uncover any solid

research to substantiate academic

achievement gains for gifted identified

learners when placed in cooperative

settings with students of mixed ability.

• Gifted identified learners need some form of grouping by ability to effectively and efficiently accomplish several educational goals, including appropriately broadened, extended, and accelerated curricula.

• Cluster grouping allows for effective collaboration with intellectual peers.

• The pacing of instruction, the depth of content, and advancement in knowledge fields cannot be effectively facilitated without a variety of ability-grouped arrangements.

Conclusion based on a meta-analysis by Karen B. Rogers from The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut

Research Summary

MIDDLE SCHOOL

2012-13

• Teachers are expected to differentiate

instruction to appropriately challenge all

students at their level of readiness.

• Students identified as gifted meet as a group

during WIN (Strayer) or Resource (Milford) for

enrichment opportunities based on their GIEP

goals.

• Mathematics is accelerated at every grade

level. RELA is based upon SpringBoard which

is aligned to the College Board to prepare

students for Advanced Placement classes.

• Students identified as gifted are clustered in

classes so they can collaborate and challenge

each other within heterogeneous classes.

Research indicates that a structure of cluster

grouping raises everyone's achievement level

(Gentry, 1999). Gentry, M. L. (1999). Promoting Student Achievement and Exemplary Classroom Practices through Cluster Grouping: A Research-Based

Alternative to Heterogeneous Elementary Classrooms. Storrs: National Research Center on Gifted and Talented. ED429389.

GIEP’S & TEACHER TRAINING

Teachers on team share responsibility for development of GIEPs.

Teacher training on development of GIEPs

Use of AP Vertical Teaming model

Continued expectation of differentiation to support enrichment

Continued use of NWEA and Benchmark data to determine each student’s strengths and areas of need.

Teacher attendance at IU Gifted conference in Fall, 2012

HOW DOES THIS

BENEFIT MY CHILD??

Gifted identified students will be clustered each day during WIN (Strayer) or Resource Time (Milford)

Focus on enrichment for these clusters

Research supports sizeable academic gains when such clustering occurs

Team approach to gifted education

Parents / Student input during the development of the GIEPs

Vertical AP Teaming model supports and helps prepare students for advanced (AP) high school classes