Test Fear

My very first day as a GT coordinator I was approached by an elementary teacher.  "I've known Josh for 4 years now," she said. "He's the brightest student I know, but every year I nominate him for the gifted program and every year he gets rejected.  Will it be any different now that you're in charge?" 

I assured her I'd look into it, but jumped to the (false) conclusion that Josh was a nice kid, a teacher pleaser, but probably not gifted.  When I met him my misconception was immediately apparent.  Beyond a doubt he was creatively brilliant.  The problem was that he froze when presented with a high stakes test like the one that determined if he was "in" or "out" of the gifted program.  

It was a no-brainer for me.  I trusted his teacher who knew that he needed challenges beyond the regular classroom. He was "in" without taking The Test.

I took some heat from people who had created the "sift down" method of identification matrix our district used at that time.   Students needed to perform at or above the 95 percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  Those that didn't were never considered.  The winnowed group of  kids were given the Otis-Lennon group IQ test on which they also needed to score at a certain level.  Those that didn't were rejected.   And then the remaining few students had to rate a specific score (or better) on the Renzulli Scales completed by a teacher.  In essence, we were looking for the fewest possible students and only those who were good at taking tests and pleasing teachers. 

I'm happy to say we quickly changed the old ID process to a talent pool model where even one indicator was enough to start an assessment of what a student needed to be academically challenged.

Funny thing.  Six months after he was identified, Josh agreed to try The Tests . . . "just for fun."  The pressure was off.  IQ?  152.  ITBS reading and math?  99th percentiles. 

How many kids slog on through the tedium of a school day simply because they don't fit the numerical profile.  We've got to know the kid in order to match the program to the child.

Accelerated Thoughts

This week during the Challenging Advanced Learners Academy held at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater (a fantastic event for gifted newbies and veterans alike), a participant questioned the value of grade acceleration, stating her school principal was totally against it since it "really messes kids up."

And yes, I know, a lot of people have horror stories of acceleration.  Someone they know had a lonely childhood with no friends . . . or never went to prom . . . or dropped out of college . . . or became a recluse . . . etc.  These personal anecdotes grow into urban legends.  But the research tells another story:  grade and subject acceleration  - done appropriately - are two of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to provide gifted children with the challenge they need.

The Iowa Acceleration Scale is the very best resource for determining if acceleration is right. Earlier acceleration experiences in our district always felt hit or miss, but our recommendations were spot on once we began using it.  We also monitored academic progress and socio-emotional concerns throughout the students' school years to assure they had the necessary support, counseling and advocacy.

The list of kids I know for whom acceleration was a life-saver goes on and on.  To name a few, literally from A to Z:  Amanda, Ben, Crystal, Drew, Evan, Faye, Gina, Henry, Ian, Jiang, Karen, Lauren, Mike, Noah, Peter, Quinn, Raza, Sarah, Tommy, Ulrike, Verne, Wynona, Xavier, Ying and Zou!

Here are just a handful of links to articles that tell the rest of the story: 

NAGC:  Myth: Acceleration Is Harmful For G/T Students  

Kulik and Kulik: Effects of Accelerated Instruction on Students

Karen Rogers: A best-evidence synthesis of research on acceleration options

Hoagies: Academic Acceleration

Acceleration?  The sky's the limit!

What Jenny Taught Me

Late one night I received a phone call from a frantic dad. 

  

“Mrs. Douglas, would you please talk to Jenny?  She’s been working for hours on her English paper and won’t go to bed until it’s done.”  

 

I couldn’t imagine what the massive assignment could be for this was just the first day of the school year! So when she came to the phone I asked for details.

“Well,” Jenny said, “my teacher said she was going to base our writers’ workshop goals on this first assignment and to write the best essay we could.” 

Ahhhhh!  Perfectionism.  How do we help our gifted kids learn to match their efforts to teachers’ expectations?

As Judy Galbraith wrote in her 8 Great Rights of Gifted Kids:

#4 - You have a right to make mistakes and not do your best all the time.

Another Profile Puzzle Piece

Here's the official explanation (disclaimer?) regarding using NUMATS test scores.

From the

2011 NUMATS Guide to Understanding EXPLORE® Results

EXPLORE test scores can provide direction for educators in considering the need for curricular modification for an individual or for groups of students. Test data from above-level testing provide more specific information than data from grade-level tests because the ceiling effect has been minimized. Standardized test data are informative when considering curricular modifications in a school setting; however, results from one test cannot be considered a comprehensive assessment of a child’s aptitude. There are other factors that need to be considered when making a decision regarding curriculum modification. These factors include motivation, maturity, availability of resources, etc. Often, further evaluation is needed to determine specific modifications.

It's good to remember that NUMATS test scores are only one piece of the puzzle, but an important piece backed up by years and years of research. 

Using Test Scores

There are many, many factors that determine the best academic plan for a gifted child at any point in time. Out-of-level test scores can provide one piece of the puzzle.  For example, when I served as a GT coordinator, we used NUMATS results to provide some flexible guidelines for varying tiers of programming:

Recommended Options 

based on NUMATS Statistical Summary  

(adapted from CTD recommendations for use in our district, 2005)

Tier 3 Interventions

EXPLORE, ACT and SAT score ranks at or above 95 for normal grade level

1. Compression of school courses into shorter time periods via curriculum compacting
2. Access to advanced placement early
3. Long-range academic planning
4. Individualized program of study, using diagnostic-prescriptive approach in areas of strength
5. Consider grade acceleration or early admissions to college
6. Mentorship for advanced study in areas of strength
7. Early career counseling
8. Fast-paced summer classes in area of strength

Tier 2 Interventions

EXPLORE, ACT and SAT score ranks from 50 to 94 for normal grade level

1. Compression of school courses into shorter time periods via curriculum compacting
2. Access to advanced placement early
3. Long-range academic planning
4. Early career counseling
5. Fast-paced summer classes in area of strength

Tier 1 Interventions

EXPLORE, ACT and SAT score ranks up to 50 for normal grade level

1. Elimination of repetitive work through in-class differentiation and curriculum compacting  
2. In-school enrichment programs in tested areas of strength
3. Long-term academic planning
4. Early access to advanced courses
5. Supplement coursework with enrichment-oriented summer programs

The words of my former colleague, Lori, always ring in my head, "Use the data."   

Awareness of what their test scores indicate is vital for gifted students as they develop their learner profiles.  

NUMATS Conferences

A surprising discovery . . . over half of the middle school students we honored last Saturday do not know if their school districts use their extraordinarily high scores on the ACT and SAT to match them to appropriately challenging academics.  Is it a lack of communication or an indication that educators are not actually using the scores - the whole point of kids taking out of level exams?

And from a self-advocacy standpoint, how can students make informed decisions if we don't give them all the information?

Several years ago I described how my district used the data.  I've excerpted a bit of it here, but the whole article, Post-NUMATS Meetings Build Partnerships, is on the WATG website.  

The needs of our brightest students can be best addressed when families and schools work together.  Thus, when the ACT, SAT and Explore results arrive in spring, it is important for students, parents/guardians, and educators to meet for individual conferences. These meetings can be initiated by anyone: parents, teachers, counselors, gifted education coordinators, or the students themselves as they seek to self-advocate.

Families come to the conference with many questions, of course. What was gained by participating? What do all the scores mean? What does the school plan to do with the data?  What can we do?  What should our child do? What’s next?  Educators can help by listening to concerns, offering suggestions, and providing resources.

During the conference, students can reflect on the testing experience, statistical summaries can be clarified, and appropriate educational options can be discussed.  These conversations help all NUMATS participants, no matter how well they scored, to understand their strengths and take charge of their own education.  

I don't need fixing

One of my former self-advocacy students just posted on Facebook: 
I'm an introvert and I don't need fixing!

You may have seen this, but it's worth repeating . . . 

 

The Top 10 Myths about Introverts

 (clink on the link above to learn how Carl King disproves these myths)

1. Introverts don’t like to talk. 
2. Introverts are shy. 
3. Introverts are rude.
4. Introverts don’t like people. 
5. Introverts don’t like to go out in public. 
6. Introverts always want to be alone. 
7. Introverts are weird. 
8. Introverts are aloof nerds. 
9. Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
10. Introverts can fix themselves and become extroverts. 

Linda Silverman reports that "about 60% of gifted children are introverted compared with 30% of the general population.  Approximately 75% of highly gifted children are introverted."  However introversion "is very likely to be misunderstood and 'corrected' in children by well-meaning adults."

As Carl King writes, "Extroverts need to recognize and respect us, and we also need to respect ourselves".

6 Profiles

One of my all time favorite resources is Profiles of the Gifted and Talented by George Betts and Maureen Neihart, originally published in The Gifted Child Quarterly in 1988. 

They describe 6 profiles of gifted children:  The Successful, The Creative, The Underground, The At-Risk, The Twice/Multi-Exceptional, and the Autonomous Learner.

Their research opened many minds to the understanding that gifted kids are not always the ones who get good grades, please parents and teachers, and score well on standardized tests.

Betts and Neihart describe feelings and attitudes, behaviors, needs, adult/peer perceptions, identification, home support, and school support for each type.  Great stuff, especially because the more we know about children's uniqueness, the better we can advocate for them.
  
You can download the full chart at Deborah Mersino’s blog, Ingeniosus. 

Key for me was the awareness that I can help many of the Successful students I work with grow toward becoming Autonomous Learners. 

Here’s just a sample of the comparisons they make:

The Successful

• Gets good grades
• Is a consumer of knowledge
• Extrinsically motivated
• Dependent
• Seeks teacher approval
• Avoids risks
• Accepts & conforms 

The Autonomous Learner 

• Sets SMART goals
• Is a producer of knowledge
• Intrinsically motivated
• Strongly self-directed
• Self-confident
• Willing to fail and learn from it
• Stands up for convictions

In self-advocacy workshops with teens, I use a self-test version of the profiles.   Students always broaden their view of who their gifted peers might be and frequently are surprised to find something of themselves in multiple profiles.  So much can be gained through reflection!

Eureka!

You know those Aha moments?  When your body is doing something routine (like showering or gardening or exercising) and your mind takes off for an adventure of its own?  Suddenly you have a new understanding.   It’s like Archimedes’ “Eureka!” . . . though in my moments it's never so earth-shattering!

My Aha today:  learning is like using a treadmill.  (I’m not saying education is similar to a hamster’s wheel, but that might be a topic for another day!)  No, my comparison is much more positive. 

I love my treadmill work-out because, although there are pre-set modes, I can also customize it to fit my personal needs . . . set my own pace, adjust the incline, choose the time that fits my schedule, wear whatever clothes and shoes are comfortable, run or walk or jog for as long as I like.  I can choose to be super challenged . . . or not.

I exercise best/I learn best when I’m in control of my options.  I'm neither bored through lack of effort nor frustrated by being pushed too far, too fast. 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could help gifted kids figure out their own learner needs and adjust the pace and depth and breadth of their instruction accordingly, allowing them to take charge of their own unique paths to those Aha moments?