Talented and Advanced Learning Services at Lisbon CSD

OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE STUDENTS WHAT THEY NEED!

Students with advanced aptitude, achievement, ability, and capacity require adjustments to their instruction and may also qualify for other services in the areas of enrichment or career planning.

WHAT IS ENRICHMENT?

Enrichment activities, projects, or classes involve the student digging deeper into a topic, exploring it in other ways, developing talents, exploring interests, or taking the skill being taught to a more enriched depth of knowledge. 

WHAT IS ACCELERATION?

Students are given curriculum, standards, learning targets, and expectations that are covered in future classes or are placed in higher grade level groups or classes.

DIFFERENTIATION:

Students of varying abilities will be challenged in the regular education setting through differentiation and ability-level grouping. The TAL teacher assists classroom teachers as needed with strategies and may “push in” to teach in tandem or help with upper-level students and groups.

In some cases, students may “pull-out” during core instruction to receive an alternative curriculum or extension work individually or in small groups in specific academic domains such as math or reading. Differentiation is usually considered enrichment unless the student is receiving structured curriculum/standards from a future grade level.

Student needs for differentiation are identified through ISASP, FAST, and teacher-created assessments (formative and/or summative) and observations.

MORE ON ACCELERATION

Acceleration (either whole grade level “skipping” or subject-specific) is an area of growth for our program. Currently, high school students have access to Kirkwood classes for advanced programming, and junior high students can accelerate in math (7th graders taking 8th grade math and 8th graders taking Algebra). There is also the possibility of 7th graders moving to 8th grade math at the semester change, and those evaluations take place in December. Any parent or guardian interested in acceleration at any point in the school career is encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher to explore this option. 

Decades of educational research proves that acceleration is the most effective way to increase TAL student achievement in academic areas. Numerous studies that have been conducted for decades in a variety of settings have proven that acceleration does not have adverse effects on a student’s social and emotional development. For more information, visit the National Association for Gifted Children’s parent resources, or read up on the national report A Nation Deceived and A Nation Empowered produced by educational researchers from across the country including Dr. Nicholas Colangelo of the University of Iowa, or come to Kibbie for more information and guidance. 

LEARNING EXTENSION OPPORTUNITY – LEO PULL-OUT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

This program’s research base comes from the work of Joseph S. Renzulli and his cohorts at the University of Connecticut: 

(the houndstooth pattern represents personality and environment factors that give rise to the three clusters of traits)

The Three Ring Conception of Giftedness is based on an overlap and interaction between three clusters of traits that create the conditions for developing and applying gifted behaviors. Giftedness is not viewed as an absolute or fixed state of being, i.e. you have it or you don’t. Rather, it is viewed as a developmental set of behaviors that can be applied to problem solving situations. Varying kinds and degrees of gifted behaviors can be developed and displayed in certain people, at certain times, and under certain circumstances. In a certain sense, we might view the most important role of teachers is to provide young people with the opportunities, resources, and encouragement to generate creative ideas and the skill necessary to follow through on their ideas. In other words, the Above Average Ability population, our most important goal is to create the Creativity and Task Commitment traits specified in the three-ring conception of giftedness to bring the circles together in order for gifted behaviors to coalesce and make something happen.

The most salient aspect of this theory is that interaction among these clusters of traits brought to bear upon a particular problem situation and/or performance area that creates the conditions for the creative productive process to begin. Additionally, these clusters of traits emerge in certain people, at certain times, and under certain circumstances. 

Above Average Ability encompasses both general (e.g. verbal and numerical reasoning, spatial relations, memory) and specific (chemistry, ballet, musical composition, experimental design) performance areas and is the most constant of the rings. That is, any student’s performance within the parameters of this ring is minimally variable, as it is linked most closely with traditional cognitive/intellectual traits. The reason that this ring makes reference to “above average ability” as opposed to top 5% or exceptional ability derives from research suggesting that, beyond a certain level of cognitive ability, real-world achievement is less dependent upon ever increasing performance on skills assessments than it is upon other personal and dispositional factors like task commitment and creativity.

Task Commitment represents a non-intellective cluster of traits found consistently in creative productive individuals (e.g. perseverance, determination, willpower, positive energy) and what some contemporary authors call GRIT. It may be best summarized as a focused or refined form of motivation – energy brought to bear on a particular problem or specific performance area. The significance of this cluster of traits in any definition of giftedness derives from myriad research studies, as well autobiographical sketches of creative productive individuals. Simply stated, one of the primary ingredients for success among other persons who have made important contributions to their respective performance areas is their ability to immerse themselves fully in a problem or area for an extended period of time and to persevere even in the face of obstacles that may inhibit others. 

Creativity is that cluster of traits that encompasses curiosity, originality, ingenuity, and a willingness to challenge convention and tradition. For exam[le, there have been many gifted scientists throughout history, but the scientists whose work we revere, whose names have remained recognizable in scholarly communities and among the general public, are those scientists who used their creativity to envision, analyze, and ultimately help resolve scientific questions in new, original ways (Renzulli 2007). 

National Association for Gifted Children Standards Addressed by the LEO program:

Standard 1: Learning and Development

1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Self Understanding

1.4 Awareness of Needs

1.6, 1.7, 1.8 Cognitive and Affective Growth

Standard 3: Curriculum Planning and Instruction

3.2, 3.3 Talent Development

3.4 Instructional Strategies

3.5 Culturally Relevant Curriculum

3.6 Resources and Materials 

Standard 4: Learning Environments

4.2 Social Competence

4.3 Leadership

Programming

5.4 Resources

5.7 Career Pathways

IDENTIFICATION FOR LEO:

LEO is a pull-out enrichment program, with an emphasis on discovering identity and values, tapping into creativity, career exploration, and using the design thinking process to solve problems large and small. 

The Talent Pool for LEO is evaluated yearly, and students can move in and out of the program throughout the year if needed. Best practice states that when in doubt, include, and it is better to err on the side of inviting students into the program vs. excluding especially in the case of students who are part of marginalized groups or who are twice exceptional. Identification for the Talent Pool is conducted by the teacher grade-level team and the TAL coordinator using multiple screeners and assessments, including: 

• MAP scores (historical, as we will no longer be administering that test)
• ISASP
• FASTbridge screeners as well as upper-level 3x a year testing. 
• Renzulli’s Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students
• Teacher observations and behavior checklists

Content: LEO is designed for students to learn more about themselves as TAL kids, about what’s important to them, what they truly enjoy, and how to enhance and maintain their creative and flexible thinking skills. In older grades, this is then worked into learning about the Design Thinking Process for problem solving, where students use their knowledge of themselves to figure out what kinds of problems they want to solve, then bring in their creativity for brainstorming solutions, building and testing prototypes, going back to the drawing board and taking the opportunity to refine and learn from “failures and mistakes”, and eventually come up with a working solution. 

Beginning in 6th grade, we study the books “Finding Your Unicorn Space” and “Designing Your Life” to further refine students’ knowledge of themselves, their passions, and how they can design a happy, satisfying life doing what they love even if that future is unconventional. 8th graders should leave with a flexible 5 year plan that will help them navigate the end of high school and the first two years after graduation. 

Throughout each year, all students will receive direct instruction in how their TAL brains work and some of the unique developmental, emotional, and social situations that occur for TALs. 

LEO OVERVIEW

• Kinder: the team is considering doing push-in activities where the TAL teacher would visit the class and conduct some activities and observations to identify potential TAL students combined with classroom differentiation. 
• 1st Grade: identification discussions occur later in the school year, giving teachers more time to interact with students. May involve push-in activities/observations
• 2nd grade: one enrichment group
• 3rd grade: STEM and Humanities enrichment groups
• 4th Grade: STEM and Humanities enrichment groups
• 5th-6th Grade: Mixed groups regarding subject matter, beginning to work through “Finding Your Unicorn Space” and how to exercise creative portions of our brain and personality while refining self knowledge and building on strengths and curiosities. 
• 7th-8th Grade: Designing Your Life curriculum and accompanying student-designed projects. Students focus on career exploration and planning, enrichment activities, and Genius Hour projects to identify and pursue their passions. 

This is only the beginning of developing our programs and there are many changes to come. 

TAL COORDINATOR:

Amelia Kibbie 

Room and ext. 202

akibbie@lisbon.k12.ia.us