Gifted Education Component

Preparing, training, and recruiting high quality teachers, as directed by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), involves training teachers to successfully teach students with different learning styles and special learning needs, including those identified as gifted and talented. However, tension often exists between providing an equitable experience for all students and developing the talents of those students who need more complex learning experiences than the grade level curriculum provides. Because of this, a teacher who understands the principles of successful student talent development is critical.

To meet the demands of NCLB, CaseNEX has created a comprehensive solution that combines innovative assessment tools for teachers coupled with research-based, customized professional development. The Gifted Component of the assessment and professional development program is designed to facilitate teachers' journeys toward becoming experts in nurturing talent.

Click here to see CaseNEX's alignment with the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The assessments are based on the National Association for Gifted Children Professional Standards and identify areas of strength and weakness within teachers' skill sets. They provide professional development recommendations with respect to six content areas: identification/assessment; curriculum; differentiation; models/strategies; socio-emotional issues; and special populations. The model is illustrated below.

Two Assessments: Needs Assessment Survey and Knowledge Assessment

The Needs Assessment Survey is designed to expose teachers to Gifted Education Principles and Vocabulary and to establish criteria from which schools can design initial professional development plans. The survey provides an introduction to issues in gifted education and will help principals and curriculum coordinators understand teachers' current level of knowledge in each of six content areas. Examples of Needs Assessment Survey questions are listed below.

1. Describe your knowledge of Concept-Based Curriculum:
   
   
1. I am not familiar with what qualities make goals, concepts, generalizations, and learning experiences appropriate for gifted learners.
   
   
2. I can recognize coherent and appropriate goals, concepts, generalizations, and learning experiences for the gifted but I currently cannot independently develop these objectives.
   
   
3. I understand how to develop coherent and appropriate goals, concepts, generalizations, and learning experiences for the gifted.
   
   


2. Describe your knowledge of Instructional Strategies:
   
   
1. I am not currently familiar with what qualities make an instructional strategy appropriate for gifted learners.
   
   
2. I am familiar with several instructional strategies for teaching gifted learners, but I am not sure how to successfully implement them in my classroom.
   
   
3. I can select and appropriately use a range of instructional strategies for teaching gifted learners.
   
   

The Knowledge Assessment is designed to evaluate teachers' skills and knowledge in the six critical areas of gifted education: identification/assessment; curriculum; differentiation; models/strategies; socio-emotional issues; and special populations. The assessment can be taken in its entirety or subdivided into topical areas based upon the needs of the school and district. The Knowledge Assessment produces more detailed information for refining, evaluating, and extending professional development plans, as well as the allocation of funds and resources. Examples of Knowledge Assessment Survey questions are listed below.

1. Which of the following would be characterized as a concept when designing a concept-based lesson?
   
   
1. Egypt
   
   
2. Sounds
   
   
3. Civil War
   
   
4. Cause and Effect
   
   


2. Which of the following statements describes appropriate differentiation of instruction?
   
   
1. Holding gifted students to higher standards when grading.
   
   
2. Sending gifted students to enrichment centers when they finish an assignment more quickly than their peers.
   
   
3. Creating an assignment for gifted students that is more complex than the assignments given to others.
   
   
4. Assigning gifted math students 20 problems rather than the 15 the class is required to complete.
   
   

These assessments are administered in a non-threatening environment, using a computer and web browser. Teachers sign in using a secure account with results known only to the individual teacher and the curriculum planner or principal.

Professional Development

Assessment results suggest specific areas of need; for example, whether teachers need to learn how to administer and interpret assessments of student ability, or whether teachers understand the needs of special populations of gifted students. Through the courses, teachers are prepared to teach gifted students who have a wide range of exceptional capabilities and needs.

Sample Course Listing: Available in 5, 10, and 45-hour versions

• Introduction to the Gifted and Talented
  
  
• Introduction to Curriculum for the Gifted
  
  
• Differentiating Instruction for Teaching the Gifted
  
  
• Models and Strategies for Teaching the Gifted
  
  
• Special Populations of Gifted Learners
  
  
• Socio-Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners
  
  
• Assessment and Measurement of Gifted Students
  
  

CaseNEX courses include a technologically blended, case-based approach. Participants read cases, view streamed video, and follow links to a virtual library of current research. Multimedia, Web-based cases, or "slices of life", form a bridge between best practices and the complex school environment. The cases depict problems and opportunities ranging from a school's philosophy of giftedness to identification to programming, as well as cases depicting the wide variety of students in the gifted population. CaseNEX courses provide teachers opportunities to practice recognizing and solving educational problems through a research-based, five-step method of case analysis.

This process enriches teachers' understanding of the cases and provides them with research-based tools for addressing their own professional challenges. Teachers who can perform these steps in case-based studies are likely to repeat the process when faced with similar situations in their classrooms. This is precisely the type of job-embedded staff development required by NCLB.

Gifted Course Descriptions

Introduction to the Gifted and Talented
This course focuses on the nature of intelligence, giftedness, gifted learners, and their instructional needs. The case studies introduce gifted identification, assessment, grouping strategies, differentiation, and effective instructional strategies for gifted students.   back to course list

Introduction to Curriculum for the Gifted
This course introduces modifications of content, process, product, affect, and learning environment to meet the unique needs of gifted learners. The case studies focus on the challenges and opportunities surrounding offering learning experiences that are concept-based, open-ended, and flexibly paced.   back to course list

Differentiating Instruction for Teaching the Gifted
Course participants will examine rationales for differentiating instruction in mixed-ability classrooms and investigate the principles and practices that support effective differentiation for gifted learners. Differentiation of content, process, and products in response to learner readiness, interests, and learning profiles will be explored.   back to course list

Models and Strategies for Teaching the Gifted
Participants will examine curriculum models and instructional strategies currently advocated for use with gifted learners. Course participants will investigate the theoretical and practical implications of the models and strategies and explore the development of learning environments that promote academic challenge and learner independence.   back to course list

Special Populations of Gifted Learners
This course focuses on gifted students traditionally underserved who possess unique characteristics and needs. The case studies included introduce issues related to the identification and development of appropriate educational services for these students, including minority and twice-exceptional gifted learners.   back to course list

Socio-Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners
The unique socio-emotional needs of gifted learners are introduced during this course. In the context of the case studies, course participants will examine common myths, accepted definitions, characteristics, developmental traits, and the instructional approaches that best motivate gifted learners and address their socio-emotional needs.   back to course list

Assessments and Measurements for Gifted Students
Course participants will develop instructional strategies and leadership skills needed to support the identification and teaching of gifted students. Educators will examine instructional practices regarding assessment options, assessment bias, gifted services, and student creativity. Educators will collaborate and explore beliefs, best practices, challenges, current research, and ways to apply these to their own teaching practice.   back to course list

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