Assessment & Rubrics
Identification
Education Professor Dispels Myths About Gifted Children
Science Daily
January 15, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113123714.htm
A diagnostic test, the Gifted Rating Scales, is purported to be superior to the IQ test in identifying giftedness, and measures students’ aptitude in six areas: intellectual ability, academic ability, creativity, artistic talent, leadership and motivation.
Differentiation
An Interview with Karen Burggraf: On “Getting the Point” About Differentiated Instruction
Michael F. Shaughnessy
January 10, 2007
http://ednews.org/articles/6513/1/An-Interview-with-Karen-Burggraf-On-Getting-the-Point-About-Differentiated-Instruction/Page1.html
Karen Burggraf is the author of the book “Getting the Point” which shows the teacher how to plan and implement a student-oriented motivational system. She also developed a card that defines differentiated instruction and elaborates on all the major strategies.
Education
Regular Classroom Practices with Gifted Students: Results of a National Survey of Classroom Teachers
Francis X. Archambault, Jr., Karen L. Westberg, Scott W. Brown, Bryan W. Hallmark, Christine L. Emmons and Wanli Zhang
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/archwest.html
A study to determine the extent to which gifted and talented students receive differentiated education in regular classrooms across the United States found that third and fourth grade teachers make only minor modifications in the regular curriculum to meet the needs of the gifted students. Gifted specialists may be useful in serving as a resource to both students and teachers.
Common Gifted Education Myths
National Association for Gifted Children
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=569
Certain myths regarding gifted students, such as that they generally do fine on their own and that acceleration options may be socially harmful for gifted students, are debunked.
Certifying AP Courses
Alan Desoff
April 2007
http://www.districtadministration.com/vierarticlepf.aspx?aritcleid=1118
Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year, the College Board performed audits of all courses seeking the Advanced Placement designation to ensure that they meet certain requirements.
Ahead of the Class
Michael V. McGill
February 18, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/opinion18Wemcgill.html?_r=2&oref=slogin
The Scarsdale High School is seeking to drop the Advanced Placement designation from the course catalog and to make A.P. exams optional. Instead students would take rigorous courses aimed at tests developed by the faculty.
Study: AP Science Course Are Poor Substitutes for College Work
Rachel Banks
February 24, 2006
http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendl.aspx?ref=511595
A study shows that scores on Advanced Placement science exams do not translate into success in introductory level college science courses.
Full-day Kindergarteners’ Reading, Math Gains Fade by 3rd Grade
Science Daily
July 16, 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/08071507144.htm
A study finds that although children in full-day kindergarten have slightly better reading and math skills than children in part-day kindergarten, these gains do not last far beyond the kindergarten year, in part because the children in full-day programs tend to be poorer and have less stimulating home environments.
Programs for Gifted Children
Are We Failing Our Geniuses?
John Cloud
August 16, 2007
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1653653,00.html
Our education system has little idea how to cultivate its most promising students, leading gifted students to drop out at the same rates as nongifted kids. The Davidson Academy of Nevada was created to address this problem under the premise that, like athletic and musical abilities, raw intelligence cannot build if it is not exercised.
Homeschool Curriculum for Gifted and Creative Children
http://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/?gclid=CkrkgOuPx48CFQ66Paodi1xlZQ
Moving Beyond the Page provides a comprehensive research-based curriculum designed to challenge and stimulate gifted and creative homeschoolers.
Young Children and Early Education
Parenting Gifted Children
From the Summer Institute for the Gifted:
The Adolescent Gifted Child
"In a recent survey, readers responded that they had an interest in the social and emotional development of gifted students. Because of the complexity of this topic, we have opted to offer a short article on the adolescent gifted child, as that age is a critical developmental period. There are many helpful resources on this topic, and we encourage those of you with greater interest to read further. A reference list is [included]." http://www.giftedstudy.com/article_january09.asp
Laws Affecting Gifted Children
Legal Issues in Gifted Education
Advocacy
Why We Should Advocate for Gifted and Talented Students
National Association for Gifted Children
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=538
Many academically gifted and talented students in the United States are not receiving the support and programs they need to reach their highest potential. They need a challenging curriculum and a well-trained teacher who can inspire and motivate them, as well as challenge them to excel.
Twice Exceptional Children
The Underachiever
Girls & Women Issues
American Culture Derails Girl Math Whizzes, Study Finds
Science Daily
October 13, 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010081648.htm
Although in elementary schools girls do as well as or better in math than boys, starting in middle school girls with an inclination for math begin to lose interest and fall behind, possibly due to peer pressure and societal expectations. This lack of encouragement for math also affects boys to some extent, and as a result the field of mathematics in the U.S. is increasing dominated by people born in other countries.
From Prufrock Press:
I would like to invite you to listen to one of the new "experiments" at Prufrock Press--our new Gifted Education Podcast. In the coming months, you will have the opportunity to listen to a growing collection of short, focused interviews about topics important to gifted education. These interviews will be posted on the Prufrock Press Gifted Education Blog in the form of complimentary podcasts. The idea behind these podcasts is to allow you to hear from some of the nation's most influential people in the field of gifted child education. Our guests for these podcasts will include nationally recognized professors, psychologists, teachers, and parents.
http://resources.prufrock.com/GiftedEducationBlog/tabid/56/Default.aspx
Tamara Fisher, author of Intelligent Life in the Classroom, posts a blog on Gifted Education; this link is to part one of a two part blog on Seeking Teachers for Gifted Children. Her blogs are great reads for parents and educators alike.
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/unwrapping_the_gifted/2008/05/seeking_teachers_for_gifted_ch.html
Think Again: Men and Women Share Cognitive Skills
Research debunks myths about cognitive difference, from Psychology Matters
http://www.psychologymatters.org/thinkagain.html
The Spellings Report on Higher Education has been causing a stir among educators at the college and university level, especially in light of the proposed reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. The first link is to the report itself; the second is a collection of viewpoints on the report, from the Chronicle of Higher Education, April 2006 (it's old but has just come to our attention)
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/pre-pub-report.pdf
http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0406/Spellings.pdf
Washington Post column by Susan Jacoby on The Dumbing of America, from 2/17/08. An opinion piece, that may well find resonance among AGATE members.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021502901_pf.html
Social and Emotional Learning: Educating the Whole Child, an article on SEL from 1/29/08, from the Southern Illinoisan newspaper.
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/01/29/lifestyles/mind_and_body/23106916.txt
Dr. Stephen Gessner, Director of the Summer Institute for the Gifted at Stamford, provides a good overview of variious needs of the gifted student (mostly academic) and options for parents.
http://www.nsgt.org/pdf/gessner_article_meeting_needs.pdf
This article, from 1/17/08, outlines the effect of NCLB on the Seattle Schools and their ability to educate the gifted, in light of the upcoming bid to reauthorize the Act.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/347632_educationwa17.html
The argument for ability grouping in education is outlined in this Education Week article from 1/23/08.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/23/20gessner.h27.html?print=1