Grouping Gifted Students for Optimal Academic and Social-Emotional Growth

1. Grouping Gifted Students for Optimal Academic and Social-Emotional Growth Presented by Susan Winebrenner Author, Parent, and Grandparent (7 times)

2. What motivates kids to welcome challenges in school and life? • The surest path to high self-esteem is to be successful at something you perceived would be DIFFICULT! • Each time we steal a student’s struggle, we steal an opportunity for an esteem-building experience to happen. • Sylvia Rimm’s books www.sylviarimm.com

3. Carol Dweck’s Research Mindsetby Carol Dweck, Random House, 2006. Explains the differences between people who welcome challenges and those who avoid them. How Not to Talk to Your Kids by Po Bronson. Free at www.nymag.com. Explains how adults’ words and actions influence how the degree to which children learn to welcome challenging opportunities throughout their lives. Summarizes Dweck’s work as well.

4. The Experiment – 10 Year Olds • Given simple logic puzzle – all got it right • Half were told they were very smart • Other half were told they had worked very hard • Offered easier or harder puzzle next. • Which group chose harder? • Next session, given easy level again. • Which group did WORSE the second time? • Your explanation for the outcomes?

5. Social Skills in Gifted Students • The number of friends one has is not as important as the quality of the friendship(s) • It should not be concluded that gifted students who do not bond with age peers have poor social skills • Connect child with classes and other experiences based on passionate interests; the friends will materialize!

6. Dealing With Areas of Weakness Humbleness is learned from these areas • Encourage lessons or coaching in these areas • Select physical education or fine arts areas that allow kids to measure their own personal best rather than team sports.

7. Why Kids Tend to Give Up When They Encounter Challenge • Too much praise for tasks done easily leads kids to expect easy praise for “being the best” for all their efforts. • When they get into situations where they perceive that easy high grade might not come so easily, they balk by procrastinating and complaining. • When they are told they are smart, they fear that ability will dry up over time. • When they are praised instead for their effort, they feel there is no limit to what they can do

8. What is The Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Method (SCGM) and Why Should We Consider It? The SCGM is a method for providing full-time gifted services for gifted students without major budget implications, and with the potential to raise achievement for all students. With the SCGM, all students are purposely placed into classrooms based on their abilities and potential. All classes are still heterogeneous but each class has a slightly narrower range of performance levels without returning to tracking.

9. Suggested Classroom Composition

10. The SCGM: Achievement Implications Narrowed range of abilities allows for more focused instruction Teachers learn strategies for advanced ability learners they can use for all students, not just the gifted students On-going assessment of students’ strengths and needs ensures continual progress Gifted students are more likely to receive advanced instruction and extended learning opportunities Not all student are working on the same material at the same time Higher expectations for all students! *This requires first creating a gifted student data base.

11. Showing Growth Measuring: • Academic achievement of gifted and all other students • Gifted population identified and served by year • Ethnic representation of gifted students • Teachers participating in gifted education training

12. Keys to Program Success • Fidelity to the student placement guidelines • Support of parents whose children are not in the classes that have the gifted students • Monthly cluster teachers meetings – • Ongoing book study meetings for all staff. • Year-long classroom visitations and coaching by “cluster staff”. • Keeping “gifted” learning opportunities open to all students in all classes • Discussing SCGM topics in general staff meetings • Community awareness that the SCGM is simply another factor for creating homeroom groups to facilitate the best achievement for all

13. Research Results PA Grade 4 Tulpehocken PA, Lisa Kiss Director of Special Education Rose Top left Below Proficient, Yellow Rows 7-8 column 2, Green Rows 1-3 Column 4, Blue, Advanced, Rows 3-4, Column 4

14. Test Scores Elementary Schools: Tulpehocken PA Almost all students who were below proficiency levels at the beginning of the year moved to proficient or above proficient during the same time Gifted students were having their learning needs met every day and were also making measurable academic progress. This demonstrates an end to forcing schools to choose between which ability groups will be making measurable academic progress: gifted students OR low-scoring students. Lisa Kiss, Director of Special Education, 717.933.4611 x2108 lkiss@tulpehocken.org

17. SCGM Research Results (3)

18. Things to expect from their teachers • Give them full credit “up front” for grade level standards they already know. • Facilitate their ability to learn new content more quickly than age peers • Do not expect them to consistently get the highest grade with little or no effort • Offer specific praise for effort and hard work • Encourage in-depth study, over time, of topics of deep personal interest.

19. If your child has a teacher who is making him work very hard on challenging work… • Do not request an emergency conference to which you bring every perfect report card he ever received… • DO send flowers or candy! • Know that we never want his first-time challenge to happen at college! • The best time for that experience is in grades K-8 because colleges do not ask for the transcripts from those grades!