Kate Simkowiak

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Do We Know How to Teach Highly Able Learners?

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Article by Peter DeWitt on Education Week’s blogs

The reality is that we need to look at this issue as achievement versus growth. Many highly able learners may achieve high grades without ever growing at all.

Teaching highly able learners is a topic that we often ignore in education. We discuss how to teach struggling learners and spend a great deal of time discussing how to meet the needs of special education students. However, when parents state that their children are gifted, some teachers (and a few administrators) politely smile and roll their eyes when the parents leave the room.

There are a few sad excuses why this happens. Sometimes parents will enter a new school and tell a teacher that their child is highly able, and then after testing and other authentic assessments, the teacher finds out the students is not highly able at all. There are parents who want their children to be gifted so they tell everyone around them that there child has special capabilities. In a nation that pushes children to the breaking point, some parents want their children to be more academically gifted than they really are because it helps them stick out in a crowd.

For full disclosure I have been a skeptic. After teaching for eleven years and being a principal for six, I heard my share of “highly able” stories. I often worry that we push kids too much too soon. They need to be Michael Jordan on the court, Tiger Woods on the field and Doogie Houser in the classroom (I’m showing my age). However, I began questioning my own skepticism when I began teaching. I began to feel uncomfortable that I was contributing to the problem and not being a part of the solution.

The truth is that if we have so many students who qualify for Academic Intervention Services (AIS) we must have students on the other side who qualify as highly able. Some times we cannot see it because the child who is highly able does not want to show us what they know. Other times, our own stubbornness blocks us from being able to see that a child has the ability to advance quickly or engage in academics at a much deeper level than their peers.

The issue becomes complicated when we look at the fact that children with special needs or those who qualify for AIS may get extra services by teachers other than their classroom teachers. Highly able children often do not get special services and it is left to their teacher to find engaging and authentic learning experiences for them. If a teacher is working in isolation, which using 21st century skills should never happen, or feels overwhelmed, they may not feel they have the time to search for these activities on their own.

SENG Webinar Event June 21st: Parent Engagement in Promoting a STEM Identity Among Gifted Black Students

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Presented by Dr. Tarek C. Grantham and Kristine Collins

Educators, parents and counselors are invited to join us as we explore how students can help cultivate positive STEM identity.

Identity development is an area that is tied to social and emotional issues. Many Black students’ positive STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) identity is under-developed or frail due to barriers such as low STEM self-esteem, parent misunderstanding of STEM fields, few role models and mentors in STEM fields, and accusations of “acting White” by peers.

Parent engagement in STEM is essential to promote effective school improvement initiatives that promote excellence and equity in STEM education. Parents of gifted Black students are critically important in addressing the quiet crisis that exists in STEM fields. While there is greater ethnic diversity in public schools, educators struggle to cultivate a STEM scholar identity among gifted Black students and to serve the pipeline of advanced courses and experiences that lead to careers in STEM fields. Parents are children’s first teachers, and they can help to shape the social, academic, and career identity that support children’s STEM awareness. Schools need effective STEM parent engagement programs to help gifted Black students navigate threats to their multiple identities as students who are smart and Black and who can be successful in STEM areas.

This presentation will provide research on STEM programs and offer strategies to promote parent engagement in cultivating positive STEM identity in gifted Black students.

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Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – June 12th

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Primary and General Elections are Coming Up

If you take a look at the list of candidates for state legislature, governor and superintendent of public instruction (https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/Pages/CandidateFilings.aspx or attached pdf file) you will notice there are a lot of open seats due to retirements and redistricting. As well as a new governor, there will be many new legislators in the next session so it is vital that we start the work of educating them about highly capable NOW and not wait until January.

Please attend candidate forums and presentations for both the primary and the general election and ask key questions about the candidate’s support for Highly Capable Programs. As HB 2261, Sec. 708 stated: for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.

The following are some key points to be made when questioning candidates.

Washington is on the cutting edge in establishing a quality education for Highly Capable students. We are the first state to make it a part of basic education.

To retain the educated business community and their families, we need to provide a high quality education system for children who will be our future leaders. Support for Highly Capable Programs is an opportunity to move forward in raising standards and promoting economic growth in Washington.

Three important pieces are now in place:

  1. Effective with the school year 2012-2013, Highly Capable Programs are part of basic education for students in K – 12.
  2. Highly Capable Program Technical Work Force was given the mission to standardize state-level procedures, including definition, identification, and criteria for programs. This task is completed.
  3. Special Endorsement – Washington State now offers educators a special endorsement in gifted education.

The challenge is to insure that districts have the support needed to implement highly capable programs K-12.

Tell candidates that we need them to:

Support legislation or policies that provide educators with access to appropriate training and/or professional development in identifying highly capable learners and serving their divergent educational needs.

Support for data collection and out of level testing to help measure growth for these students and to assist in determining success of programs.

Summary

Advocacy for maintaining highly capable programs is about giving highly capable learners an appropriate education. As HB 2261, Sec. 708 stated: for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.

Highly Capable students are found in all populations – rural, urban, socio-economic levels, ethnic groups. Approximately 50,000 students receive services but another 50,000 will be able to have these services with K-12 implementation.

List of Canidates for Election

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – June 7th

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Fiscal Year 2013:  Senate Subcommittee Meets June 12

The Senate subcommittee that handles education funding will be meeting on June 12 to recommend federal education program and research funding levels for fiscal year 2013.

As you know, the Javits Gifted & Talented Students Education Act (Javits) was de-funded in fiscal year 2011. This means that there is no funding for the National Research Center on the Gifted & Talented, and there are no 5-year grants to fund projects that yield best practices in identifying and serving underserved gifted students.

It’s a difficult funding environment – the impulse in Congress is to reduce, not increase spending for education. That’s why your messages to your Senators are so important. It’s critical that policymakers hear from the gifted education community about the need to support advanced students in federal education programs and research so that ALL students can make learning gains each year.

Please contact your Senators before noon on Tuesday, June 12, and urge him or her to make excellence a federal priority by supporting gifted and talented students, and the research needed to develop best classroom practices for this population of learners, in the fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – May 9th, 2012

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THE ROUNDUP
The Governor has signed the 3rd supplemental budget for this biennium and HCP funding to the districts is maintained. In the initial budget for this biennium, funding for the arts program at Centrum was cut and funding for Destination ImagiNation and Future Problem Solving was eliminated, cuts which were not restored in the 3rd supplemental. These opportunities for students have been an integral part of the Highly Capable appropriation since it began in 1985.

There was no legislation regarding Highly Capable Programs other than the budget.

GOING FORWARD
Including Highly Capable in basic education is a major reform. It follows that there are implementation issues to be followed and resolved. We are currently working on:

  • Restoration of funding for Centrum, Future Problem Solving and Destination ImagiNation.
  • An increase in HCP funding to the districts.
  • The WACs are being revised to bring them in line with HCP’s new position in basic ed. Gifted advocacy groups will be reviewing the changes and providing comment when they are made public later this year. All indications are that progress is being made to bring the WAC into line with the RCW.
  • The McCleary funding decision recognized HCP as a part of basic education so we will be following the court’s continuing jurisdiction of legislative actions to be sure adequate funding is provided. We will be watching the new Joint Select Committee which will report to the court.
  • For successful  advocacy, we need the backing of the large Coalition membership state wide. This is why we need you to plan to be in Olympia for Gifted Education Day on February 8, 2013. With the November election we will have a new Governor and new legislators to educate about the needs of gifted students and the value of highly capable programs for both our individual students and for the economy of the state. Please make plans to join us there.

BY THE WAY…
Speaking of elections, both candidates for Governor have released their education platforms for the campaign. Attached are summaries from the League of Education Voters and the Partnership 4 Learning. They are provided as information only and do not constitute an endorsement of any candidate.
You can do your part by looking carefully at the education statements of the Legislative candidates in your district and asking them specifically about their position on Highly Capable Programs in candidate forums, town meetings, etc.

AND FINALLY
BE SURE TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS AND SAY THANK YOU FOR THEIR EFFORTS TOWARD FULL FUNDING OF K-12 EDUCATION. THEY DON’T HEAR A THANK YOU OFTEN ENOUGH.

2012 Washington State Gubernatorial Race Candidates’ Formal Positions on Education

Governor’s Education Plans: Side-by-Side Comparison

This message has been sent to you by The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education. Comments or questions can be sent to wagifted@earthlink.net or  grevewandi@gmail.com.

Mindful Intensity

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If you are a person who has heard statements like, “you’re just too much,” “you think too much,” or “you’re too sensitive,” your whole life, this article is for you.

Perhaps you perceived such comments as indicators that something was wrong with you, or you weren’t even sure why people were saying these things to you.

Well, take heart, you are not alone!

Here is a great article just for you: Mindful Intensity By Belinda Seiger

SENG Webinar Event May 10th: Mother-Daughter Relationships of Profoundly Gifted Young Girls

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Presented by Joy L. Navan, PhD

Educators, parents and counselors are invited to join us as we explore the social and emotional needs of gifted girls.

What social and emotional strengths and needs accompany the development of exceptional and profoundly gifted girls? What do mothers learn about themselves and their emotional needs as a result of raising gifted daughters?

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Guest Speaker Chris McCurry, PhD on Preparing Our Children for Success in the World

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Please join us April 26th at 7:00pm in the Terrace Park Commons for an insightful presentation:

The Gift of Resilience:

Preparing Our Children for Success in the World

by, Chris McCurry, PhD

This presentation will cover:

  • Ideas about what makes children successful in life
  • The nature and origins of childhood distress
  • A new way of thinking about a child’s stress-related behaviors; one based on intention and attention
  • Strategies for responding to your child’s distress that promote psychological flexibility and growth
  • Tools for promoting resilience in your child, and in yourself

Chris McCurry, Ph.D., is a clinical child psychologist in private practice at Associates in Behavior and Child Development, Inc., P.S. in Seattle. He is a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. Dr. McCurry specializes in the assessment and treatment of children who are experiencing behavioral and emotional problems including anxiety disorders, attention disorders, underachievement in school, and parent-child conflicts. He is the author of Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance published in 2009 by New Harbinger.

Please join us for our CPA General Meeting before Dr. McCurry’s presentation from 6:30-7 pm.

Highlights:

  • Election of new board members
  • CPA 2011/2012 Budget
  • The New Play Shed Project

New SENGinar April 19th: Teaching Academics to Gifted Youth with Asperger’s

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Presented by Terry Friedrichs, Ph.D., Ed.D.

In this SENGinar, parents and educators will discover, among other things, how to improve on the youths’ skills in communicating, understanding directions, and predicting consequences in basic academic subjects at the elementary, middle and secondary levels.

Gifted students with Asperger’s Syndrome are increasingly being identified in school systems. This webinar presents ideas for teaching these students basic academic subjects – reading, writing and mathematics – at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels, in more socially and emotionally supportive ways. Dr. Friedrichs offers approaches at each level on instructing reading, writing and mathematics, taking into account the high-potential and challenging traits associated with Asperger’s, specifically including social, communication and restrictive-interest characteristics.

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