WATG16

Come hear how Baraboo has transformed its middle-level English language arts program through a combination of implementing a total school-wide clustering model combined with subject-level acceleration opportunities.  Additionally, we will showcase-- through rapid-fire book talks-- the depth and breadth of contemporary, multicultural young adult literature that we use in our literature circles that we attribute to helping us close the achievement gap and raise the roof on learning for all.  

Outcomes. Participants will...

• Walk away with resources that will help them create structures in their own schools that remove barriers to learning


• See how clustering can be implemented in middle level ELA classrooms


• Have the tools necessary to facilitate the implementation of subject-level acceleration


• Be provided an overview (and a list) of at least 20 contemporary multicultural young adult titles


• Recognize the need to ensure all students have an opportunity to see themselves (and others) represented in the literature we teach

“All gifted is local,” a phrase coined by NAGC’s Legislative Advocate Jane Clarenbach, refers to the fact that no federal mandate or funding for gifted education exists in schools. Thus, our gifted students rely on us, on what we do at the state level, at the district level, at the school level, and most importantly, in the classroom to provide appropriate services for our gifted students and training for their teachers.  Regardless of whether your school or district has funding or support, there are methods and strategies that can help integrate the needs of our diversely gifted learners into every aspect of school. 

In this presentation, Dr. Brulles will introduce steps toward:

• Serving a gifted population that reflects the schools demographics


• Providing training in understanding affective and academic needs of diverse gifted students


• Embedding gifted services into school structures and initiatives


• Ensuring teachers have the training necessary to differentiate instruction, accelerate curriculum, and provide enrichment opportunities


• Monitoring academic progress among the various subpopulations


• Increasing diversity by providing professional development and identifying Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students


• Enfranchising students from disadvantaged and underrepresented populations


• Monitoring academic growth of all G/T students to modify services


• Developing a continuum of services in response to students’ needs


• Building stakeholder support, including parents, school staff and district administrators

This session will focus on the risk factors associated with students of poverty and suggestions on ways to engage these students in learning and overcoming these adverse effects.

Outcomes

NAGC Standard 1: Learning and Development

To be effective in working with learners with gifts and talents, teachers and other educators in PreK-12 settings must understand the characteristics and needs of the population for whom they are planning curriculum, instruction, assessment, programs, and services.  Knowing the impact of poverty, these educators will make changes to the instruction based on researched practices.

Standard 4: Learning Environments

Educators will reflect on their district, school, or classroom environments in relation to students living in poverty.  They will set goals of ways to make changes to the environment to address the needs of these students. 

EXHIBITOR SESSION: (HOUGHTON MIFFLIN) 
Ability tests such as CogAT® are often used for high-stakes placement decisions in Gifted and Talented programs. These tests must provide both reliable measures of ability and be valid for the purposes of use. This session will address factors related to the reliability and validity of ability test scores such as: 

• How long do I need to wait before retesting a student?
• When is an ability score too old to use?
• What effect does practice have on scores and score validity?
• Are certain types of ability scores – verbal, quantitative, or nonverbal – more predictive of student success and achievement?
• Is test score validity an issue in identifying ELL students?

Learner Outcomes:

 

• Understanding of the meaning of Validity as it relates to assessment for G & T
• Understanding best practices for the use of multiple measures in identification
• Understanding the role of "nonverbal" (or figural) assessment for ELL students

 

This session is aimed at introducing a nontraditional method of identifying elementary level students with outstanding potential in underrepresented communities. Researchers agree that culturally and linguistically diverse students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds tend to be overlooked by teachers using traditional screening assessments. As a result, this contributes to the marked underrepresentation of these students in gifted and talented programs. In this session, we will explain how project-based learning (PBL) using arts integration opportunities is an effective approach to recognize students with outstanding potential. In this workshop, we will utilize the Teacher's Observation of Potential in Students (TOPS) developed by Dr. Mary Ruth Coleman and colleagues to properly identify skills and traits of gifted and talented students.

 Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, teachers should expect to:

 

• Increase their ability to recognize and nurture outstanding potential in minority students by considering students'€™ cultural and linguistic abilities.


• Practice identifying traits and skills commonly associated with gifted minority students.


• Increase own awareness about cultural and ethnic barriers that impede the identification of gifted minorities.


• Provide teachers with a unique opportunity to hear from expert teachers who directly work with minorities.

 

EXHIBITOR SESSION: THINKING MAPS
Personalized learning requires that students are empowered to THINK independently and quickly “move” from one thought process to another.  This session will walk you through why it’s important to have visual representations for our thought processes and how using this “language for learning” will lead to deeper connections, a strong personalized learning environment, and greater student independence. Students and staff learn how to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and creatively respond to the demands placed on today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders.  

Attendess will see how a systemic approach to THINKING will unlock to door to personalized learning, more rigorous instruction, and cross-curricular literacy. 

Several constructs related to motivation have been found to be important for academic achievement.  What are these constructs and do they apply across all demographic groups?  In this presentation, Dr. Worrell will review several of the major motivation frameworks, show how they apply across demographic groups, and discuss the specific challenges that arise in motivating students from groups traditionally underrepresented in gifted and talented education backgrounds. 

This session will share ideas of ways to differentiate literacy instruction for high­ achieving learners within the classroom. Presenters from the elementary, middle and high school levels will provide samples of enrichment opportunities provided to challenge learners in English/Language Arts.

Participants will take away practical ideas that can be included in literacy instruction and will challenge high achieving students within the classroom environment.

This session will address the following NAGC Standards:

• Standard 1: Educators, recognizing the learning and developmental differences of students with gifts and talents.


• Standard 3:Educators apply the theory and research­based models of curriculum and instruction related to students with gifts and talents...


• Standard 4: Learning environments foster personal and social responsibility...


• Standard 5 Educators are aware of empirical evidence regarding (a) the cognitive, creative, and affective development of learners with gifts and talents, and (b) programming that meets their concomitant needs. Educators use this expertise systematically and collaboratively to effectively manage comprehensive services for students with a variety of gifts and talents to ensure specific student outcomes.

Students who are identified as having a disability are often not considered for gifted identification and are underrepresented in gifted programs.  Many adults believe that students with disabilities cannot also be gifted.  Teacher training helps alleviate this misconception.  This session will present information about what teachers and parents can do to meet some of the needs of twice-exceptional students.

 Outcomes

As a result of this session participants will:

• Explain the Exceptionality Continuum


• Define, compare and contrast disability and giftedness


• Describe twice-exceptionality


• Discuss the difference between accommodations, adaptations, or modifications(NAGC Standards: 1.6.2, 3.1.3)


• Identify differentiation strategies that include accommodations, adaptations, or modifications(NAGC Standards:  1.7.1, 3.1.3)


• Examine strategies that require higher order thinking skills(NAGC Standards: 1.6.1, 2.1.1, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.4.4)


• Integrate assistive technology into differentiated lessons to meet student needs (NAGC Standard: 3.1.7,


• Justify collaboration time between general educators, special educators, and gifted educators as valuable to meet student needs. (NAGC Standard 5.2.1)