Gifted and Talented

To progress from little or no understanding of English to fully capable of academic success is a long journey, usually taking 4–10 years. When identifying GT ELs, we need to consider Cummin’s (1981) two stages of language acquisition.

GT students possess outstanding abilities, are capable of high performance and require appropriate instruction and educational services commensurate with their abilities and needs beyond those provided by regular programs. GT designation includes those with demonstrated achievement or potential ability, or both, in any of the following areas or in combination: general intellectual, creative thinking, leadership, visual and performing arts or specific aptitude.

Fortunately, many now recognize that not all students display their gifts through academic achievement and assessments. A 1995 review of the literature yielded 10 central attributes of the concept of giftedness.

• Motivation to learn

• Effective communication skills

• Intense and sometimes unusual interests

• Effective problem-solving strategies

• Creativity/imagination

• Expansive memory

• Inquisitive

• High level of insight

• Logical approach to reasoning

• Ability to understand humor

In 2004, the Gifted Development Center, as a service for the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development, summa-rized the results of a 23-year study during which they conducted 4,200 GT assessments. Their findings are summasumma-rized in “What have we learned about gifted children?” include:

• There are more exceptionally gifted children in the population than anyone realizes.

• Mildly, moderately, highly, exceptionally and profoundly gifted children are as different from each other as are other identified subgroups, but the differences among levels of giftedness are rarely recognized.

• Parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness in their children.

• More than 60 percent of gifted children are introverted compared with 30 percent of the general population.

More than 75 percent of highly gifted children are introverted.

• Giftedness is not elitist; it cuts across all socioeconomic groups.

• Gifted children are asynchronous; their development tends to be uneven, and they often feel out-of-sync with age peers and with age-based school expectations.

79 5.3 Gifted and Talented (GT) Although researchers agree that educators need to know the characteristics of gifted ELs, there is disagreement—and little research—about these characteristics. Research has described gifted ELs as having varying degrees of the fol-lowing characteristics:

• Acquires a second language rapidly

• Shows high ability in mathematics

• Displays a mature sense of diverse cultures and languages

• Code switches easily; thinks in both languages

• Demonstrates an advanced awareness of American expressions

• Translates at an advanced level (oral)

• Navigates appropriate behaviors successfully within both cultures

What is different for ELs is the emphasis on their gifts within the cultural context of learning a second-language.

In general, lists generated by various researchers suggest that GT ELs display characteristics similar to those of

English-speaking GTs. If we keep this in mind, we can identify ELs whether they demonstrate their gifts in the cultural environment of their heritage or not. These observations can be a valuable supplement to standardized test scores.

In the end, we will have a more comprehensive identification process for selecting high potential ELs for GT pro-gramming. Little research supports that such lists are reliable and valid for identifying GT ELs. However, if we better understand how GT ELs look and act, we are more likely to recognize them in our schools. Once they recognize GT ELs, those entrusted with their future (parents, teachers and school administrators) can be more effective advocates.

Ideally, attempts to identify ELs for inclusion into GT programs should begin when they first enroll in school, if such options are available at their grade level, when mastery of English is not a requirement for consideration. The chal-lenge lies in determining what assessments to use. Any test written in English will not be a true indicator of ability, but rather a reflection of their current exposure to the English language. A BOE that include the following should be used to identify EL GTs:

• English language proficiency tests

• Acculturation scales

• Input from the student’s cultural group

• Prior academic performance in the child’s home school

• Parent interviews

• Assessment data

• Student observations

• Dynamic performance-based indicators

• Portfolio assessments

• Teacher and/or parent nominations

• Behavioral rating scales

80 Chapter 5: Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS), Special Education Needs, Gifted and Talented

Identifying ELs for gifted programming begins with collaboration among classroom teachers and GT and EL educators.

Formal channels of communication between GT and EL teachers and coordinators are vital to GT EL success. Educators should collaborate to maximize an EL’s ability to express knowledge of content while minimizing their need to rely on English to express it. It is important to remember that it is necessary to complete an English language proficiency assessment and evaluate results prior to any testing in English. Knowing a child’s level of English proficiency helps educators decide when to give various cognitive assessments, as well as how to interpret scores. Next, it is appropriate to administer and review proficiency testing data about the student. Understanding the student’s ease in acquiring native language and academic abilities in their homeschool system is an indication of their potential.

GT programming that meets all identified student needs and welcome ELs include the following:

• Curriculum that is inclusive of students’ interests and allows them to make choices in what they want to learn, including a focus on cultural themes

• Expansion beyond intellectual talent, including leadership, creativity and art

• Hands-on units that address their needs

• AP language classes in their heritage languages

• Translation of written class assignment instructions into heritage languages and more time to complete assignments

• Collaboration of ESL teachers to help ELs express their ideas verbally and in writing

• Bilingual activities that involve ELs and native English speakers.

Formal communication between the EL/ESL and GT teachers is central to successfully identifying and serving ELs in GT programs. Such communication provides a more holistic student profile and facilitates identification of all potentially gifted ELs. Collaboration among educators will be especially important as the students become more diverse. One way to reach this goal is to hold ongoing PD workshops with GT and EL staff. The dialogue might focus on preventing/dealing with discrimination within the district, understanding giftedness within the boundaries of students’ various cultures, which may or may not vary from the American concept of giftedness, and resolving the individualistic nature of identi-fying talent within cultures that value group solidarity (The Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, 2008). EL and GT staff regularly should explore whether the district is meeting the goal of identifying a truly representative percentage of ELs as GT.

(See Appendix D; Appendix N; Appendix P)

81