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By : Alexis Knudson
Think about your years as an elementary school student if you were in a public school system in the state of Virginia, there is a strong chance that you were assessed to determine if you were a gifted student as gifted programs are required. You may look back and remember being a part of several different assessments and being assigned a gifted resource teacher to enhanced your learning experience. Even if you were not assessed personally maybe you recall other peers being involved or hearing about information of the gifted programs.
lesson Objectives
Three Learning Targets:
1. Definition of Gifted Students
2. Explain why gifted programs are necessary in schools.
3. Describe an elementary school district that has gifted program
What Are Gifted Students
Gifted students are students who show that they can perform at higher levels in specific academic areas or as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity areas. These students need different services to fully benefit their capacities than those normally provided in a general education classroom(Johnsen, 2018). Students are determined to be gifted based on both qualitative and quantitative assessments from a variety of sources but the identification process itself can vary. Performance based assessments will determine a students creativity, persistence, problem solving, and other sets of skills that are not the traditional measures of giftedness. The observations of students will show their behavior in the classroom compared to the other students in their class and show their potential. The quantitative measures that help determine gifted students include norm-referenced rating scales and criterion-referenced measures that compare individuals scores and performances. (Johnsen, 2018). According to Kelly Margot (2021), in Gifted Education and Gifted Students, the three-ring model will show a student's gifted behaviors including high cognitive ability, creativity, and commitment.
Gifted programs are necessary in schools to create a positive influence on students' futures and allow students to reach their full potential. It has been proven that gifted students who participate in gifted programs are more likely to maintain their interests and stay interested in creative work in years after their education is completed. An educator's job to be sure the gifted students are receiving the proper resources they need is to pay attention to their social-emotional development and help them acquire the psychological skills that are needed at their high academic levels (Margot 2021). From the online article made by nagc.org(Why Are Gifted Programs Needed,n.d.)they had expressed that an effective curriculum is needed for gifted students so they are able to understand themselves and what makes them who they are. Gifted students need the opportunity to be challenged in the general classroom setting and that is what gifted programs are made to do.
A gifted Program in an Elementary school
This learning target shows a successful gifted program and the benefits as there is several school programs in the United States that benefit from these. In 2014, 208 fourth-grade students voluntarily participated in a research study that helped show the benefits of the gifted programs and how gifted programs and critical thinking relate(Kettler,2014). The gifted students were provided a differentiation of the core curriculum to enhance their higher academic skills and showed enrichment and acceleration. Even though there was not a significant difference to show that time in a gifted program benefited critical thinking skills, there was a slightly positive influence between the skills and the program. After research was conducted it was determined that identified gifted students showed advanced critical thinking skills compared to general education students. It also concluded that a gifted student's critical thinking skills could be a strong characteristic so that's why it is easier for them to apply these skills (Kettler, 2014)
conclusion
In the end it has been proven that gifted programs are necessary for gifted students to have the best educational experience possible. I was a gifted student as an elementary school student and I feel that it helped me reach my potential and I was able to have all the resources I needed to have a successful elementary experience. There are several advantages to gifted programs including positive self-concept, academic challenges, academic engagement, student achievement and future success(Loveless, 2022). Not every school district is provided with the resources to provide gifted programs for the gifted students but it has been proven that these gifted programs can be enhanced into the general education classroom with proper teaching training and strategies such as grouping. Overall the research study has shown that typically gifted students show advanced critical thinking skills(Kettler, 2014) Every gifted student should be provided with an educational experience that will lead them to success in their future and allow them to fully benefit in their classroom environment.
QUESTIONS
1.What are one of the benefits for gifted students in a gifted program?
A. academic challenges
B. decreasing academic engagement
C. negative self-concept
D. preventing future success
2. If Mrs.Knudson needed to test the problem solving skills of a student in her classroom. to observe if the a gifted student, Which type of assessment should she use to best measure the problem solving skills of the gifted student?
A. criterion-referenced measures
B. norm-referenced rating scales
C. observations in the classroom
D. performance based assessment
ANSWERS
C. Academic Challenges
D. Performance Based Assessment
References
Johnsen, S. K. (2021). Identifying gifted students. A Practical Guide. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003235682
Kettler, T. (2014). Critical thinking skills among elementary school students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 58(2), 127– 136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986214522508
Loveless, B. (2022). Pros and cons of gifted learning programs in schools. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.educationcorner.com/gifted-education-pros-cons.html
Margot, K. C., & Melin, J. (2021). Gifted education and gifted students. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003235330
Why are gifted programs needed? Why Are Gifted Programs Needed? | National Association for Gifted Children. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted- education-practices/why-are-gifted-programs-needed
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