The Primary Talent Pool�K-3

Meet Jamar

Jamar is a 7-year old 2nd grader with lots of energy. In fact, his desk is pulled to the side of the room away from the other students because he talks so much and distracts the other students. He is below grade level in reading because he struggles with decoding, although his comprehension is quite good when material is read to him.

His MAP scores in math are slightly below the benchmark, but he shows strength in this area. He frequently shouts out correct answers to math problems when the student that was called on for the answer is slow to respond. His teacher noted that he is very impulsive when taking the computer tests and clicks on the first answer choice rather than taking time to solve the problems. He does not like to use paper and pencil to solve math problems, much preferring to calculate in his head.

Jamar told his teacher he and his sister fight over food and that he often goes to bed hungry.

His mother tries to live on her own with her children, but ends up moving to live with various relatives when her job cleaning motel rooms doesn’t make enough money to pay the rent.

School Progress

• Attending his 3rd school this year
• Lacks some basic skills
• Catches on to new concepts quickly
• Intense interest in airplanes
• Loves to draw airplanes

A Response

Lesson with Jamar’s Class

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka �and Lane Smith

Jamar was the only student in 2^nd grade who had the correct answer to this question: “If there are 24 students in a class, how many fingers would there be?”

One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein

• How would your life be different if you were one inch tall?
• Jamar drew very detailed pictures of his one-inch-tall life, living in a little box.

Should Jamar be considered for the Primary Talent Pool?

What is the Primary Talent Pool?

Programs for the Gifted and Talented�704 KAR 3:285

• Requires all school districts to operate programs for exceptional children, K-12
• Includes gifted and talented students as a category of exceptional children
• Requires identification in five areas of giftedness for grades 4-12
• Requires a talent pool in primary (K-3)

What is the Primary Talent Pool (PTP)?

• Students who possess demonstrated or potential ability to perform at exceptionally high levels
• Referred to as high potential learners
• Purpose is to provide early enrichment to develop talents

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Frequency and Intensity

• Rapid Learner – Early
• Remembers – Always
• Curious – Intensely
• Long Attention Span – Unusually
• Verbal – Exceptionally
• Observant – Deeply
• Sensitive - Highly

Who nominates students for the PTP?

• Teachers
• Parents
• Community Members
• Other students

How are students selected for the Primary Talent Pool?

• Use of informal measures
• Rely on observation and professional judgement
• Not standardized or norm referenced with numbers and scores

Selecting High Potential Learners for the Primary Talent Pool

• Use a multi-dimensional approach
• A minimum of three informal measures are used to provide evidence

Informal Measures

• Anecdotal Records
• Behavior Checklists
• Parent Questionnaires
• Diagnostic Data
• Work Samples
• Available Formal Test Data
• Products
• Performances

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Anecdotal Note for Creativity

“He takes all of my post it notes and creates an entire family of little folded origami creatures that fall out of his desk every time I ask him to find his agenda, which never has anything written in it, except for the stick person action figures drawn in the lower right hand corner that dance when you flip the pages really quickly.”

3^rd Grade Teacher

Behavioral Checklists

Use over a period of several months with three separate observations

Works well to have another adult assist

Used as informal assessment or supporting piece of evidence

Gifted Behavior Rating Scale

• Exceptional Ability to Learn
• Exceptional Application of Knowledge
• Exceptional Creative/Productive Thinking
• Exceptional Motivation to Succeed

Exceptional Ability to Learn

• An ELL 3rd grade student was able to read Green Eggs and Ham after only two weeks learning English
• A child who learns how to play a new game very quickly, particularly one that requires strategy
• Makes connections without formal instruction

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Exceptional Application of Knowledge

Boy making a submarine out of junk materials - explaining balance – he read that if an eagle loses a feather on one wing, will also lose one on the other side

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Example of�Application of Knowledge

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• Invents a way to do something different – special kind of way to pick up blocks
• Makes a detailed map of a fictional island
• Good at brainstorming – very fluent and flexible in thinking

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Exceptional Creative or Productive Thinking

Sample Response Lesson

• Read book.
• Discuss recycling and reusing.
• Brainstorm ways to use an empty can.
• Draw a picture of a new way to use something you usually throw away.
• What would happen if no one in the world recycled?

Joseph’s Uses For An Empty Can

• Hold pencils
• Hold flowers
• Hold rocks
• Hold water
• Hold food
• Plant a flower in it
• Put nails in

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Jamar’s Uses For An Empty Can

• A drum
• Walk on to make taller
• Look through it
• Listen through it
• Roll things flat
• Wrap things around it
• Draw around it to make round
• Stamp out things
• Kill bugs
• A home for bugs
• Prop up things

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Jamar’s Ideas...continued!

• Curlers
• Wheels
• Roll things on
• Spit in
• Mix paint in
• Drink out of
• Cut biscuits

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Exceptional Motivation to Succeed�

• Shows leadership
• Sees a project to completion
• Makes up and organizes games, plays

GBRS Tips

• Looking for frequency and consistency
• Displaying all descriptors once would score a 1
• Displaying a few descriptors frequently/consistently would score a 4.
• Are they exceptional for their background?
• Err on the side of strengths

Gifted Behaviors Rating Scale

• 12 or higher – yes for Talent Pool
• 10 or 11 – watch, monitor
• Pay close attention to Ability to Learn
• Probably refer 2-4 in your class.

Parent Recommendation Form Sample Questions

• Describe your child’s major interests, hobbies, art activities, music activities, etc.
• Describe your child’s reading habits and level of reading at home.
• What games does your child enjoy playing?
• What is your child curious about?
• Describe ways your child sees situations differently than other children in the same age group.
• What causes frustration for your child?
• Describe your child’s behavior when working on a project of their choosing.

Peer Surveys or Nominations

Nominations

Peer Surveys/ Sociograms

Use Local Norms

Comparing Jamar to other children of similar demographics to see if his responses are exceptional for his background.

Curriculum as the Identifier of Talent

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• Teach a lesson
• Classroom teacher observes and takes notes
• Comparing children to other children like them – are they exceptional for their background and experiences?

Response Lessons

• Provide an opportunity for higher level thinking
• Designed to draw out gifted behaviors
• Open ended – not looking for “one” answer
• Children work independently (don’t help them)
• Doesn’t matter if they follow directions
• Do same lesson for a grade level
• Which ones stand out?

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Instructions

• Familiarize yourself with the lesson plan
• Examine the samples
• Use the Observation sheet to make notes
• Categorize the samples into groups:
• Probably
• Probably not

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FOOD

FOOD

FOOD

FOOD

FOOD

FOOD

But the drawings

are intricate

FOOD

But the tomatoes

have leaves, one

is squashed, and there

is movement.

ORIGINAL TOPIC

But little detail or

development

And the people have

expressions – the numbers

hurt when they hit them!

Detailed, different

clothing and tools

Important reasoning

Detailed

Varied expressions

Detailed, labeled,

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To Access Online Resources:

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http://www.spark.uconn.edu/

• Resources – Comparison School Educators
• Password: project
• Response Lessons

Project RAP – Reaching Academic Potential

• Implementation at five Jefferson County Public Schools
• Range from 72%-89% Free/Reduced Lunch
• 37%-84% African American
• Three have high ESL population.
• Three have high special education numbers.

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Project RAP – Reaching Academic Potential: Two Major Goals

• Find children with advanced academic potential from poverty as well as from diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds at an early age
• Provide an educational setting to nurture their potential and prepare them for challenging coursework in upper grades

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Pre-Project RAP PTP Numbers

Fewer than ten!

Results After One Year

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“We need to cast a wide net to include, not exclude in order to develop potential.”

Project RAP teacher

Use of Formal Measures

• To determine level of student achievement
• To determine appropriate level of instruction
• Should not be limited by a grade level ceiling
• May not be used to deny services or placement in PTP

Formal Measures Do Not Provide a Clear Picture of Jamar

• Did not score well on Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading and math assessments
• Gifted Behaviors Rating Scale (GBRS) - teacher rated 4 in 3 out of 4 sections
• Teacher observed persistent, intense focus on topics, fluency of thought, strong mental math ability, and talent in the visual arts.

How are students served in the PTP?

• Services that are matched to their needs, interests and abilities
• Multiple service delivery options at each grade level
• One size or one service does not fit all.

Primary Talent Pool Service Options

• Differentiation
• Curriculum Compacting
• Enrichment Services
• Cluster Grouping
• Various Acceleration Options
• Resource/Pull-out Classes
• Independent Study
• Mentorships

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How would you serve Jamar in the �Primary Talent Pool?

• Cluster grouping in mathematics with four other students who have advanced math abilities
• Joins a cluster group of talented art students who meet monthly with the art teacher
• Classroom job – Chief Illustrator
• Support his interest in airplanes through independent study and a mentor.

Who provides the services?

It takes a team!

• Regular Classroom Teacher
• GT Teacher
• Guidance Counselor
• Special Area Teachers
• Librarian
• Community Members
• Older Students
• Administrators

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Do Primary Talent Pool Students have a Gifted Student Service Plan (GSSP)?

• Not required for PTP students
• A record should be kept of services provided
• Talent Development Plan

Can a student be selected for the PTP one year and not the next?

Once a student is in the primary talent pool, the student remains in the talent pool until exiting the third grade.

Services may need to be adjusted to fit the individual child’s specific needs.

Do Primary Talent Pool students automatically qualify as gifted students once they move into 4^th grade?

No, PTP students must be formally identified in one or more areas of giftedness at the 4^th grade level.

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Talent Pool Graphic

Talent Pool

Gifted

and

Talented

Cast a Wide Net

• Top 25% of primary students
• 5% per area
• Nurture a larger number of high potential learners through the primary years
• Crucial for disadvantaged children

Five Big Ideas About the PTP

• Look for high potential early and often.
• Use multiple measures.
• Utilize universal screening and local norms.
• Match services to needs, interests, and abilities.
• Provide multiple service delivery options at each grade level.

Resources

Response Lessons

http://www.spark.uconn.edu/

• Resources – Comparison School Educators
• Password: sparkle
• Response Lessons

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Resources

704 KAR 3:285. Programs for the gifted and talented.

Kentucky’s Regulation on Gifted and Talented Education

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Videos

https://www.wku.edu/gifted/rap/videos.php

• Give Excellence a Chance
• Who is Missing? Finding High Potential Students From Underserved Groups
• Shrinking Excellence Gaps: Research-Supported Interventions

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Resources

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Barrett, J. (1978). Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. Atheneum.

Gibbons, G. (1992). Recycle: A handbook for kids. Little Brown.

Scieszka, J. ( 2009). Math curse. Weston Woods.

Silverstein, S. (2004). Where the sidewalk ends: The poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein. Harper Collins.

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