The Problem…

The Global Picture: PISA Scores

Science: USA is 20th Place; behind all tested regions of China

Reading: USA is 14th Place; behind 2/3 tested regions of China

Math: USA is 28th Place; behind average score and all tested regions of China

According to Analysis by Harvard University & OECD:

Harvard Kennedy School of Government: U.S. Math Performance in Global Perspective, 2010; and Oganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Our National Problem: Stagnant Math & Reading Performance

Fordham Institute: High-Achieving Students in the Era of No Child Left Behind, June 2008

Few U.S. Students Reaching the Top

• The U.S. placed 31 of 56 countries in the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level (levels 5 & 6) in math on the recent PISA exam.– Percentage of Students Reaching Highest Level on PISA:

• 10 % of students in the U.S.• 25.6% of students in Korea• 20% of students in Switzerland, Finland, Japan and Belgium• 35.6% of students in Singapore reached the highest levels.The average was 12.7%.

And on the NAEP exam• Only 2.26 % of U.S. students reached the advanced level on the

NAEP 8th grade math exam in 2007.

A Widening Excellence Gap

Indiana University Center for Evaluation & Education Policy: Mind the (Other) Gap, February 2010

Excellence Gap: Differences between subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement.

Excellence gaps exist in reading and math on NAEP and state assessments; majority of states have experienced worsening excellence gaps.

Closing the Excellence Gap Between Top Students in Subgroups

At the current pace of achievement:

• It would take 72 years to close the gap between Whites and Hispanics in grade four mathematics.

• It would take 31 years to close the gap between Whites and African Americans.

• 128 years to close the gap between grade four English Language Learners (ELL) and non-ELL students.

Indiana University Center for Evaluation & Education Policy: Mind the (Other) Gap, February 2010

Minority Underrepresentation in G&T Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education (2006)

• African American and Hispanic students are underrepresented in gifted education programs

17%

9%

20%13%

56%

68%

Leaving Talent on the Table• High-achieving students from disadvantaged

backgrounds, when compared to their more advantaged peers are:– twice as likely to drop out of school;– Less likely to attend or graduate from college; – 44% of high-achieving students are no longer

high achieving by 5th grade

• 45% of academically gifted students who are underachieving in grade 7 continue underachieving through high school.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: The Achievement Trap: How America is Failing Millions of High-Achieving Students from Lower Income Families

A Day in the life….

"First grade would be all right if it weren't for the 11 sequels."

Federal & State Support

Minimal Federal Support

• Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Act (PL 107-110; Title V, Part D, Subpart 6)– Established in 1989– National research center and grants to identify best

practices in gifted education (approximately $7.5 - 11 million each year)

– Focus on underserved gifted populations– De-funded in fiscal year 2011

• No federal data collected on the condition of education for these students.

A Patchwork Quilt of State Support• 13 States provide $0 in state funds for high-ability

students.• 17 states do not require services for high-ability

students. Of the states that do, only 5 fully fund them.• Only 5 states require all teachers to have pre-service

training in gifted and talented education.• Only 5 states require professional learning for

teachers in gifted and talented programs.• 18 states collect no data on students enrolled in gifted

and talented programs.

National Association for Gifted Children and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted State of the States in Gifted Education, 2009

Consequences of the Lack of Support

• Academically talented students already know 40%-50% of traditional course content at the beginning of the school year and would benefit from moving on to new material. However, most classroom teachers do not have the skills needed to make the necessary modifications to the curriculum.

• Only 59% of high-achieving lower-income students that graduate high school obtain some form of postsecondary degree.

What Javits Research Has Taught Us…

• We now have numerous strategies and assessments that can be used to increase the participation of minority, ELL, low-income, and children with disabilities in gifted education programs.

What Javits Research Has Taught Us…

• High ability low-income, minority, ELL, and students with disabilities are able to achieve at high levels with challenging curriculum and appropriate supports. Otherwise, the students underachieve.– In a large urban high school, 50% of students

identified as academically gifted were underachieving by the end of 4 years. Many failed every subject, some dropped out, and others became pregnant, or joined gangs.

What Javits Research Has Taught Us…

• Numerous gifted education strategies and interventions can be used to improve achievement for all the students in the class.

The TALENT Solution S.857

The TALENT Act:Increase In Professional Development

• Title II, Part A Grants: Include description of the comprehensive strategy a state will use to improve the knowledge and skills of school personnel identifying and serving students with gifts and talents.

• Professional Development and Best Practices Grant Program, a targeted, competitive grant program that will conduct school-wide and classroom-based research to develop innovative instructional practices and provide high quality professional development in gifted education.

• Enhances the Rural Education Achievement Program to include gifted education as an allowable professional learning topic.

The TALENT Act:Changes to Assessment & Accountability Systems

• Require state assessments are vertically aligned and able to measure student knowledge of standards above their grade level;

• Require that states, districts, and schools report learning growth for their most advanced students on state report cards.

• Require that states and districts include description of how they will address the needs of high-ability students in their Title I reports.

The TALENT Act:Emphasis on Developing & Disseminating Best Practices

• Enhance the U.S. Department of Education research initiatives

• Professional Development & Best Practices Competitive Grant Program focuses on school-based research to develop innovative, best practices in identifying & serving high-ability students.

• Emphasize efficient dissemination of effective strategies into the classroom to immediately help students and teachers.– Use existing network of national content and technical

assistance centers under ESEA and IDEA.

Closing

“A coherent, proactive, sustained effort to identify and develop our Nation’s future innovators will help drive future economic prosperity, improve the quality of life for all, and ensure both equity and excellence in education.”

National Science Board, Preparing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators: Identifying and Developing Our Nation’s Human Capital, 2010

Contacts

Dr. Sally M. Reis Dr. Julia RobertsUniversity of Connecticut Western Kentucky Universitysally.reis@uconn.edu Julia.roberts@wku.edu

Jane Clarenbach, J.D. Kim HymesDirector, Public Education Director, Policy & AdvocacyNational Association for Gifted Council for Exceptional Children Children202-785-4268 703-264-9441janec@nagc.org kimh@cec.sped.org