Identification of High Potential Students
Scaling-Up Project CRITICAL
Harlem Renaissance Technology Center
August 22, 2007
Sheelah Sweeny
University of Connecticut
Conservative vs. Liberal Identification Methods
• Conservative– IQ/Cognitive test
scores only– Top 1%-5% of
student population– Under
representation of culturally, linguistically, economically diverse & twice exceptional students
• Liberal– Multiple identification
criteria– Top 10%-15% of
student population– More inclusive
Factors Influencing Gifted Behavior
• Personality Factors– Perception of Self,
Self-Efficacy– Courage– Character– Intuition– Charm/Charisma– Need for Achievement– Ego Strength– Energy– Sense of Destiny– Personal
Attractiveness
• Environmental Factors– SES– Parental Personalities– Education of Parents– Stimulation of
Childhood Interests– Family Position– Formal Education– Role Model Availability– Physical Illness and/or
Well Being– Chance Factors– Zeitgeist
Above Average Ability: Characteristics
• General Ability– High levels of abstract
thinking, verbal & numerical reasoning, spatial relations, memory and word fluency
– Adapts to novel situations
– Automization of information processing; rapid, accurate & selective retrieval of information
Above Averag
e Abilit
y
Above Average Ability: Characteristics
• Specific Ability– Application of various
combinations of general abilities to one or more specialized areas of knowledge or performance
– Capacity for acquiring and using advanced knowledge, techniques, logistics and strategies
– Capacity to determine relevance of information
Above Averag
e Abilit
y
Task Commitment: Characteristics
• High levels of interest, enthusiasm, fascination, & involvement
• Shows perseverance, endurance, determination, hard work & dedicated practice
• Self-confident, belief in own ability, driven to achieve
• Ability to identify problems; tune in to new developments in field
• Sets high standards, open to criticism, developing sense of taste, quality & excellence about work products
Task Commitmen
t
Creativity: Characteristics• Fluency, flexibility & originality
of thought
• Openness to experience; receptive to new and different thoughts, actions & products
• Curious, speculative, adventurous, and “mentally playful”; willing to take risks in thought and action; uninhibited
• Sensitive to detail, aesthetic characteristics of ideas and things; willing to act on and react to external stimulation and own ideas and feelings
Creativity
Three Ring Conception of GiftednessWHAT MAKES GIFTEDNESS?
Above Average Ability
TaskCommitment
CreativityGiftedness Is Evident
Identifying Talent Pool Students
• What are we looking for?
– Learning Profile?
– Personality Traits?
– IQ?
Decision #1 - Before Choosing an Identification Model
• What organizational model(s) will we use?– How do we group kids and move them around? – How many students can we provide services so
that we have a “Visibility of Effect?”
• What pedagogical model(s) will guide our work?– What we do with kids within any grouping or
organizational patterns. (e.g. Johns Hopkins, Mentor Connection)
Continuum of Ideologies in Gifted EducationTraditional Emerging(Conservative) (Liberal)
• Gifted Students Defined
• Formal Identification Certified "Gifted"
• Grouping by Ability
• Funding by "Body Count"
• Designated Teachers for GiftedStudents
• Conventional Wisdom
• Gifted Behaviors and Services Defined
• Flexible Identification Development of Gifted Behaviors
• Grouping by Interests, Motivation,Learning Styles, and Tasks
• Funding by Total District Population
• Designated Schoolwide EnrichmentTeaching Specialists
• Conventional Wisdom"Society has much to gain from examining
its most evolved members."
"There is nothing so unequal as the equaltreatment of unequal."
"Every student is special if we provideopportunities to make that student aspecialist in a specialty group."
"Giftedness is in the ways in which studentsrespond to advanced opportunities,resources, and encouragement."
There should be a direct relationship between the identification system and the types of services provided by the program!
-Joe Renzulli
My Golden Rule of Gifted Education
The Renzulli Identification System
• Based on the 3-Ring Conception of Giftedness & the Enrichment Triad Model
• Strives for equity, excellence & economy
• Designed to be flexible (e.g. to follow state guidelines on cut-off scores)
• Based on research of behavioral characteristics of highly creative & productive people
The Renzulli Identification System Goals:
• Develop creativity and/or task commitment in Talent Pool students & other students who come to an educator’s attention through alternate means of identification
• Provide learning experiences & support systems that promote interaction of creativity, task commitment, & above average ability
• Provide opportunities, resources, & encouragement for the development & application of gifted behaviors
Identification Considerations
• There is no perfect identification system!
• There should be a direct relationship between the identification system and the services to be provided to develop the students’ gifts and talents.
• The system does not determine if a student is “gifted” or “not gifted.” Rather, it identifies students who would benefit most from supplementary services.
Identification Considerations
• The difference between high performance and high potential is critical:– high potential students may require
different kinds of programming options than high performing students
• Establish local norms – use grade level, similarity of learning
opportunities & background characteristics rather than national norms
Identification Considerations
• Target specific behaviors and potentials rather than using generic labels (e.g. moderately gifted, highly gifted)
• Label the services, not the students
• The program must have “Visibility of Effect”
5 Things to Avoid
• Criticisms of “watering down”
• Getting into legal difficulties (bumper sticker parents)
• Pitting parents of advantaged children against parents of disadvantaged children
• Leading people to believe that any one instrument is the answer to identification
• Proliferating the amount of paperwork
Decision #2 - Make Before Proceeding to Identification
• Determine size of Talent Pool– Number of students you can serve and be
able to achieve “Visibility of Effect”– Effect of direct & indirect services you can
develop through schoolwide involvement of other teachers & outside resources
– Planned growth over time
Talent Pool Membership
• Students who demonstrate above average ability on cognitive tests
• Students who would most benefit from supplementary services
• May be based on state guidelines
Tes
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est
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eneral P
op
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n
Renzulli Identification System
Step 1
99th
%ile
92nd %ile
Test ScoreNominations
[Automatic, and Based on Local Norms]
Step 2
Teacher Nominations
[Automatic Except in Cases of Teachers
Who Are Over or Under Nominators]Step 3 Alternative Pathways Case
Study
Special NominationsStep 4 Case Study
Notification of ParentsStep 5
Action Information NominationsStep 6
Alternate Pathways
• May include: – parent, peer and self nominations– Creativity assessments– Product evaluations– Other measures
• Allow for non-traditional students to receive services
Two Types of Identification
1. Status Information -- Anything you can put down on paper beforehand that tells you something about the student.
2. Action Information -- Things that you can only document when they are happening or after they happen.
Status Information
• Grades
• Test scores
• Student work samples
• Interest, learning styles & expression style surveys
• Teacher input (any/all teachers)
• Parent input
• Students’ self-nomination
• Peer nominations
Action Information
• Teacher observations
• Work habits
• Thinking
• Questioning
• Leadership qualities
• Peer interactions
• Skill development
• Conversations• Interviews• Video/audio recordings
Identifying Talent Pool Students
• Local decision for criteria
• Use multiple criteria
• Look beyond the obvious - look for potential as well as talent that is already developed
Identifying Talent Pool Students
• Local decision for criteria• Use multiple criteria • Look beyond the obvious - look for
potential as well as talent that is already developed
Decision #2 - Make Before Proceeding to Identification
• Determine size of Talent Pool– Number of students you can serve and be
able to achieve “Visibility of Effect”– Effect of direct & indirect services you can
develop through schoolwide involvement of other teachers & outside resources
– Planned growth over time
Talent Pool Membership
• Students who demonstrate above average ability on cognitive tests
• Students who would most benefit from supplementary services
• May be based on state guidelines
Tes
t S
core
Cri
teri
a [
Ap
pro
xim
atel
y 50
% o
f T
he
Tal
ent
Po
ol]
No
n-T
est
Cri
teri
a [
Ap
pro
xim
atel
y 50
% o
f T
he
Tal
ent
Po
ol]
To
tal Talen
t Po
ol C
on
sists of A
pp
roxim
ately 15% o
f the G
eneral P
op
ulatio
n
Renzulli Identification System
Step 1
99th
%ile
92nd %ile
Test ScoreNominations
[Automatic, and Based on Local Norms]
Step 2
Teacher Nominations
[Automatic Except in Cases of Teachers
Who Are Over or Under Nominators]Step 3 Alternative Pathways Case
Study
Special NominationsStep 4 Case Study
Notification of ParentsStep 5
Action Information NominationsStep 6
Alternate Pathways
• May include: – parent, peer and self nominations– Creativity assessments– Product evaluations– Other measures
• Allow for non-traditional students to receive services
Two Types of Identification
1. Status Information -- Anything you can put down on paper beforehand that tells you something about the student.
2. Action Information -- Things that you can only document when they are happening or after they happen.
Status Information
• Grades
• Test scores
• Student work samples
• Interest, learning styles & expression style surveys
• Teacher input (any/all teachers)
• Parent input
• Students’ self-nomination
• Peer nominations
Action Information• Teacher
observations
• Work habits
• Thinking
• Questioning
• Leadership qualities
• Peer interactions
• Skill development
• Conversations• Interviews• Video/audio recordings
Renzulli Identification System: Information Summary FormName:______________________________ Date:_________________________
School:_____________________________ Grade:________________________
I. Academic PerformanceA. Achievement Test Scores (Most Recent Achievement Test Scores
Test Date RawScore
GradeEquiv.
Local%ile
Verbal
Numerical
Non-verbal
B. End of Year Grades for Past 2 YearsSubject Year 1 Year 2 Subject Year 1 Year 2
Reading Music
Mathematics Art
Language Arts/English Foreign Language
Social Studies Other:
Science Other:
II. Teacher Ratings [Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS)]
Scale Score GroupMean
Scale Score GroupMean
Learning Technology
Motivation Artistic
Creativity Musical
Leadership Dramatic
Reading Communication I
Mathematics Communication II
Science Planning
III. Alternative PathwaysScale Summary of Strengths
Parent Rating
Peer Rating
Product Rating
IV. Special Nominations
Teacher:__________________________ Grade:__________________________
Attach a brief description from the nominating teacher about why this student was nominatedand enter the SRBCSS ratings in Part II above.
Other Tools
Additional information that can help to identify individual strengths that guide differentiation for high performance and high potential students within the gifted program and in general education…
My Way . . . An Expression Style Inventory
K. E. Kettle, J. S. Renzulli, M. G. Rizza
University of Conncecticut
Products provide students and professionals with a way to express what they havelearned to an audience. This survey will help determine the kinds of products YOUare interested in creating.
My Name is: ___________________________________________________________
Instructions:Read each statement and circle the number that shows to what extent YOU areinterested in creating that type of product. (Do not worry if you are unsure of howto make the product.)
Not At All Of Little Moderately Very
Interested Interest Interested Interested Interested
Example:writing song lyrics 1 2 3 4 5
1. writing stories 1 2 3 4 5
2. discussing what I have 1 2 3 4 5learned
3. painting a picture 1 2 3 4 5
4. designing a computer 1 2 3 4 5software project
5. filming & editing a video 1 2 3 4 5
6. creating a company 1 2 3 4 5
7. helping in the community 1 2 3 4 5
8. acting in a play 1 2 3 4 5