[Ohiogift] How does / should the GIS "test for growth"

[Mark Bohland]

Is there any any sense that what happens in a 90 minute per week, plus one day per month, while supplementing the Immutable Common Core, should or even can *go beyond* what is tested at the end of the year?  (The pullout serves a good size group of students ID'd as superior cognitively gifted)

Isn't it the *responsibility* of the GIS to take students (enable students to go) beyond merely what is tested? 

If that is our responsibility, how can what is beyond what is being measured on The Unalterable Test be measured? And even if it can, how likely will anyone care - if the measurement doesn't show up on published "school report cards"? How then do we reply the the question of measurement of what we do?

If that is not our responsibility, then what are we supposed to be doing?

On May 25, 2013, at 3:51 PM, Susan Rakow <susanrakow at earthlink.net> wrote:

> This is an interesting question and sadly, the answer is "it depends." 
> What does it depend on?
> First - how often is the pull-out? If it's something like one or two periods a week or 1/2 day a week, then the general education teacher is still the "teacher of record" for the standards that are being assessed by the current testing system and it is his/her responsibility to ensure advanced performance in the content areas. 
> But, if the students are being pulled out of math regularly (ideally daily) in order to receive advanced math intervention from the GIS, then the way to test for growth is on above grade level assessments in math that could demonstrate advanced performance. 
> If the students are being pulled out of reading for advanced reading intervention, then the same would apply as in the previous paragraph. 
> If, however, the students are being pulled out of their general education class for a  broader or  more integrated (just in terms of being one-subject area) program (i.e. problem-solving, independent study, creative dramatics, etc.), it becomes a more complex challenge. Since good curriculum for gifted and advanced learners should be tied to the district's and/or common core curriculum standards but using above grade level standards, the assessment should be based on those standards.These are commonly connected to the thinking, writing, and research standards of English/Language Arts. 
> 
> So, without knowing the specifics of the program, it's hard to tell. Also, if the students are cluster grouped, it's important to remind the administrator that he/she should NOT put the most demanding special needs students in the same class because this will impede the classroom teacher's ability to differentiate appropriately and consistently for the gifted students. Since the students will spend the vast majority of their time with the general education teacher, he/she should have special training in working with gifted kids and support in meeting their needs throughout the year and also, this teacher will have the primary responsibility for advanced performance. Unless the GIS is the teacher-of-record in a particular subject area, it's very difficult to specifically tie advanced achievement scores to him/her. 
> 
> So another way to look at advanced performance in the work with the GIS is using pre-post assessment in a portfolio. 
> 
> In all of these cases, the key is pre-assessment. If there's no pre-assessment (whether with the GIS or in the general education classroom) there's no differentiation based on readiness/ability/achievement level. 
> 
> Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to email me offline if you want to discuss this more specifically. 
> Susan
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
>> From: giftedtchr at aol.com
>> Sent: May 25, 2013 11:14 AM
>> To: Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
>> Subject: [Ohiogift] How does / should the GIS "test for growth"
>> 
>> Someone I know (a GIS), asked his/her administrators to consider 
>> clustering gifted students next year as one way to help affect academic 
>> growth in these students, and to try to avoid conflict with "specials" 
>> on the days he/she meets with gifted students. He/she received the 
>> following note and question (which has been paraphrased) from one of 
>> his/her administrators.  
>> 
>> If you received a similar note & question, how would you reply?  How 
>> should he/she reply?
>> 
>> ------------------------
>> 
>> Teachers at AnyName Elementary School are very aware of growth, using 
>> the new report card measures, and as we progress, we monitor all 
>> students multiple times each year.  Which brings me to the gifted 
>> program in our school. Are we still going to have gifted  intervention 
>> specialists pulling students out of the regular classrooms on a regular 
>> basis. If so, what measurements will you be able to show me with 
>> progress monitoring?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Ohiogift mailing list
>> Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
>> https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/ohiogift
> 
> 
> Susan R. Rakow, Ph.D. 
> Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Program in Gifted Education
> Department of Curriculum and Foundations 
> Cleveland State University
> 2485 Euclid Ave., EB374
> Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
> 216-523-7296
> s.rakow at csuohio.edu
> 
> “Modern cynics and skeptics see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing.” -John F. Kennedy
>