Considerations For Programming and Curricular Options
Two major approaches related to curriculum and programming for gifted students are germane to the problem of underrepresentation. The first is the role of multicultural education when compared to gifted education. Ford and Harris (1999) maintain that gifted education and multicultural education are complementary and point to some practical steps educators can take to affect this interconnection. The goal of remedying the underrepresentation of low SES students, ELL, and students of color in gifted programs will seem less remote, when matched to the goals of multicultural education. Download the "Multicultural Gifted Education: A Synthesis of Goals and Objectives"
chart which provides a graphic of the interconnectedness of these two movements.
The second approach derives from research studies like Project Synergy. These projects worked with young children in severely under-resourced schools, where two things were apparent. The first was that there were potentially gifted students in these schools, just as there were in any other. The second was that because of the nature of their schooling, these students were not ready academically for placement in traditional gifted programs. Given that assessment, the approach was to implement what were called "transitional services." The curriculum was designed to help young students identified as potentially gifted develop their academic skills so that subsequent placement in gifted programs would be successful and appropriate. Such a curriculum need not be terribly elaborate. In Project Synergy, the emphasis was on traditional skills of reading, writing, and mathematics. A diagnostic-prescriptive model, along with some interdisciplinary enrichment, work on thinking skills, and help developing academic behaviors and attitudes fashioned after the skill sets of successful students was implemented in this “transitional” approach. Parent education was another important emphasis, and every attempt was made to maintain a multicultural perspective.
The concept of transitional services has potential in the field of gifted education for students who have not had the nurturance given to students from more economically favored or English as a first language circumstances. In cases where the only other alternatives seemed to be benign neglect or placement in a sink-or-swim competitive environment, the effort involved in developing transitional services curricula may provide a more appropriate option. This does not mean that the gap between potentially high-achieving poor, ELL, and minority children and their high-achieving peers would necessarily be eliminated. "Catching up" is not the goal of the transitional services. Rather, it is the development of potential that is the central focus of any transitional program.
Now that you understand the importance of identifying low SES and ELL gifted students and the barriers they face, complete this activity to see if you still have any misconceptions or stereotypes about low SES gifted children. Click on the graphic on the left to launch the activity. When finished, close the window to return to the course content.
Summary
Referrals by classroom teachers are a traditional first step in identifying students for gifted program participation. The perceptions they hold about giftedness and about who is gifted may have a profound impact on referral decisions. If we are to become more effective in recognizing potential giftedness in the low SES and ELL student populations, we must understand the impact that educators’ perceptions about gifted may have on student referral. The most important implication is the need to focus staff development activities on helping teachers understand and recognize how the gifted abilities of the low SES and ELL students are manifested in their classrooms.
Even after identification of giftedness in low SES and ELL populations, it must be recognized that without adequate differentiated curriculum and reduction of competition and comparisons with the more traditionally identified gifted students, these underrepresented gifted students will continue to be underserved.
In-Depth Required Reading
For this week, read Chapter 6, in your textbook, Diverse Populations of Gifted Children, which discusses the identification of students from minority and disadvantaged populations and read Multicultural Gifted Education: A Synthesis of Goals and Objectives.