HOW CAN MY GIFTED PROGRAM IMPROVE THE IDENTIFICATION AND

INSTRUCTION OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS?

P. Carol McCullough

Conduct an audit in the three following areas to determine if you are maximizing your opportunities to serve
students from underrepresented groups.

ENVIRONMENT
Promote an educational environment which values diversity and the success of all, and
makes it a priority.
TRAINING COMPONENTS
Train classroom teachers in best practices in education.
Train classroom teachers on best practices to demonstrate creative thinking and problem
solving
Train day-care, pre-K, nursery workers, etc. from feeder organizations in best practices to
nurture skills
Encourage collaboration among classroom teachers, ELL, Title I, Art and Music, etc.
PROACTIVE INSTRUCTION
Begin in early years to identify strengths and nurture them
Conduct planned experiences with primary students to build context for learning
Directly teach students missing information that can make a difference:
o Computer literacy
o Etiquette lessons
o Economic concepts and speaking green
o Study skills
o How to keep a calendar/agenda/set goals
o Leadership skills
Target talent pool with extended day/week/year programs
Use data for diagnostic and prescriptive instruction to close identified gaps
Deliver instruction in a variety of ways for all learning types and styles
PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP SELF EFFICACY
Help students develop role identity through consistent rules and consequences
Improve self efficacy through community service, extra-curricular activities
Provide opportunities for pride in talents through contests
Provide opportunities for leadership
Provide role models
PROVIDE COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS
school based counseling to address coping skills, resiliency, affective issues, etc. through
established programs or through group and individual activities
Encourage long-term relationships through looping, teams/houses, school-within-a-school
Match students with mentors or form posses (groups of students with common attributes
who support each other)
Ensure that all schools have equality of resources

IDENTIFICATION
Accept that there is great diversity in being gifted, and the way it looks. Provide
multiple paths, both formal and informal, to identification.

Start early with informal or formal identification

Implement a screening step before a referral; screening can occur as an ongoing
process or held more than once a year; screening does not require parental permission;
screening can be conducted on groups as well as individuals
Train an eligibility team t look at screenings and recommend referrals from that group
Use sub-test and component scores on standardized tests when valid
Emphasize authentic assessment of talents using student products, interviews and
auditions
Pursue alternative assessments, nonverbal assessments, observational checklists and
rating scales
Use a Learners Profile to accumulate into over time
Train teachers on a variety of rating scales and checklists so they know what they are
looking for
Provide strong K-1 support in Creative Problem Solving, role identity, vocabulary building
and forming abstract systems
Look in the second and third quartile for students

INSTRUCTION
Recognize that no single type of delivery model will serve all gifted students effectively, but
the curriculum should be modified through the content, process, learning environment or
product to accommodate gifted learners from these groups.

Most of the conditions in the ENVIRONMENT portion of the audit would support good
instruction after the students have been identified, as well as before
Be sure the curriculum for gifted instruction reflects professional best practices for gifted
education
Provide education in the arts
Allow some student choice in meeting goals and objectives
Use learning contract for individualization and pacing
Maintain high expectations
Provide financial support for programs after school or in the summer
Plan for students in collaborative teams
Identify and pay teachers to receive specific training (information in content, language
skills, poverty, special education characteristics, etc) to work with students from
underrepresented groups
Continue to emphasize vocabulary building, graphic organizers, and abstract systems in
instruction
Incorporate into the curriculum opportunities to address affective issues
Use counseling and bibliotherapy as means of addressing affective issues and providing
role models
Match appropriate mentors with regard to student strengths or interests, or form groups of
students who support each other
Teach interpersonal and intra-personal skills
Visit college campuses and interact with students and professors to become familiar with
the academic environment

For information about the audit and site license requirements

please contact
McCullough and Messer Educational Consulting
25 Exeter Road
Avondale Estates, GA 30002
Phone: 404-423-6055
Fax: 404-294-7973
pcmccullough@mindspring.com