Gifted students typically achieve above grade level on state tests. They have the potential to, and it normally shows. So, if they are always achieving above standard, how do we measure their growth? How do we assess them, to ensure they are being challenged and learning? Actually, there are many ways!
Growth Models
Most teachers know and can sympathize with how hard it is to show growth with gifted students on assessments. Why is that? Students are measured to what is proficient, and gifted students typically start at the proficient level. So where is the room for growth? That is where a growth model comes in handy.
A growth model measures growth from previous achievement level. In order to be affective, it needs to measure beyond what is considered proficient for students to know. An assessment must cover a broad range in order to truly measure the extent of a gifted student's knowledge. It must go beyond the grade level expectations. However, by measuring actual growth, this kind of assessment is critical to understanding how much a gifted student has truly learned.
Formative Assessment
A frequent complaint of gifted students is that they are bored and complacent. A great way to prevent this is through formative assessment. This is ongoing assessment during the learning process that helps direct teacher instruction. This can help prevent students from having the opportunity to "check out" during lesson, and can give them specific guidelines to achieve.
There are many benefits to formative assessments, including:
-consistent room for altering a lesson to improve it
-is individualized per student
-directs future instruction
-groups students by readiness, interest, etc.
-increases teacher awareness of student ability
Response to Intervention
Response to intervention, or RtI is more commonly discussed when addressing students needs that are working below grade level. However, it is applicable for gifted students as well. It involves a process of observing student behavior and performance, assessing growth, adjusting instruction, and reassessing. It is cyclical. The role of intervention does not solely need to belong to students with disabilities or achieving below proficiency levels. RtI can benefit gifted students by addressing areas that aren't producing growth or where growth seems stagnant. It takes into consideration strengths and can address the need to accelerate or provide enrichment opportunities to gifted students. RtI often incorporates tiered assignments and instruction, meaning that students are being addressed at their academic level.
Most schools have an RtI team that assists in analyzing data and producing interventions, which encourages collaboration and adds a deeper knowledge base for effective strategies. These teams often have specialists such as the school psychologist that are skilled in providing research-based strategies.
In short, RtI requires frequent formative assessments and a growth model of measurement to be effective with gifted students, but if used properly, the shared collaboration and tiered instruction can help gifted students never reach a plateau in learning.
Growth Models
Most teachers know and can sympathize with how hard it is to show growth with gifted students on assessments. Why is that? Students are measured to what is proficient, and gifted students typically start at the proficient level. So where is the room for growth? That is where a growth model comes in handy.
A growth model measures growth from previous achievement level. In order to be affective, it needs to measure beyond what is considered proficient for students to know. An assessment must cover a broad range in order to truly measure the extent of a gifted student's knowledge. It must go beyond the grade level expectations. However, by measuring actual growth, this kind of assessment is critical to understanding how much a gifted student has truly learned.
Formative Assessment
A frequent complaint of gifted students is that they are bored and complacent. A great way to prevent this is through formative assessment. This is ongoing assessment during the learning process that helps direct teacher instruction. This can help prevent students from having the opportunity to "check out" during lesson, and can give them specific guidelines to achieve.
There are many benefits to formative assessments, including:
-consistent room for altering a lesson to improve it
-is individualized per student
-directs future instruction
-groups students by readiness, interest, etc.
-increases teacher awareness of student ability
Response to Intervention
Response to intervention, or RtI is more commonly discussed when addressing students needs that are working below grade level. However, it is applicable for gifted students as well. It involves a process of observing student behavior and performance, assessing growth, adjusting instruction, and reassessing. It is cyclical. The role of intervention does not solely need to belong to students with disabilities or achieving below proficiency levels. RtI can benefit gifted students by addressing areas that aren't producing growth or where growth seems stagnant. It takes into consideration strengths and can address the need to accelerate or provide enrichment opportunities to gifted students. RtI often incorporates tiered assignments and instruction, meaning that students are being addressed at their academic level.
Most schools have an RtI team that assists in analyzing data and producing interventions, which encourages collaboration and adds a deeper knowledge base for effective strategies. These teams often have specialists such as the school psychologist that are skilled in providing research-based strategies.
In short, RtI requires frequent formative assessments and a growth model of measurement to be effective with gifted students, but if used properly, the shared collaboration and tiered instruction can help gifted students never reach a plateau in learning.
Examples of Assessments:
Portfolio Assessments:
One aspect of the gifted definition in North Carolina as that students that show the potential to achieve above grade level have the right to service. Portfolios are a great way to display that potential, when a test score might not show it. This type of assessment shows student performance on a variety of artifacts, to give a broad understanding of what a student knows. It can be a collection of journal entries, or pieces displaying creativity and depth. It can be multi-subject or based on one curriculum. Portfolio Assessments give a comprehensive look at a student.
Rubrics:
Rubrics can be used in many ways in a classroom. They can be guidelines for a student to know the expectations, and can be used as a summative evaluation of a student's product. They can also be a talking point for where a student is, and where they can progress to. Rubrics can be differentiated for levels in a classroom, and can be broad enough to be based on student choice. Below is a rubric that would be used with higher middle grades or secondary education students. Terminology can be reflective to student level, also requiring understanding of a concept.
One aspect of the gifted definition in North Carolina as that students that show the potential to achieve above grade level have the right to service. Portfolios are a great way to display that potential, when a test score might not show it. This type of assessment shows student performance on a variety of artifacts, to give a broad understanding of what a student knows. It can be a collection of journal entries, or pieces displaying creativity and depth. It can be multi-subject or based on one curriculum. Portfolio Assessments give a comprehensive look at a student.
Rubrics:
Rubrics can be used in many ways in a classroom. They can be guidelines for a student to know the expectations, and can be used as a summative evaluation of a student's product. They can also be a talking point for where a student is, and where they can progress to. Rubrics can be differentiated for levels in a classroom, and can be broad enough to be based on student choice. Below is a rubric that would be used with higher middle grades or secondary education students. Terminology can be reflective to student level, also requiring understanding of a concept.
Resources:
- Brown, E. (2012, February). Is Response to Intervention and gifted assessment compatible? Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30(1), 103-116
- CEC-TAG Position Statement on Growth Models- http://cectag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Growth-Models.pdf
- Doubet, K. J. (2012). Formative assessment jump-starts a middle grades differentiation initiative. Middle School Journal, 43(3), 32-38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/926974966?accountid=10598