State of the States in Gifted Education DATA

“State” of the States in Gifted Education DATA TO INFORM GIFTED ADVOCACY 2016 NAGC AFFILIATE EDUCATION CONFERENCE SUSAN DULONG LANGLEY RESEARCH ASSISTANT, UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 1

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Analysis: Consider… • Key data points related to policy that could be adjusted? • Policy levers? Do they align or differ from best practices? • Data to focus and inform your advocacy efforts? 3

The Survey NAGC and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted Every two years 186 Questions ◦ 679 Data points 42 States http: //www. nagc. org/resources-publications/gifted-state/2014 -2015 -states-giftededucation Questionnaire ◦ Executive Summary ◦ Narrative of analysis with figures ◦ Tables of responses ◦ Spreadsheet of responses 4

Questionnaire on GT ◦ State Education Agencies ◦ Funding ◦ Mandates to Identify and Serve ◦ Accountability ◦ Definition ◦ Identification ◦ Programs and Services ◦ Staffing & Personnel Preparation ◦ Related Policies and Practices ◦ New Developments, Concerns, and Future Directions 5

State Education Agencies • State Staff • State Departments • Activities • Advisory Committees 6

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Funding • States with funding for GT • Range of funding • Funded programs • Limitations on expenditures 11

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Mandates to Identify and Serve • Authority for state mandates • Un/funded mandates • Schools required to use criteria ID • Required GT services aligned to Special Education 16

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Accountability • LEA GT report requirements • LEA GT components requiring SEA approval 21

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LEA Gifted Program Components Requiring SEA Approval (n=12, multiple responses possible) Identification 10 Programming 10 Program evaluation 8 Teacher training 8 Personnel 6 State-req’d components approved locally 6 Definition of gifted and talented 5 Funding 5 Family engagement/involvement 4 Other (please specify) 3 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Number of Responses 23

EQUITY FOR UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS • Data collected • How data is used 24

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Definition • SEA Definition • LEA Required to use • Areas in definition 27

State Definitions of Gifted and Talented (n=39, multiple responses possible Yes, in state rules and regulations 23 Yes, in state statute 12 Yes, other (please specify) 2 No definition 2 0 5 10 15 Number of Responses 20 25 28

LEAs Required to Follow State Definition (n=36) No 6 Yes 30 0 5 10 15 20 Number of Responses 25 30 35 29

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Identification • LEAs to required to SEA guidelines • Required GT indicators • Prompts that initiate ID 31

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Categories of Giftedness Required to be Served by Programs Required by State Intellectual (n=32) 22 General academic (n=28) 19 16 Visual/performing arts (n=27) 18 11 Creativity (n=23) None (no specific services) (n=9) 18 17 Specific academic areas (n=29) Leadership (n=21) Offered in Schools/Districts 19 9 16 7 15 9 2 Number of Responses 35

Programs and Services • Components and requirements • Themes across grade levels 36

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Staffing & Personnel Preparation • Available endorsements • Required certifications for personnel • Pre-service training • Certification for general and GT teachers • Professional development and CEUs 43

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Related Policies and Practices • Rt. I/MTSS • State acceleration • Dual enrollment • Early entrance to Kindergarten 54

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New Developments, Concerns, and Future Directions • Positive and negative forces on GT • Areas needing attention 61

Forces on GT POSITIVE NEGATIVE Rt. I Lack of recognition of GT students in Fed law Focus on STEM Federal K-12 ed. Law focus on struggling learners Differentiated instruction State mandate Focus on student growth for accountability Lack of a state mandate Lack of compliance monitoring Standards-based education 62

Areas Needing Attention National mandate for GT Funding for GT Inclusion of underrepresented students in GT Pre-service training at undergraduate level in GT Professional training for general education teachers in GT Assessing academic grwoth of GT as separate group 63

Developments • New/Increased in funding • Restorations/Expansions • Increased requirements for LEA planning • Resources • Partnerships • Initiatives for underrepresented populations • Teacher Endorsements/requirements 64

Debrief What are the ways these data can inform GT advocacy for your state? 65

Moving forward • Access the State of the States report • Encourage participation in the next report • Make issues and results visible • That which is assessed is what gets done 66

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