Arizona's gaps in gifted education coordinator oversight and teacher endorsements

Gifted Education - AZ

Gifted Placement Procedures

Functions

Arizona State

GAP Analysis

Gifted Education Coordinator

The gifted education program does not have oversight by a gifted education coordinator

The state offers many professional development opportunities for staff engaged in gifted education to enhance their skills and knowledge -- and to work toward creating lead gifted education teachers or gifted education coordinators.

http://www.azed.gov/search-results/?q=gifted%20ed%20coordinator

Coaching tools, summer institutes, and peer coaching can be used as resources to support the development of Gifted Education Coordinators in schools and districts.

Gifted Education Program Delivery

Gifted children are receive services in cluster classes

The delivery of a gifted education program to qualifying students is a complex process. It is not possible to meet the state code requirements in an ad hoc manner.

http://www.azed.gov/gifted-education/teacher-resources/

Cluster classes may not meet the level of specialized instruction stipulated by the Arizona state code for gifted education.

Teacher Gifted Ed. Endorsements

Once per year to identify gifted students for cluster classes

The state department of education has provided a list of acceptable tests to be used for identifying gifted students. Some of these tests offer distinct advantage to schools in rural or inner city settings. Of particular interest, are tests that are provided in languages other than Spanish and English. This feature is critical for the early identification of gifted children.

http://www.azed.gov/gifted-education/files/2012/01/state-board-approved-test-list-for-the-identification-of-gifted-students-in-arizona.pdf

The CogAT may not be appropriate for students with limited educational experiences. This could result in under-identification of students who have not attended pre-school or whose families have been itinerant or are disadvantaged.

Approximately 8% of the K-12 public school students in Arizona are -- or can be -- identified as gifted or advanced learners. The purpose of the Gifted Education Unit at the Arizona State Department of Education is to provide leadership and assistance to public schools in Arizona in the provision of appropriate gifted education services, so that gifted and advanced learners may develop and achieve at levels commensurate with their potential and abilities. Smaller schools in the Arizona public school system may find it difficult to address the needs of students who have been identified as gifted or advanced learners. Indeed, smaller schools my have diverse student populations characterized by unique disadvantages associated with rural living, higher levels of poverty, and lifestyles dominated by the demands of earning a living through migrant labor. At-risk students with the potential and capability of advanced learning may be overlooked in smaller schools and districts where the provision of gifted education consumes resources, leaving little for a robust identification process. Because Arizona law does not prescribe the models that districts must use to provide gifted education services to gifted learners, there is considerable opportunity for inadvertent policy slippage.

An overarching recommendation for the school is to develop an action plan that will enable them to take full advantage of the supports, resources, and guidance provided by the Arizona Department of Education, Gifted Education unit. Areas to target include: 1) Ensuring participation in professional development; 2) pursuit of funding to provide stipends and tuition reimbursement to teachers seeking Gifted Education endorsements; 3) Obtaining a full battery of tests to better identify gifted children and ensure fewer children slip through the cracks; and, 4) partnering with the state department to develop an itinerant Gifted Education Coordinator.

[Type text]