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Vermont Voices A Report
of the State of Gifted Education in Vermont |
Report Submitted by
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1. Ten percent of Vermont schools have a school or district definition of giftedness.
2. Nine percent of Vermont schools have a school or district policy for services to gifted students.
3. Twenty-four percent of Vermont schools indicate system for identification of gifted students.
a. A total of 1136 students were identified.
b. Most schools used achievement tests, teacher nominations, and student products most often in the identification process.
4. Accommodations for gifted students included, in order of usage:
a. Instructional grouping
b. Subject acceleration
c. Independent studies
d. Curriculum compacting
e. Enrichment
f. Tiered assignments
g. Grade skipping
5. Seventy-eight percent of reporting high schools provide advanced placement for students.*
6. Thirty-one percent of schools have a teacher of the gifted or gifted specialist in their building.*
a. Of these, 11% (or 5% of total respondents) have a Master’s degree in gifted education.*
b. Fifty-four percent have 10 or more years of teaching and two to five courses in gifted education.*
c. Sixty-eight percent have attended professional development conferences on the gifted.*
(*It should be noted that most probably these are skewed figures; schools using these accommodations probably returned the survey at a higher rate than those not providing similar accommodations.)
7. There is a lot of support for differentiated instruction in Vermont schools.
8. Sixty-one percent of Vermont schools report having an Educational Support Team used for gifted students.
9. Nineteen percent of schools have a gifted or enrichment committee.
10. Perceived needs related to gifted education are, in order:
a. Funding
b. Professional development workshops
c. Program development assistance
d. Teacher of the gifted
e. Professional development courses
f. Policy development assistance
g. State consultant in gifted
h. Program evaluation assistance
i. Parent support
11. Although Act 117 (link will take you out of the VCGE website) includes the need to serve gifted children, when statewide reports are issued, these needs are rarely addressed.
12. Perceptions about and support for gifted learners seems to vary between two extremes: clear understanding of their nature and needs, to extremely negative responses and accusations of elitism in providing services to the gifted learner.
13. Perceptions of schools about parents of gifted learners have the same extremes of variation.
In related studies, gifted students call for school personnel to be much more sensitive to and responsive to their special needs. They are asking for many more opportunities and more time to pursue their own areas of interest, their passions. Finally, students who are successful in school are asking for more challenge and many fewer repetitive, boring learning tasks while students that have special learning challenges as well as gifts are asking for much more support to overcome the challenges and captivate on their gifts.
Recommendations for Vermont Department of Education and the Vermont
Board of Education
Currently in the state of Vermont,
we have:
· Legislation about Gifted
o A state definition of “gifted”;
o Act 117, an Educational Support System inclusion law. (link will take you out of the VCGE website)
· This 15-month Goals 2000 grant, which will end in August 2002.
We need a statewide initiative to design a systemic model to build capacity. This should include, but not be limited to:
1. A State Board policy about gifted education (including the phrase “all children shall include gifted children”).
2. A five-year plan, which starts with encouragement to districts to provide services, and grows to include mandates for services and evaluation of services.
3. Funding for technical assistance to schools (and determination of fair ways to decide on levels of funding), especially in the areas of policy development and program design.
4. Professional development workshops and courses on the nature and needs of gifted students, for administrators and guidance personnel, as well as teachers. This should include discussion of the issue of elitism and the rights of every gifted child to receive an appropriate education.
5. Professional development workshops and courses on differentiation of instruction, for administrators as well as teachers. Or funding to support this.
6. A fully qualified State Consultant for Gifted Education.
7. Support for endorsement of teachers of the gifted, with the goal of mandating licensing within five years.
8. Fully qualified regional directors.
9. A goal of having at least one fully qualified teacher per 300 of total student population.
10. Training of trainers to provide professional development.
11. Support for wider outreach programs (e.g. Governor’s Institute).
12. Building alliances with various groups, such as with middle school and high school initiatives, special education.
13. Including data about gifted children in statewide Act 117 reports.
Recommendations for Local Schools, Districts and Supervisory Unions
Currently in Vermont schools, we have:
· Lots of variability and inconsistency in attitudes and services relating to gifted education.
· A small number of schools that have developed programs for gifted students (with a few outstanding programs).
· A small number of schools that have trained teachers in differentiation of instruction.
· Many schools with no accommodations or services for gifted students.
We need a policy on gifted education in every district/supervisory union in Vermont, each of which:
1. Has been formed with input from a committee of educators, parents, administrators (at least), and is overseen by some variation of this committee.
2. Includes an acknowledgement of at least one (and if only one definition, then preferably the State) definition of gifted.
3. Includes information about the nature and needs of gifted students, including social and emotional needs.
4. Discusses the issue of identification of gifted students, and how this will be dealt with in the district/union.
Additionally, local schools, districts or supervisory unions need to support services to meet the needs of gifted students, in at least the following ways:
1. Employ a fully trained teacher of the gifted.
2. Develop support services to meet the needs of the gifted:
a. Differentiated instruction within the regular classroom (for example, instructional grouping, subject acceleration, guided independent study, curriculum compacting, tiered assignments, grade skipping, advanced placement classes).
b. Opportunities for challenge, stimulation, and support outside the regular classroom (for example, mentoring, concurrent enrollment, pull-out classes in areas of strength and/or interest, guidance groups).
3. Support training of all teachers, administrators, and guidance personnel about nature and needs of gifted students/providing services.
4. Support and encourage flexibility and creativity in systemic changes that could benefit gifted students (such as different ways of scheduling, purchase of materials).
5. Create educational support teams that include classroom teachers, teachers of the gifted, guidance personnel, administrators, other appropriate personnel, parents and students.
6. Give attention to continuity and consistency throughout the district.
7. Develop policy about acceleration.
8. Discuss how to educate, work with, and support local parents of gifted students.
9. Include a policy for evaluation of services.
At both the state and local levels, the voices of gifted learners need to be heard and respected. These learners should be provided with appropriate educational, social and emotional responses and supports.
E-mail questions, comments, and suggestions for improvement to vcgeweb at vcge
dot org
Last updated 10 September 2006