NATIONAL
Higher Education Authorization Bill - A bill requiring teacher preparation institutions to train teachers about the unique needs of gifted and talented students was recently passed by the U.S. Senate. Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) helped shape the Higher Education Authorization Bill, with provisions requiring institutions that receive federal grants to reform their curriculum and ensure prospective teachers are prepared to instruct gifted and talented students. Source: IowaPolitics.com

Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act - A Department of Education grant notification, published in January, led some to believe that the government would redirect Javits grants, the only federal source of funding for gifted and talented education, to programs designed to help low achievers. A revised notification clarifies that Javits will be used only for programs that identify and serve gifted and talented students. Source: Education Week

CALIFORNIA - The Assembly Education Committee voted no on two proposed bills that could have negatively impacted gifted education. This is encouraging for gifted education advocates who were concerned the bills would consolidate spending and dilute the amount provided for state GATE programs. Sources: California Association for the Gifted, Mayor Sam’s Sister City

COLORADO - On May 14, Governor Bill Ritter signed HB 08-1021 allowing highly-advanced, gifted four-year-olds early access to kindergarten and five-year-olds early access to first grade if deemed appropriate by an administrative unit. Districts are eligible to receive state funding for these enrolled students. Read Gov. Ritter's Press Release.

KENTUCKY - A program providing broadband Internet connections to rural parts of the state, No Child Left Offline, could positively impact gifted students. Many small, rural districts do not have enough gifted students enrolled to create special classes or programs, so distance education, made available by the program, could be the only option for some of these students. Sources: Wall Street Journal, Gifted Exchange Blog

NEW MEXICO - House Bill 241 proposes to separate gifted education and special education while requiring districts to identify gifted students and provide gifted programs. However, the bill does not provide add-on funding for gifted education. Also, the bill has no individualization plan requirement and programs offered would be left up to the districts' discretion. The New Mexico Association for the Gifted is currently organizing advocacy efforts, details at www.nmgifted.org.

NEW YORK - A plan to renovate New York City’s gifted and talented programs is underway. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein recently proposed limiting the program to only those who score in the top 5 percent on admissions tests. Also, a new test to identify the gifted, the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, will be implemented in elementary school programs. Source: The New York Times

OHIO - Recently passed legislation, Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3301-51-15, significantly raises the bar for gifted education in all school districts by enforcing specific requirements in written education plans (WEPs) for gifted students, increased flexibility in class sizes, and more. Source: Ohio Department of Education

PENNSYLVANIA - The Board of Education has approved new regulations that will allow for a more flexible, open process for identifying gifted students. While the current law identifies those who score a 130 or above on IQ tests and meet other criteria as gifted, proposed changes would factor in other measures, such as grades, teacher observation and standardized tests. Sources: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Gifted Exchange Blog

A number of Pittsburgh elementary and middle schools are close to expanding their gifted programs. Instead of pulling gifted students out of mainstream classrooms once a week, five city schools may soon pilot a program featuring daily enrichment activities. Parent input will be sought before the program begins. Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

VIRGINIA - Proposed new regulations may reduce the quality of gifted programs among school districts. Under these regulations, local gifted plans will no longer be submitted to the Department of Education and a change in regulatory language that protected gifted funding could lead to it being used for other purposes. Source: Fairfax County Association for the Gifted
   

How gifted-friendly is your state? Find out at: Gifted Education Policies.  
If you know of new legislation, please contact the Communications Team.

Aug. 8, 2008 - Los Angeles Times, College Board to debut an 8th-grade PSAT exam (Gale Holland)
Aug. 6, 2008 - New York Post, 14-year-old Ashburn girl heads to college (Elizabeth Coe)
Aug. 4, 2008 - Washington Post, Five Ways to Motivate Students (Jay Mathews)
Aug. 1, 2008 - IowaPolitics.com, Gifted & Talented Education Provisions Included in Higher Education Bill (Staff)
July 27, 2008 - Washington Post, Do higher test scores mean students are getting smarter? (Daniel de Vise)
July 25, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle, Numbers show girls as good at math as boys (Jill Tucker)
July 17, 2008 - NPR Music, Piano Prodigy's Mantra: Practice Makes Perfect (Staff)
July 15, 2008 - MyCentralJersey.com, Gifted girl, 11, heads to college in program (Mary Ann Bourbeau)
July 14, 2008 - Yahoo News, Budget woes force cuts in summer-school programs (David Crary)
July 5, 2008 - Pocono Record, Schools should foster excellence in students (Editorial)
July 4, 2008 - Des Moines Register, Don't leave gifted, talented behind (Megan Hawkins)
July 1, 2008 - Kentucky Post, Gifted Students May Be Left Behind (Anya Sostek)
June 29, 2008 - Washington Post, A Better Measure Than the SAT  (Nathan O. Hatch)
June 10, 2008 - Forest Park Review, Finding the brightest (Jacob Boyer)
June 8, 2008 - Washington Post, Is AP Good for Everyone? (Jay Mathews)
May 30, 2008 - CNN.com, 'Guerdon' wins spelling bee for Sameer Mishra (Staff)
    
Discuss these stories and more on the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.
 

Growing Gifted in the Sunshine State! NAGC 2008 National Convention
Learn alongside and network with colleagues at the 55th annual National Association for Gifted Children Convention & Exhibition, Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 in Tampa, Fla. Attendees can choose from more than 260 innovative sessions on topics such as early childhood, creativity, perfectionism, twice exceptionalities, and curriculum.

States with Upcoming Gifted Conferences/Events

Fordham Foundation Releases Major Research Report:
High-Achieving Students in the Era of No Child Left Behind

Earlier this summer, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation published High-Achieving Students in the Era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), summarizing the results of two studies.

Part I of the report, authored by Brookings Institution scholar Tom Loveless, examines achievement trends for high-achieving students as defined by their performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). While the nation’s lowest-achieving students made gains from 2000 to 2007, the performance of top students was languid. Since 2000, students at the 90th percentile (top 10 percent) made only minimal gains, while students at the 10th percentile (bottom 10 percent) showed solid progress. This pattern - big gains for low achievers and lesser ones for high achievers - is associated with the introduction of accountability systems in general, not just NCLB.

Part II of the report, authored by Farkas Duffett Research Group, provides the results of a national teacher survey, including how schools are serving high-achieving pupils. Asked about the needs of struggling students, 60 percent of teachers say they are a “top priority” at their school. Asked a similar question about “academically advanced” students, only 23 percent of teachers say they are a top priority. When asked, “Who is most likely to get one-on-one attention from teachers?”, 81 percent of teachers named “struggling students” while only 5 percent named “advanced students.” Still, the majority indicated that all students deserve an equal share of attention.

Neither of these studies sought a causal link between NCLB and the performance of high-achieving students. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that NCLB “caused” the performance of the nation’s top students to stagnate any more than it “caused” the achievement of our lowest-performing pupils to rise. Overall, one finding is that teachers are committed to the principle that all students, regardless of performance level, deserve their fair share of attention and challenges.

Links: Download the Full Report Summary One-Pager Gifted Exchange Blog, Did NCLB hurt gifted students? Gifted Exchange Blog, Did NCLB hurt gifted students? Part II

Media coverage: New York Times Chicago Tribune Education Week Baltimore Sun Washington Times

"In a time of fierce international competition, can we afford to let the strongest languish? For America to maintain prosperity and strength on a shrinking, flattening planet, we need to serve our ablest youngsters far better than we’re doing today."

~ Chester E. Finn, Jr., President of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation