Dr. Mary M. Frasier, Ph.D.

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Frasier Talent Assessment Profile
(F-TAP)andTraits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors
(TABs) Referral Form

• Dr. Mary M. Frasier, Ph.D. Professor,
  Educational Psychology
• Director, Urban Initiatives The College of
  Education
• G-4F Aderhold Hall The University of
  Georgia
• Athens, Georgia 30602-7101
• Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
• e-mail fras_at_coe.uga.edu

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A TRIAL WITHIN LCPS WILL ASSESS SELECTED 2ND
GRADE STUDENTS FOR GIFTEDNESS USING THE F-TAP
METHOD.
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What Follows is an explanation of what F-TAP is,
and why it is important.
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THE WHYS
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Gifted Behaviors

• There are gifted behaviors and situations in
  which students need differential treatment due to
  their advanced abilities, talented, and
  interests. -- B. N. Parker
• 5

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Definition (National Excellence Report)

• Children and youth with outstanding talent
  perform or show the potential for performing at
  remarkably high levels of accomplishment when
  compared with others of their age, experience, or
  environment.

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Today researchers know that . . . (National
Excellence Report - Ross, 1993)

• Intelligence takes many forms and therefore
  requires that many criteria be used to measure
  it.

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Today researchers know that . . . (National
Excellence Report - Ross, 1993)

• Educators must identify outstanding talent by
  observing students in settings that enable them
  to display their abilities, rather than relying
  solely on test scores.

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Executive Summary National Excellence Report

• The United States is squandering one of its most
  precious resources -- the gifts, talents, and
  high interests of many of its students. In a
  broad range of intellectual and artistic
  endeavors, these youngsters are not challenged to
  do their best work. This problem is especially
  severe among economically disadvantaged and
  minority students, who have access to fewer
  advanced educational opportunities and whose
  talents often go unnoticed.

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The Mandate

• Every child deserves the right to be educated to
  the limits of his or her mind.

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The Challenge

• Perhaps the most important task we have as
  educators is to provide a student with the level
  and type of services that s/he needs to achieve
  commensurate with his/her potential.

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We will honor this challenge and this mandate for
gifted children if we always remember that

• The ultimate goal for providing differentiated
  educational experiences for gifted children is
  to
• provide them with experiences that allow them to
  EXTEND these gifted behaviors to further levels
  of development.

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THE WHATS
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THE TABs

• What are they?

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They are CORE ATTRIBUTES of the Giftedness
Construct

• To serve as the foundation for creating a
  sufficient knowledge base about relevant traits,
  aptitudes and behaviors that a student is
  demonstrating, so that appropriate referrals,
  placements and programming decisions can be made.

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TABs Definitions

• Trait - A relatively persistent and consistent
  behavior pattern.
• Aptitude - The capacity to perform in the future
  or some future ability.
• Behavior - Any response made by an organism

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The TABs Basic Principles

• Motivation
• Interest
• Communication Skills
• Problem Solving Ability
• Memory
• Inquiry
• Insight
• Reasoning
• Imagination/Creativity
• Humor

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Accommodating the TABs and Other Data

• If we are to consider data on these TABs and
  consider data from other sources, then we must
  have a way to use these multiple pieces of
  information when making decisions regarding a
  students need for gifted program sources.

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The F-TAP

• What is it?

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What is the F-TAP?

• A system designed to facilitate the collection,
  display, and interpretation of data from a
  variety of sources when assessing childrens need
  for gifted programs services.

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Why The F-TAP?

• To help educators avoid relying on a test score
  or a single piece of data as the primary
  criterion to document a students need for gifted
  program services.

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What is the Overall Purpose of The F-TAP?

• To display a sufficient knowledge base -- using
  information collected from multiple sources,
  including information generated by students -- so
  that appropriate placement and programming
  decisions can be made.

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INSPIRATION
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NEW DIRECTIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION (Treffinger,
1987)

• Identification is not . . .
• Selection
• Exclusive - find only the right or truly
  gifted students
• Emphasis on Gate-Keeping
• Establishing an index or score
• Justifying whos In or Out

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NEW DIRECTIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION (Treffinger,
1987)

• Identification is . . .
• Diagnostic - prepares for improved or enhanced
  instructional planning
• Inclusive - seeks to nurture students best
  potential
• Deliberate, positive - finds strengths
• Development or growth oriented

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Remember!

• Giftedness should be considered to be a set of
  qualities or potentials that can be recognized
  and developed in children, not a mere label
  assigned to a lucky few.. (Dunn, Dunn,
  Treffinger, 1992)

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REMEMBER

• When considering the needs of gifted children
  from diverse backgrounds . . .
• The focus should be on their behaviors.

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REMEMBER

• When considering the needs of gifted children
  from diverse backgrounds . . .
• Diverse groups diverse expressions diverse
  procedures.

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REMEMBER

• When considering the needs of gifted children
  from diverse backgrounds . . .
• They may manifest school related
• achievement behaviors differently.

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ROBERT HALF reminds us that

• There is something that is much more scarce,
  something rarer than ability. It is the ability
  to recognize ability.

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A LAST WORD, BUT NOT THE LAST WORDWhen
considering the needs of gifted children from
diverse backgrounds . . .Assessment and
instructional methodscan be varied without
losing quality.
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CONTACT US
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Frasier Assessment Team

• Team Members will diagnostically look at the
  whole student and report data, charting the
  results in a timely manner. Information from
  general education instructors are a vital piece
  of the information generated to complete the
  assessment. Frasier is a three year evaluation
  program initiated from the State Department of
  Education. You may contact in Las Cruces Public
  Schools for further information
• Erma Brooks Lead 527-9536
• Colleen Blackman 527-9445 X119
• Amy Himelright 527-9619