SHOW ME

1
SHOW ME
GIFTED EDUCATION IN MISSOURI
2
The goal of helping each child achieve his or her
potential is an educational priority in Missouri.
3
Every child deserves an appropriate education,
and gifted children are no exception.
4
Since 1974, Missouri has been working to meet the
special needs of gifted children.
5
GIFTED CHILDREN
Who are they? What are they like?
6
The Missouri state special education law defines
GIFTED CHILDREN as Those who exhibit
precocious development of mental capacity
and learning potential as
determined by competent
professional evaluation to the
extent that continued educational
growth and stimulation could best be served
by an academic environment beyond that offered
through a standard grade level curriculum.
7
One parent explains Gifted kids do things a
little bit earlier,a little more quickly, and a
little bit differently from other children.
8
GIFTED CHILDREN OFTEN

• Learn rapidly easily
• Have advanced vocabularies
• Retain a quantity of information
• Have a good sense of humor
• Read early
• Have an intense curiosity
• Are individualistic
• Are above average in reasoning, problem solving,
  and finding relationships

9
GIFTED CHILDRENOFTEN

• Are perfectionists
• May have an uneven balance between their
  emotional and intellectual development
• Dislike routine
• Have learning strengths and weaknesses just
  like all children

10
All children exhibit these traits!
BUT Gifted children possess them
to a greater extent than their
age peers
AND Exhibit them more consistently and to a
degree that they require modifications to their
educational plan.
11
GIFTED CHILDREN

• Are an at-risk population
• Are not all receiving education
• appropriate to their needs
• Are receiving smaller per-pupil expenditures
  from the state than other categories
• May be the most underachieving school population
  relative to their ability

12
IDENTIFICATION MAY INCLUDE

• Intelligence tests
• Norm-referenced achievement tests
• Creativity measures
• Teacher and parent observation and nomination
• Portfolios
• Performance

13
Of those students identified as gifted, school
districts may place up to 5 of their population
in targeted grades in a state-assisted academic
gifted program and may identify and serve up to
an additional 2 in a state-assisted fine arts
gifted program. Districts may receive up to 75
of the costs of materials and teacher salaries
for these programs.
14
IN 2004-05

• 293 Missouri school districts had state-assisted
  Gifted Programs,
• 819 teachers worked in state-assisted Gifted
  Programs,
• 32,668 gifted students were identified and served
  in Gifted Programs, and
• 24,870,104 was appropriated for these programs

15
PROGRAMS FOR GIFTED CHILDREN SHOULD

• Explore, branch out, and diverge from traditional
  instruction
• Offer students time with their intellectual peers
• Allow interaction with specially certificated
  teachers trained in gifted education

16
Gifted certification is required for all
teachers in state-assisted gifted programs.
Professional development is also offered through
a joint effort of the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education and the Gifted
Association of Missouri.
17
CLASSES FOR GIFTED STUDENTS ARE

• Interest centered
• Interdisciplinary
• Inquiry based
• Intense!

18
HELP KEEP GIFTED EDUCATION ALIVE by

• Being informed
• Becoming proactive at the
• local and state level
• Mentoring a gifted child
• Being a resource
• Becoming a member of the Gifted
  Association of Missouri

19
WHAT IS THEGIFTED ASSOCIATIONOF
MISSOURI?
20
The GIFTED ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI is a
non-profit group of educators parents with a
fourfold purpose
21

• To create an awareness
  of the characteristics, needs, and educational
  requirements of the gifted and talented.

22

• To support the development and funding of
  programs for the gifted and talented.

23

• To share and disseminate information about
  existing local, state and national educational
  programs for the gifted and talented.

24

• To encourage research relating to the
  identification and education of gifted and
  talented children and to assist in the
  dissemination of this information.

25
The GIFTED ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI

• Was and is instrumental in the founding ongoing
  development of the Missouri Scholars Academy
• Yearly sponsors a guest artist in the Missouri
  Fine Arts Academy
• Conducts workshops for educators new to Gifted
  Education

26
The GIFTED ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI

• Publishes and makes available low-cost
  informational books and videotapes
• Sponsors activities that foster gifted awareness,
  i.e. Gifted Education Week
• Co-sponsors the Annual Missouri State Conference
  on Gifted Education
• Provides educational scholarships to teachers in
  gifted education

27
Gifted Association of Missouri
For more information, or to become a member of
GAM, visit our website at www.mogam.org
This presentation is provided by the Gifted
Association of Missouri, produced by the Public
Relations Committee and approved by the Board of
Directors to promote the mission of the
association.