Preassessment

This preassessment in gifted education will be completely anonymous. No one at the Belin-Blank Center will be able to link your personal answers to the "General Understandings in Gifted Education" test, or to the "Opinions about the Gifted" questionnaire.

Please DO NOT attempt to learn more about these topics before taking this preassessment. The goal of this tool is to help the staff at the Belin-Blank Center understand the general level of understanding about gifted education (as it is generally perceived in the United States). It will be of great help to us if you read through these and answer based on your current understandings—even if you are not at all sure of the answers! Many participants will not know the names mentioned, or understand the concepts introduced below. If you prefer not to provide any answer on those questions, that is acceptable, too.

These are the same items provided each year to American teachers who participate in a program in gifted education. They do not know many of the answers, either!

We plan to talk about these types of topics when you are here—and you will learn more about some of these things at the Wallace Symposium. Our philosophy is the same as in the field of gifted education: if you (as the learner) already KNOW all of these things, then the program will not be as beneficial to you. Our assumption is that many of these items are UNFAMILIAR to you so that the Fellowship and Symposium will be helpful learning experiences.

Please take this preassessment only one time.

Choose one answer for each question.

1.Leta Hollingworth, the "mother" of gifted education,

A. established a private academy for gifted girls;

B. identified adjustment problems among exceptionally intelligent children;

C. determined that very gifted children are natural leaders;

D. refined an accurate test of intelligence;

E. all of the above.

2.Lewis Terman, the "father" of gifted education,

A. conducted the first-ever studies of genetic superiority in families;

B. studied adults defined as geniuses to determine childhood characteristics;

C. studied a large sample of high IQ children as they grew up;

D. trained the first psychometrists to measure advanced IQ;

E. both A and B above.

3.Robert Sternberg proposed a Triarchic Theory of Intelligence,

A. suggesting that analytic ability is not a key component of giftedness;

B. placing creativity at the center of successful intelligence;

C. identifying practical abilities as central to knowledge acquisition;

D. exploring the development of analytic, synthetic, and practical abilities;

E. none of the above.

4.Françoys Gagné distinguished gifts from talents,

A. defining "giftedness" specifically as intellectual abilities measured by IQ tests;

B. identifying "talents" specifically as obvious artistic or athletic prowess;

C. proposing that a variety of catalysts help gifts develop into talents;

D. suggesting that current educational programs are ineffective for all levels of giftedness;

E. both A and B above.

5.Which of the following statements is/are generally true of high-ability learners?

A. They may need to practice some basic academic skills.

B. They frequently learn at a more rapid pace than others.

C. They usually deal with complexity more easily than other learners.

D. They often have more mature interests than other children their ages.

E. All of the above.

6.Enrichment can best be described as

A. richer and more varied educational content;

B. systematically modified teaching strategies;

C. the most effective method to help gifted learners succeed;

D. learning experiences unrelated to general education curriculum;

E. both A and B above.

7.Acceleration can best be explained as

A. the most popular intervention for elementary gifted students;

B. early entrance to a different grade;

C. effective only with the most "profoundly" gifted students;

D. allowing students to progress at a pace matching their abilities;

E. both B and C above.

8.Which of the following statements is true about above-level testing?

A. The use of aptitude tests discriminates against many gifted youngsters.

B. Standardized tests are often very stressful for young gifted learners.

C. Diagnostic testing allows teachers to "prescribe" new concepts for students.

D. Low scores on these instruments prevent too many students from accessing appropriate curriculum.

E. Students who do well on above-level tests are often ‘below-level’ in terms of maturity and social skills.

9.The ability grouping of academically gifted children

A. results in a decrease in academic achievement for the participants;

B. results in an increase in academic achievement for the participants;

C. has a negative impact on the self-esteem of agemates not included in the group;

D. is too expensive for most schools to consider as an option;

E. both B and C above.

10.The Enrichment Triad Model (Joseph Renzulli, 1976) was designed to encourage "creative productivity" among students by

A. grouping together a talent pool of high-ability or high-potential students;

B. providing curriculum compacting, eliminating previously mastered content;

C. introducing exploratory and research activities;

D. facilitating Type III authentic investigations;

E. all of the above.

11.The identification of creative ability

A. is most effectively accomplished with convergent thinking tests;

B. can be facilitated with checklists and interest inventories;

C. is less important than the identification of academic ability;

D. is only effective at the elementary level;

E. all of the above.

12.Some educators focus on gender issues and giftedness because

A. too many gifted boys are underachieving;

B. too many gifted girls are not achieving their academic potential;

C. very young gifted boys suffer from low self esteem;

D. gifted girls are more likely to abuse alcohol/drugs than are average-ability girls;

E. both A and B above.

13."Twice exceptionality" refers to

A. above-average abilities in two very different academic areas;

B. academic giftedness accompanied by superior athletic talent;

C. underachieving gifted students;

D. a disability as well as above-average ability;

E. none of the above.

14.Choose the answer that is false. When considering the curricular needs of gifted children, which of the following statements is false?

A. Curriculum should include higher-order thinking skills.

B. Components of curriculum should be enriched and accelerated.

C. Pull-out programs have a long history as the most effective way to academically challenged gifted learners.

D. Effective programs help learners develop greater expertise in a content area.

E. Active learning and problem solving are central to effective curriculum.

15.Intellectually gifted children benefit from special social-emotional guidance because they

A. suffer from significantly higher levels of depression;

B. lack the social skills to "get along" in society;

C. have difficulties making and keeping friends;

D. often feel isolated and different from others;

E. all of the above.

16.Nicholas Colangelo has suggested that school counselors need substantial training about the needs of gifted students because

A. the identification of a child as "gifted" creates significant, long-term negative effects for families;

B. gifted students demonstrate unique social and emotional needs that can be addressed through both individual and group counseling.

C. the presence of a "profoundly gifted" child in a classroom leads to underachievement among average-ability students;

D. most gifted children suffer significant social-emotional problems;

E. all of the above.

17. Miraca Gross, conducting research about highly gifted learners in Australia, has found that

A. highly gifted children prefer to spend time with much older children or with other gifted learners;

B. gifted children allowed to accelerate two or more years are more satisfied with life as adults;

C. as they grow up, many highly gifted individuals give a great deal of time to service organizations;

D. even highly gifted children may hide their abilities in order to "fit in" with classmates;

E. all of the above.

In this part of the preassessment, there are no right or wrong answers. Please respond to each item, based on what your opinion is about each.

Opinions about the gifted and their education

These statements have been adapted from the Weiner Attitude Scale and the Gagne & Nadeau Attitude Scale

Scale: 1 = Strongly Agree 2 = Agree 3 = Disagree 4 = Strongly Disagree

1.Our schools should offer special educational services for the gifted.

2.The best way to meet the needs of the gifted is to put them in special classes.

3.Children with difficulties have the most need of special educational services.

4.Special educational services for gifted children are a mark of privilege.

5.When the gifted are put in special classes, the other children feel less important.

6.Most gifted children who skip a grade have difficulties in their social adjustment to a group of older students.

7.It is more damaging for a gifted child to waste time in class than to adapt to skipping a grade.

8.Gifted children are often bored in school.

9.The gifted waste their time in regular classes.

10.Gifted persons are a valuable resource for our society.

11.The specific educational needs of the gifted are too often ignored in our schools.

12.The gifted need special attention in order to fully develop their talents.

13.Our schools are already adequate in meeting the needs of the gifted.

14.Parents have the major responsibility for helping gifted children develop their talents.

15.A child who has been identified as gifted has more difficulty in making friends.

16.Gifted children should be left in regular classes, since they serve as a role model for the other children.

17.Some teachers feel their authority threatened by gifted children.

18.The gifted are already favored in our schools.

19.Tax-payers should not have to pay for special education for the minority of children who are gifted.

20.Gifted children might become self-centered if they are given special attention.

21.When skipping a grade, gifted students miss important ideas (they have “holes” in their knowledge).

22. Often, gifted children are rejected because people are envious of them.

23.The regular school program stifles the intellectual curiosity of gifted children.

24.The leaders of tomorrow’s society will come mostly from the gifted of today.

25.A greater number of gifted children should be allowed to skip a grade.

26.Gifted children should remain in mixed-ability classes because they will spend their lives with all types of people.

27.Gifted children make great progress when placed in special classes.

28.The most important kind of ability to single out for consideration in a gifted child program is general intellectual ability.

29.Gifted children stimulate each other to greater enthusiasm, effort, and accomplishment.

30.When considering acceleration for the gifted, too much emphasis is placed on social and emotional factors rather than intellectual growth.

31.It is a wise educational procedure to require the gifted child to assist the slower learners.

32.Having a gifted class carries special esteem for the teacher.

33.Gifted students can be taught more effectively when grouped with other gifted children than when grouped with non-gifted children.

34.The IQ of a child is not a fair estimate of his ability.

35.Teachers should have special qualifications if they are to work with the gifted.