Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Barbara Christina
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academically talented children, assessment, counselors, documentation, evaluation, gifted characteristics, gifted education, gifted evaluation, gifted programs, gifted referral, identification, in-service training, minority children, process improvement, psychologists, referral process, school staff, teacher training, teachers
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to improve the problem that teachers were unable to meet the needs of academically talented minority children. The major goals for this applied dissertation were to increase the representation of academically minority children in gifted programs, provide training to teachers in the area of identifying gifted characteristics, and to develop a multifaceted process for the referral and evaluation of academically talented minority children.
The writer developed training materials to provide in-service and training to teachers, school staff personnel, counselors, and psychologists in the areas of observing and assessing gifted characteristics in academically talented minority children. A process improvement plan was developed for referring and evaluating children which focused on reducing the length of time for completing gifted referrals and evaluations by streamlining the necessary documentation. Teachers, school staff personnel, counselors, and psychologists were positive about the multifaceted improvements and the writer is hopeful that the new processes will continue for the purpose of increasing the representation of academically talented minority children for years to come.
The study of the data revealed that teachers began referring academically talented minority children more often as a result of the intervention. Teachers and school staff personnel were utilizing the training materials provided to them for the purpose of observing gifted characteristics in academically talented minority children. The process by which the writer’s district is currently using to refer and evaluate gifted children is taking less time than before the intervention due to the reduction of documentation necessary for referrals and evaluations.