Foundations

NAGC 5, 6

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

6.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand how
foundational
knowledge,
perspectives, and
historical and current
issues influence
professional practice
and the education and
treatment of individuals
with gifts and talents
both in school and
society
6.3 Beginning gifted
education professionals
model respect for
diversity,
understanding that it
is an integral part of
societys institutions
and impacts learning
of individuals with gifts
and talents in the
delivery of gifted
education services.

Student makes specific

commentaries on how
foundational knowledge,
historical legacies, and
current issues impact the
education and the
general welfare of
student with gifts and
talents.
Links to theory
(citations) are numerous
and evident

Describes
strategies used
with some
reference to
theory or
historical
perspective.

Little discussion of
theory and historical
perspective when
addressing strategies
chosen.

Student is aware of the

growing diversity of the
student body in general,
and how educators
demonstrate cultural
responsiveness in
particular.
Student understands
how not all students are
exposed to similar
opportunities for
enrichment.

Discusses
meeting the
needs of gifted
students in
general, with
some reference
to diverse
populations, but
unclear
understanding of
culturally
responsiveness
in delivering
instruction

Links to theory
and research are
limited

No link to theory and

research

References to diversity
are very vague and
lacking in detail. Cultural
responsiveness is not
mentioned.

Assessment
NAGC 1,4

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

5.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
know principles of
evidence-based,
differentiated, and
accelerated practices
and possess a repertoire
of instructional
strategies to enhance
the critical and
creative thinking,
problem-solving, and
performance skills of
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Student clearly describes

and discusses specific
strategies including
differentiation,
enrichment, compacting
and acceleration for
gifted learners (includes
specific examples) and
includes discussion of
strategies for teaching
problem-solving, creative
thinking and
performance skills for all
gifted learners, including
those who are twiceexceptional

Strategies
described to not
address the
needs of all
learners,
includes
descriptions of
some, but not all
strategies
(differentiation,
enrichment,
compacting and
acceleration)
may not provide
specific
examples of
strategies.
Includes
reference to
problem-solving,
creative thinking
and performance
skills and
discussion of
twiceexceptional
learners.

Does not address the

needs of all learners.
Vague descriptions of
strategies limited
discussion of strategies
for problem-solving,
creative thinking and
performance skills.

1.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand how
language, culture,
economic status,
family background,
and/or area of
disability can
influence the learning
of individuals with gifts
and talents.

Clearly understands how

a dominant culture might
impact the learning of
children from diverse
backgrounds and
addresses the need to be
culturally responsive to
students of different
cultures, family
backgrounds, languages,
and/or undervalued
dialects, when assessing
students from CLD
backgrounds.

References to
cultural
responsiveness
are made but
lacking in detail.

No mention of cultural
responsiveness or the
impact of failing to do so
on diverse student
populations.

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

4.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand that some
groups of individuals
with gifts and talents
have been
underrepresented in
gifted education
programs and select
and use technically
sound formal and
informal assessments
that minimize bias in
identifying students
for gifted education
programs and services.

Clearly identifies an
appropriate process for
referral and identification
of gifted learners,
including those from
diverse or
underrepresented
backgrounds. Discusses
underrepresentation as
related to assessment.
Specifies assessment
instruments to be used
in multiple domains and
alternative assessments

Process for identification

lacking in one or more
areas: a) referral, b)
variety of assessment
instruments, c)
identification of students
from underrepresented
populations.
References to
underrepresentation are
vague and unrelated to
specific assessment
instruments.

4.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use knowledge of
measurement
principles and
practices to
differentiate
assessments and
interpret results to guide
educational decisions for
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Describes the processes

of learning assessments
for gifted learners,
including alternative
assessment approaches,
qualitative and
quantitative approaches,
describes specific
examples of
differentiated
assessment.

The process
chosen for
identification and
needs
assessment will
identify
giftedness in the
majority
population, but
may not
accurately
assess the needs
of those students
from
underrepresente
d groups or
diverse
backgrounds.
Student
mentions
underrepresentat
ion but fails
discuss
appropriate
assessment
instruments or
strategies.
Describes the
processes of
learning
assessments for
gifted learners,
including
differentiated
and alternative
assessment
approaches,
qualitative and
quantitative
approaches

Describes assessment in
general, without specific
description of
differentiated
assessment OR
Inaccurate description of
assessment procedures
and strategies

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

4.3 Beginning gifted

education professionals
collaborate with
colleagues and families
in using multiple
types of assessment
information to make
identification and
learning progress
decisions and to
minimize bias in
assessment and
decision-making.

Includes a discussion of
each of the following: a)
the accuracy of
measurement
instruments, b) test bias,
c) qualitative and
quantitative
assessments in regard to
referral and progress
monitoring for
instructional decision
making.

Includes a
discussion of
each of the
following: a) the
accuracy of
measurement
instruments, b)
test bias, c)
qualitative and
quantitative
assessments in
regard to referral
OR progress
monitoring for
instructional
decision making.

Fails to include a
discussion of accuracy,
bias, variety in
assessments OR does
not discuss assessment
for referral or progress
monitoring.

4.4 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use assessment
results to develop
long- and short-range
goals and objectives
that take into
consideration an
individuals abilities
and needs, the
learning environment,
and other factors
related to diversity

Specifically and
accurately discusses
assessments for
planning long-term and
short-term goals.
Includes discussion of
factors relevant in
assessment decisions,
such as diverse student
needs and strengths,
cultural relevance and
the environment.

Discusses
assessments for
planning longterm or shortterm goals.
Includes
discussion of
factors relevant
in assessment
decisions, such
as diverse
student needs
and strengths,
cultural
relevance and
the environment.

Fails to include
discussion of assessment
for planning purposes or
relevant factors for
assessment decisionmaking

NAGC 3, 5 Instruction

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

3.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand the role of
central concepts,
structures of the
discipline, and tools of
inquiry of the content
areas they teach, and
use their understanding
to organize
knowledge, integrate
cross-disciplinary
skills, and develop
meaningful learning
progressions within
and across grade levels.

Discussion of curriculum
development includes
clear examples of crossdisciplinary skills to meet
the needs of a variety of
gifted learners; includes
an accurate discussion of
both within- and acrossgrade level challenges
(horizontal and vertical)
and discusses potential
outcomes of the learning
experience.

Superficial discussion of
organization of
curriculum; fails to
address within and cross
grade level challenges;
lack of specificity
regarding outcomes of
the educational
experience for gifted
learners.

3.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
design appropriate
learning and
performance
modifications for
individuals with gifts and
talents that enhance
creativity,
acceleration, depth
and complexity in
academic subject matter
and specialized domains.

Includes specific
strategies for creating
(and/or modifying
existing curricula to
create) challenging,
complex, and creative
opportunities for gifted
learners in both
academic and nonacademic domains

Weak in one of
the following
areas: includes
clear examples
of crossdisciplinary skills
to meet the
needs of a
variety of gifted
learners;
includes an
accurate
discussion of
both within- and
across-grade
level challenges
(horizontal and
vertical) and
discusses
potential
outcomes of the
learning
experience
Includes
strategies for
creating
challenging
learning
opportunities
and addresses
most of the
following, tiering,
compacting,
enrichment,
contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring.

Weak in more than one

of the following areas:
tiering, compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration, mentoring..

comments Rater

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)

Unacceptable (0-6)

3.3 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use assessments to
select, adapt, and create
materials to
differentiate
instructional
strategies and
general and
specialized curricula
to challenge
individuals with gifts
and talents.

Appropriately discusses
use of pre-assessment,
formative and
summative assessment
for informing instruction
in both general and
specialized curricula for
gifted learners. Outlines
specific examples of use
of assessment
information to guide
instruction.

Fails to discuss one of

the following:
Preassessment,
formative or summative
assessment to guide
instruction for gifted
learners in general and
specialized curriculum
OR discusses use of
assessment in general
without specific
reference to the needs of
gifted learners.

3.4 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand that
individuals with gifts and
talents demonstrate a
wide range of
advanced knowledge
and performance levels
and modify the
general or specialized
curriculum
appropriately.

Provides appropriate
examples of each of the
following for meeting the
needs of gifted learners
(tiering, compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration, mentoring)

Appropriately
discusses use of
pre-assessment,
formative and
summative
assessment for
informing
instruction in
both general and
specialized
curricula for
gifted learners.
Does not include
examples of use
of assessment
information to
guide
instruction.
Provides
appropriate
examples of
most (4-5) of the
following for
meeting the
needs of gifted
learners (tiering,
compacting,
enrichment,
contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring)

5.5 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use instructional
strategies that
enhance the affective
development of
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Includes examples of
affective education
strategies such as selfawareness,
bibliotherapy, character
education, service
learning and selfdirection.

Refers in general
terms to
affective
education
strategies such
as selfawareness,
bibliotherapy,
character
education,
service learning
and selfdirection.

Does not refer to

affective education
strategies.

Fails to provide
appropriate examples for
most (4-5) of the
following for meeting the
needs of gifted learners
(tiering, compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration, mentoring)

Target (9-10)

Acceptable
(7-8)
Total
Score

NAGC standards

Unacceptable (0-6)