Our Learning Community

Gifted, Creative, and Talented

- Individuals who are gifted, creative, and talented are not included in Idea; however, these
students have unique and diverse needs
- Little agreement on the various broad definitions that exist
- Al include more than a single intelligence quotient as criteria
Strategies
- Acceleration
o Moving students through the curriculum at a faster pace
o Can mean early admission, skipping grades, testing out of classes
o Controversy exists on both sides
- Enrichment
o Expansion on the existing curriculum
CLD: Overrepresentation
- Higher risk for school failure than students from European backgrounds
- Prevalence rates for identification also differ by ethnicity
- Even with awareness, these rates have not changed in decades
- Schools must pay closer attention to issues of cultural diversity
Address Linguistic Diversity
- Over 9% all students have limited English proficiency
- Support in the classroom for non-English speakers
Identification and Assessment
- IDEA requires that assessment be free of cultural and linguistic bias
- Evaluation procedures need to be closely monitored to ensure appropriate tests and
testing situations
- Testing by itself is insufficient for special education classification
Culturally responsive teaching/ classrooms
- Proactive approach to increase appreciation and awareness of cultural and ethnic
differences
- Appreciation of all cultures is taught and fostered
Application: Culturally Responsive Classroom
- Diversity self-assessment
o Individually answer the highlighted questions
o Share with a partner
Answers:
What is my definition of diversity?
Diversity is the act of having people from various backgrounds in one place.
What are my perceptions of students from different racial or ethnic groups?
I think that everyone is the same from different ethnic groups, I have no bias towards anyone.
What are the sources of these perceptions?
The source of these perceptions is my culture club in high school and middle school that showed
us we are all the same.
How do I respond to my students based on these perceptions?
Based on these perceptions I respond to everyone in the same way, because we are all one group:
humans, and we should all be treated equally, or to fit our needs.
Have I experienced others making assumptions about me based on my membership in a specific
group?

People in the beginning of the school year thought that I was Latina and they made some
assumptions about me based on this untrue classification.
What steps do I need to take to learn about the students from diverse backgrounds in my school
and classroom?
To learn about students from diverse backgrounds I could talk to them about where they are from
and what is normal for them.
Teach Your Table Group
- Pick a partner, decide which highlighted section each pair at the table will read.
- Silently read your sections. As a pair decide, what you will teach the group about you
section.
- Each pair teaches
Students at Risk
- Represent all racial, ethnic, and linguistic background
- Span all socioeconomic classes
- Students at risk may fail or drop out of school and experience difficulties later in life
Major At-Risk Factors
- Poor academic performance
- Exposure to alcohol or drugs prenatally
- Abuse of drugs or alcohol
- Abuse and neglect
- Living in poverty conditions
- Pregnancy or parenting
- Depression or suicidal tendencies
- Homelessness or frequent moves
- Excessive absenteeism
- Suspension twice within a year
- Dropping out
- Slow learners
- Traumatic events such as death of someone close
- Parents who are alcoholic or drug abusers
- Older than grade-level peers due to retention
- From urban, suburban, or rural settings
- Anger or social alienation
Abused and Neglected Children
- Schools and teachers have the responsibility to report any signs of abuse or neglect per
state and local definitions and guidelines
- In some cases, child abuse has been linked to causing disabilities
Warning Signs for Suicide or Violence
- Teachers should take all threats of violence seriously and report them. Suicide warning
signs include:
o Making threats, talking, or writing about death or suicide
o Feeling of hopelessness or uncontrolled anger
o Engaging is risky behavior without thinking
 o Increasing use of drugs or alcohol
o Withdrawing from friends and family
o Feeling anxious, or displaying dramatic mood changes
Reflect on School Violence
Adaptations for At Risk Students
- Provide for additional opportunities and support
o Makes students feel welcome
o Model enthusiasm toward learning
o Provide supportive assistance
Reflect
How can you create a welcome and supportive environment for ALL students?
I think that it is important to choose culturally diverse names in my math problems, to ensure I
am calling on proportional amounts of students from different demographics and making
everyone know that we are in the classroom to learn math as humans not as other people with
labels.

I think that in my class if they had their difficulty with learning or if they had their gift in my
class since I am a high school teacher I only see them in my class. I would adapt to them in my
classroom how I would for the others with similar attributes to the one that they show.