Objective 0001
Understand developmental learning processes and the significance of giftedness for learning.
1. Research has shown that gifted students are better than most students at discovery learning because gifted students:
A. can summarize information more easily than most students.
B. prefer not to follow directions prescribed by the teacher.
C. have greater creativity than most students.
D. have many schemas to make connections and see patterns.
Correct Response: D. Discovery learning is personal, internal, and constructivist. It is inquiry-based and requires learners to draw on their own experiences and prior knowledge to place new learning in a meaningful context. Gifted students' reasoning abilities provide them with schemas, or arrangements of knowledge, that help them understand new information and help them make connections and discern patterns.
Read the student profile below; then answer the four questions that follow.
Karl is a five-year-old student in a first-grade heterogeneous classroom. He is the second child of successful, outgoing parents and has one older brother. He has been assessed and identified to receive gifted education services. Karl is part of a group of gifted first-grade students who meet with the gifted education teacher for two hours each week.
Academically, Karl is reading on a fifth-grade level and has an extensive vocabulary. In social studies and science, he shows an excellent grasp of abstract concepts. Although he is a year younger than his classmates, Karl is successfully working near the top of the
first-grade math groups. In math, he particularly enjoys solving word problems, but he performs slightly below average on timed written quizzes of basic facts. Karl is quite shy and rarely initiates interaction with his classmates. When given the option, he usually chooses solitary play activities. In spite of his shyness and solitude, the classroom teacher has noted that he appears well-liked by classmates, and is sought out during free play. His fine-motor skills are behind those of the average five year old, and the art teacher describes these skills as being at the level of a four year old.
Objective 0002
Understand characteristics of gifted students.
2. Based upon this profile, which of the following conclusions would be most appropriate for a gifted education teacher to make about Karl?
A. Karl should be paired with an extroverted student as a model to help him manage his social interactions successfully.
B. Karl will need differentiated experiences to express his gifts effectively and overcome his shyness and delay in motor-skills development.
C. Karl should be accelerated to a grade level closer to his reading level for effective development of his gifts.
D. Karl's math abilities are below average when compared to his other abilities, and he will need individual tutoring to overcome this deficit.
Correct Response: B. Diverse needs and abilities require diverse educational options.
Differentiation is the intervention that will best accommodate the range in Karl's learning profile and help him to progress in all areas. The gifted education teacher can tailor Karl's program so that differentiated learning experiences target his unique needs and abilities.
Objective 0007
Understand curriculum modification and the need for differentiated instructional strategies and practices for gifted students.
3. Based on Karl's academic profile, which of the following adaptations would be most appropriate for Karl in the areas of science and social studies?
A. designing the learning environment for Karl to include computer-based instruction
B. requiring Karl to use manipulatives during problem-solving activities C. placing Karl into a differentiated
group that requires students to use higher-order thinking skills D. requiring Karl to demonstrate
understanding by constructing three-dimensional models related to content topics
Correct Response: C. Since Karl shows an excellent grasp of abstract concepts in social studies and science, he is ready to develop higher-order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as reasoning tools to help him construct meaning and solve problems at a level which challenges his abilities. Thus, a differentiated group focusing on the use of higher-order thinking skills is the most appropriate adaptation for Karl.
Objective 0008
Understand curricular modifications for gifted students.
4. Based upon Karl's profile, which of the following adaptations would best support both Karl's demonstrated strength in reading and his development of social skills?
A. including Karl in a group of advanced first-grade students who meet with third-grade students in a weekly literature circle
B. giving Karl age-appropriate supple-mentary materials to read at home with his family
C. providing Karl with vocabulary and word puzzles to complete independently during class reading instruction
D. arranging for Karl to attend a fourth-grade class for additional reading instruction
Correct Response: A. In literature circles, small groups of students meet to discuss, respond to, and reflect on their reading. Placement with his most advanced age-mates and with
students two grades ahead would be an appropriate match for Karl because of his high reading ability. In this format, Karl's academic confidence should encourage his active participation and provide a challenging reading environment. Listening to other viewpoints and learning to disagree constructively should support the development of his social skills.
Objective 0010
Understand how to promote affective and social competence in gifted students.
5. In an effort to encourage Karl to interact more with his classmates, Karl's teacher has begun teaching the class cooperative games. Using cooperative games is an effective strategy for:
A. encouraging gifted children to rely on each other to achieve a common reward.
B. preparing gifted students for structured cooperative learning activities in academics.
C. helping gifted students learn to win and lose gracefully.
D. providing gifted children with a nonthreatening context for prac-ticing social skills.
Correct Response: D. Cooperative games would provide a safe and stimulating environment for Karl to interact with his classmates. By emphasizing participation and challenge, and by enabling children to think together as a team where everyone has input and shares ideas, these games provide social skills practice in a non-threatening context. Cooperative games encourage children not only to work together, but also to be leaders, to share, and to help others.
Objective 0003
Understand types and characteristics of assessment instruments and methods.
6. Use the assessment data below to answer the question that follows.
Maxine and Iris are ten year olds who are being considered for gifted education services. They have both been nominated by their classroom teachers.
Maxine Iris
Current Grade
Placement 5th 5th
Overall Achievement Test Results (Grade Equivalent Scores)
Reading/Lang. Arts: 6.3 Mathematics: 7.0 Broad Achievement: 6.6
Reading/Lang. Arts: 8.2 Mathematics: 6.7 Broad Achievement: 7.8
WISC–III
Verbal IQ/Full Scale IQ
127/135 132/122
Extracurricular
Activities avid stamp collector, creative
writing, photography voracious reader
Which of the following preliminary conclusions could be drawn based upon the above information?
A. Iris probably works very hard to keep her test scores high.
B. Programming for Maxine should feature enrichment activities focusing on her strengths and interests.
C. Iris is appropriately placed in fifth grade.
D. Maxine's preferred activities are solitary pursuits, so she will need to develop her interpersonal skills.
Correct Response: B. Since Maxine is a fifth-grade student whose broad achievement grade equivalent is 6.6, effective enrichment focusing on her strengths and interests would broaden and deepen her learning experiences by allowing her to discover information and ideas that are beyond the scope of the general curriculum. Appropriate enrichment for Maxine should emphasize qualitative development of thinking skills rather than quantitative accumulation of facts.
Objective 0004
Understand and apply procedures for evaluating gifted students.
7. Which of the following procedures would be most appropriate for a gifted education teacher to follow when evaluating a student with a hearing loss for gifted services?
A. delaying assessment for gifted identification until the student has acquired sign language
B. observing the student's performance in a classroom of peers who are deaf or hard of hearing
C. basing recommendations on standardized tests that measure achievement rather than general intelligence
D. evaluating the student's capabilities in an environment that stimulates cognitive performance
Correct Response: D. While modification of assessment may be necessary, the presence of a physical disability does not in any way lessen the importance of evaluation and identification of students who may be appropriate for gifted services, or suggest a need to delay such evaluation. If anything, the existence of a physical disability makes it particularly important that assessment take place in an environment in which the student has every opportunity to demonstrate the full range of her or his cognitive abilities.
Objective 0005
Understand and apply procedures for making placement and programming decisions and for monitoring the progress of gifted students.
8. In school districts populated largely by students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, teachers should follow which of the following procedures when identifying students for a gifted enrichment program that is based on individual students' strengths and interests?
A. To ensure commitment to the program, primarily consider students who, during a personal interview, convincingly express their interest.
B. Use assessments that measure attributes and behaviors of giftedness as they may manifest in these groups of students.
C. Mainly consider students who receive parent/guardian nominations to ensure support within their community for the students' participation.
D. Select students who have main-tained a grade-point average of 90 percent or higher for at least three consecutive semesters.
Correct Response: B. Researchers have recently been considering how to identify giftedness in students from diverse backgrounds. In the past, a disproportionately low number of students from some cultural and ethnic minority backgrounds have been identified for receiving gifted services. Researchers have concluded that traditional assessment instruments, such as IQ tests and standardized achievement tests, may not be the best indicators of giftedness for these
Objective 0006
Understand how to establish a positive and productive learning environment for gifted students.
9. Tom is a five year old in a full-day kindergarten program. He often becomes very enthusiastic about a topic and interrupts the teacher with additional information or comments. Tom's behavior sometimes annoys his classmates, and he often delays instruction with detailed explanations of various topics. Which of the following actions would be most effective for the teacher to take in addressing Tom's behavior?
A. explaining to Tom that his behavior is disruptive to others and asking him not to speak out in class B. providing Tom with a seat close
to the teacher during instructional activities to facilitate redirection of his behavior
C. requesting that Tom be placed in a classroom with a higher teacher-student ratio to provide him with more individualized attention D. providing Tom the opportunity to
study topics in depth and share his expertise with classmates
Correct Response: D. Providing Tom the opportunity to study topics in depth and share his expertise with classmates represents an academic and behavioral intervention that nurtures his ability to probe for details and construct explanations. At the same time, this option is the most effective for addressing Tom's behavior, because it provides him with a specific forum for sharing his expertise and encourages him to do so in an appropriate and positive context that should discourage his frequent interruptions.
Objective 0009
Understand how to foster independent learning in gifted students.
10. Lian is a gifted six-year-old student in Mr. Barker's heterogeneous second-grade classroom. She shows extremely advanced reasoning ability, especially in mathematics. Mr. Barker asks Lian whether she talks to herself when faced with a difficult word problem as she determines which operation to use.
Mr. Barker encourages Lian to write down her problem-solving strategies revealed by this self-talk. This activity will most likely help Lian further develop her thinking skills by:
A. accelerating her pace through the math curriculum.
B. promoting her awareness of metacognition.
C. providing her with opportunities for divergent thinking.
D. increasing her achievement level on math tests.
Correct Response: B. Problem-solving provides particularly rich opportunities for developing metacognitive strategies. Following Mr. Barker's suggestion of writing down her self-talk will help Lian begin to monitor and evaluate her thinking and become aware of other basic metacognitive skills such as connecting new information to former knowledge and selecting thinking strategies.
Objective 0011
Understand how to help gifted students make successful transitions, both within and between educational settings.
11. Monique is a gifted high school junior who is considering skipping her senior year to start college early. She is most likely to be successful with early college entrance if she:
A. holds leadership roles in several extracurricular activities.
B. is a self-confident and independent learner.
C. has an active, school-centered social life.
D. is a perfectionist and highly competitive with peers.
Correct Response: B. As an early-entry college student, Monique would be entering an
environment considerably more demanding, and with fewer support systems, than what she has been used to in high school. It will be largely up to her to determine how best to meet the new academic and social challenges she will encounter. Students who are independent learners recognize, maximize, and are confident in what works best for them in their learning process.
Monique is most likely to be successful with early college entrance if she has the self-confidence that comes with strong independent learning skills.
Objective 0012
Understand how to establish partnerships with gifted students and their families to enhance students' ability to achieve desired learning outcomes.
12. Ms. Murphy, an elementary gifted education teacher, offers workshops each month to the families of students within the school's gifted education program. The workshops focus on different topics related to gifted students and their families. This strategy would be most effective for:
A. assessing parent/guardian interest in the gifted education program.
B. increasing the likelihood that families of gifted students will participate in schoolwide events.
C. measuring the success of the gifted education program.
D. providing opportunities for families to come together as advocates for their children.
Correct Response: D. The workshops offered by the gifted education teacher will empower families as advocates for their children by raising their awareness of what they can do to assure that their children's educational experiences in and out of school match the children's needs and abilities. Also, the workshops will foster communication within the group, and with teachers and other school personnel, on behalf of the gifted students.
Objective 0013
Understand how to establish partnerships with members of the school staff and the community to enhance and support learning opportunities for gifted students.
13. A gifted education teacher is collaborating with teachers from several high schools to develop a new residential summer program in math and science for gifted students who are entering ninth grade.
The team is concerned about articulating the summer courses with courses in the students' high schools. Which of the following is the most appropriate way to address this problem?
A. limiting participation to students whose high schools are willing to award credit for the summer courses in math and science
B. pretesting the students in math and science and assigning students to summer courses based on the results of this assessment
C. reviewing the content of the high school programs to determine how they can be augmented by the summer program
D. streamlining the curriculum of the summer math and science courses to allow time in the program for enrichment and independent projects
Correct Response: C. Articulation is a process for linking two or more educational systems within a community to foster smooth transitions. Reviewing the content of the high school programs provides information about existing high school courses so that the summer program can be designed to complement what is currently available.
Objective 0014
Understand the history and philosophy of gifted education, legal and ethical considerations, and key issues and trends in gifted education in New York State.
14. Which of the following statements best describes the primary focus of the most recent federal definition of giftedness (Javits Act, 1988)?
A. identifying special talents and aptitudes that are context- and domain-related
B. developing inherent intellectual and academic abilities that predict future achievement
C. identifying exceptional general capacities for creativity and problem solving
D. developing holistic ways to assess and nurture inherent gifts in all children
Correct Response: A. The 1988 Javits Act defines giftedness as, "Children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields." This definition shows that the broad range of giftedness relates to both domain (i.e., specific fields or areas of knowledge) and context (i.e., skills and abilities apart from, beyond, or across specific academic areas).