Gifted and Talented Training Grant Contact: Val Schorzman Phone: (208) 332-6913 Toll-free: (800) 432-4601 E-mail: [email protected] Gifted and Talented Training Grant $500,000 Executive Summary Background The Gifted and Talented Training Grant was established seven years ago by the Legislature to help educators improve the identification of and service to gifted and talented students in five talent areas: intellectual, visual/performing arts, leadership, academic, and creativity. Three factors influenced the creation of a line item for gifted and talented training: (1) the Gifted and Talented mandate, Idaho Code §33-2003, (2) the new Gifted and Talented Endorsement, and (3) a Statewide Needs Assessment conducted by Boise State University which revealed that professional training for regular education teachers was essential. The 2003 Legislature appropriated $500,000 for the Gifted and Talented Training Grant. Districts must apply for funds, and their applications must detail how training would establish or improve the identification of and service to gifted and talented students. The funding formula is based on two factors: (1) each district’s total student enrollment for the prior year, compared to the total statewide enrollment for the prior year and (2) on the number of gifted and talented students identified and served in the prior year. The 2001 Legislature appropriated $100,000 for an external study focusing on the Gifted and Talented mandate. The College of William and Mary completed the study and provided a report to the State Department of Education on April 1, 2002. The overall recommendation of the evaluation report was to “convene a statewide task force to review the evaluation report in order to develop a coherent plan of action that complements overall program recommendations.” Under the guidance of its gifted and talented specialist, the State Department of Education convened a task force during the fall of 2003 to prioritize the recommendations and develop a plan for implementation. The task force members represented all special education regions. Parents, a superintendent, school administrators, a special education director, teachers, gifted/talented coordinator/facilitators, university professors, and a retired educator were all members. In addition to reviewing the evaluation report, the task force members requested information on the financing of gifted programs, planning best practices for gifted/talented students and the testing and identification of gifted/talented students. The task force will send the plan of action to Dr. Marilyn Howard in January 2004. Impact The impact of the Gifted and Talented Training Grant is documented by the following: • Increased number of gifted and talented students identified and served • Increased number of gifted and talented endorsements issued • Implementation of new activities and strategies by teachers 2004 Expenditures • $550,973was budgeted for training • $29,258 was budgeted for substitutes Gifted and Talented Training Grant 2 • $20,478 was budgeted for training materials • $7,531 was budgeted for travel • $134,620 was carried over from the 2001-2002 grant 2005 Request The request is for a continued $500,000 appropriation to support this successful program. Gifted and Talented Training Grant 3 Gifted and Talented Training Grant $500,000 Background Several factors influenced the 1998 Legislature to create a separate line item in the public school budget for gifted and talented training, including: • 1993 Gifted and Talented Mandate, Idaho Code §33-2003 • 1995 Statewide Needs Assessment conducted by Boise State University • 1997 Gifted and Talented Endorsement Gifted and Talented Mandate: Approved by the 1993 Legislature, the Gifted and Talented Mandate, Idaho Code §33-2003, requires districts to identify and serve gifted and talented students in five talent areas: specific academic, intellectual, creativity, leadership and visual/performing arts. Since the establishment of this mandate, districts have strived to identify and serve students in the five mandated talent areas. However, the percentage of Idaho students identified as gifted and talented remains below the national average. Further, recent data shows that only 19 districts identify and serve gifted and talented students in all five mandated talent areas. Statewide Needs Assessment: Part of the challenge for districts in meeting the Gifted and Talented Mandate is understanding who gifted and talented students are and how to best serve their needs. A Statewide Needs Assessment conducted by Boise State University in 1995 revealed an essential need: professional development for general education teachers. Gifted and talented students spend the majority of their day in the regular classroom setting, and general education teachers need training in activities and strategies that benefit gifted and talented students. Gifted and Talented Endorsement: The 1997 Legislature approved the requirement that by July 1, 2004, teachers providing “direct services” to gifted and talented students must possess a Gifted and Talented endorsement to their teaching certificate. The 1999 Legislature approved the standards for this endorsement, and since then three colleges of education have established programs to assist educators in earning the endorsement. As of this report, 88 endorsements have been issued. It is estimated that 140 educators will need to meet this new requirement by July 1, 2004. The mandate, the survey, and the endorsement highlighted the need for funding targeted at training general education teachers, gifted and talented facilitators, administrators and parents. The purpose was to improve identification of students and to improve services to gifted and talented students in the five talent areas. This included training to help regular classroom teachers implement new strategies in their classrooms that would benefit gifted and talented students. The training grant also enables educators to take courses that would fulfill the endorsement requirement. Gifted and Talented Training Grant 4 Impact The Gifted and Talented Training Grant is intended to improve the identification of and services to gifted and talented students in the five talent areas by funding training and support for general education teachers and gifted and talented teachers, as well as parents and administrators. The following data indicates that the grant is serving its purpose. Increased Number of Students Identified and Served After five years of increases in the number of gifted and talented students identified in Idaho schools, FY 2002 showed a slight decrease. Future years’ data will show whether this will be a trend in Idaho schools. The 2002 Child Count revealed that 10,394 students were identified as gifted and talented compared to past years as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Number of Gifted and Talented Students Identified and Served from 1997-2002 12000 10739 10394 9506 9151 10000 8252 8407 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number of Students Identified in the Five Mandated Talent Areas The number of students identified by districts and served in each talent area is indicated in Table 1. Table 1: Numbers of Gifted and Talented Students Served by Talent Area 2002 Child Talent Area Count Intellectual 1,628 Visual/performing Arts 393 Leadership 111 Academic 7,779 Creativity 483 Gifted and Talented Training Grant 5 Increased Number of Gifted and Talented Endorsements Issued By July 1, 2004, all gifted and talented facilitators who provide “direct services” to gifted and talented students must possess a Gifted and Talented Endorsement. The endorsement was approved by the 1999 Legislature. As of December 2003, 88 endorsements have been issued, an increase of 53 endorsements over last year. Training that Supports New Activities and Strategies by Teachers The Gifted and Talented Training Grant funds training that help teachers implement new activities and strategies benefiting gifted and talented students. District budget data reveals that 4,934 teachers are projected to participate in training during the 2003-2004 school year. The following data was derived from application and budget forms submitted by districts for the 2003-2004 school year. Table 2: Projected G/T Training Activities for 2003-2004 Training Activities Number of Districts Training Personnel In-district Training 47 Edufest 2003 16 Council for Exceptional Children Conference 14 Edufest 2004 51 Workshops Outside the District 18 National Association for Gifted Children Conference 5 Other Conferences 7 Trainings on gifted and talent materials 23 Parent Training 7 Advanced Placement Vertical Teaming 2 College Course 17 Junior Great Books Workshop 0 Professional Library 1 Advanced Placement Workshops 4 Required Gifted and Talented Plans Related to the grant program, but not tied to it, is a state requirement for districts to create a plan to identify and serve gifted and talented students. A State Board of Education administrative rule, which was approved by the Legislature, requires districts to compose and submit plans to the Gifted and Talented Student Specialist at the State Department of Education for approval. The purpose of the administrative rule is to increase the uniformity of and provide direction for gifted and talented programs statewide, as required by the Gifted and Talented Mandate, Idaho Code §33-2003. Gifted and Talented Training Grant 6 2004 Expenditures During each of the past six years, the Legislature appropriated $500,000 for training purposes. Funds are distributed to districts based on a formula. Half of the funds were allocated pro rata based on each district’s total student enrollment for the prior year, compared to the total statewide enrollment for the prior year. The other half of the funds were allocated based on the number of gifted and talented students identified and served in the prior year. For purposes of funding, the number of gifted and talented students identified and served was capped at 7% of the district’s total student enrollment. The minimum amount districts could receive was $500. To receive the funds, districts must apply to the State Department of Education and detail how training would establish or improve the identification of and service to gifted and talented students in the five mandated talent areas. Districts must also explain how the funds will be spent. Figure 2 displays the projected expenditures for the 2003-2004 school year. For a review of funds each district is expected to receive and how these funds will be spent, please see Appendix A. Figure 2: Projected Gifted and Talented Grant Expenditures for 2003-2004 $29,258 $7,531 Substitutes Travel Expenses $20,478 Materials $550,973 Training Carry-Over Money Budget data reveals that 51 districts carried over money from the prior year to the 2003- 2004 fiscal year. One of the main reasons for the carry-over is the timing of training. Nearly all of the districts with carry-over expended their money on summer Edufest 2003 held at Boise State University. Edufest occurs at the end of July, which coincides with the beginning of a new fiscal year. Gifted and Talented Training Grant 7 External Study To study the impact of the Gifted and Talented Training Grant and Mandate on the state gifted and talented programs, the 2001 Legislature allocated $100,000 for an external study. The College of William and Mary was awarded the contract to conduct a statewide evaluation of gifted programs. Three research questions were addressed in the study. The result of the study produced 13 recommendations in seven areas. These recommendations form part of the study’s Executive Summary (see appendix B). The overall recommendation of evaluators was to “convene a statewide task force to review the evaluation report in order to develop a coherent plan of action that complements overall program recommendations.” The task force, under the direction of the State Department of Education gifted/talented specialist, was convened in the fall of 2003. The purpose of the task force was to review the study and prioritize the recommendations for implementation. The members serving on the task force represented all special education regions statewide. Parents, a superintendent, school administrators, a special education director, teachers, gifted/talented coordinators/facilitators, university professors, and a retired educator were all members. The evaluation report was thoroughly reviewed by the committee. Task force members requested additional information that was provided by state department staff and others knowledgeable in their fields. Information on financing of gifted programs, planning best practices for gifted/talented students, and the testing/identification of gifted programs was reviewed. After reviewing the study and the additional information, the task force prioritized the College of William and Mary recommendations for implementation. The task force will send the plan of action to Dr. Marilyn Howard in January 2004. The results of this plan will guide the direction of gifted/talented programs in the state of Idaho. 2005 Request The request for 2005 is for a continued $500,000 appropriation to support the training of general classroom teachers. The recommendations of state’s gifted and talented task force may influence future legislative requests in the area of gifted and talented education. Gifted and Talented Training Grant 8 Appendix A 2003-2004 Projected Gifted and Talented Expenditures by District Gifted and Talented Training Grant 9 Appendix A: 2003-2004 Projected Gifted and Talented Expenditures by District Carryover + Award = Total Budget Items Budgeted Budgeted Carryover G/T Award Total Substitute Training Materials Travel Total from 2003-2004 Budget Teachers Expenses Budgeted Dist # District 2002-2003 1 Boise 3000 40,328 43,328 0 43,328 0 0 43,328 1 Anser 0 192 192 0 0 192 0 192 Hidden Springs 1 Charter 0 314 314 0 0 314 0 314 2 Meridian 34,975 72,326 107,301 14,000 90,939 2362 0 107,301 3 Kuna 80 4163 4243 0 4243 0 0 4243 11 Meadows Valley 500 500 1000 0 800 0 0 1000 13 Council 0 575 575 0 575 0 0 575 21 Marsh Valley 482 3818 4300 0 4300 0 0 4300 25 Pocatello 288 27,172 27,460 7460 10,000 5000 5000 27,460 Pocatello 25 Charter 0 288 288 0 288 0 0 288 33 Bear Lake Co. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 St. Maries 0 1146 1146 0 1146 0 0 1146 44 Plummer/Worley 522 519 1041 0 1041 0 0 1041 52 Snake River 6455 5533 11,989 0 11,989 0 0 11989 55 Blackfoot 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 58 Aberdeen 1184 1555 2738 1438 1300 0 0 2738 59 Firth 0 947 947 0 947 0 0 947 60 Shelley 0 5572 5572 0 5572 0 0 5572 61 Blaine Co. 1323 8695 10,018 0 9695 323 0 10,018 71 Garden Valley 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 500 72 Basin 0 911 911 0 911 0 0 911 73 Horseshoe Bend 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 500 83 West Bonner Co. 919 2518 3437 0 3437 0 0 3437 Lake Pend 84 Oreille 80 6479 6559 1300 4759 500 0 6559 Sandpoint 84 Charter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 91 Idaho Falls 0 22,118 22,118 0 21,868 250 0 22,118 92 Swan Valley 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 500 93 Bonneville 9181 14,091 23,272 0 23,272 0 0 23,272 101 Boundary Co. 1847 2634 4482 0 4482 0 0 4482 111 Butte Co. 0 1054 1054 0 1054 0 0 1054 121 Camas Co. 0 500 500 0 500 0 0 500 131 Nampa 10,603 21,238 31,841 0 31,841 0 0 31,841 131 Nampa Charter 520 850 1370 0 800 570 0 1370 132 Caldwell 0 12,983 12,983 0 12,983 0 0 12,983 133 Wilder 896 729 1625 0 1625 0 0 1625 134 Middleton 0 4360 4360 0 4360 0 0 4360 135 Notus 933 925 1858 0 580 560 718 1858 136 Melba 4042 1876 5918 0 5918 0 0 5918 137 Parma 76 2427 2503 0 2503 0 0 2503 * These small elementary districts do not operate gifted/talented programs. NA = no application NR = no report