Working+Definition

Our conceptual Definition: **
 * January 18, 2010


 * Children and youth with outstanding ability 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 ... or excel in specific academic fields. They require educational programs and services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and society. Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups across all economic levels. **

Utilizing a "definition rating" worksheet. The committee determined that the above definition meets the following criteria.

Legality: Powerful evidence Soundness: Powerful Evidence Feasibility: Some Evidence (Need to address in our procedural defintion) Equity: Considerable Evidence Clarity: Considerable Evidence Utility: Powerful Evidence

December 22, 2010 Our first assignment as a team was to discuss the legality and soundness of our definition of Gifted. Since we do not have a statement to start with, I would like to propose one and will give some rationale to it. It is merely a starting point and I hope that everyone will review it and de-construct it and change it around completely so that we have a group statement that will best reflect not only the legal side, but also our need in Carbon County School District #1. So here we go.

Conceptual: ** A student will be considered gifted if they meet three criteria: Above Average Ability, Above Average Creativity, and Above Average Task Committment. A student must meet all three criteria to fit the gifted definition. **

Operational: 2) Student demonstrates creativity above the average student - determined by teacher observation, student and parent interviews 3) Student demonstrates motivation to excel and has the desire to further their "gifts" **
 * 1) Student is in the top 25% percentile for the district on both the MAP assessment and PAWS assessment

Rationale: Taken from [] Within the **above average abilities** Renzulli makes a difference between general abilities (like processing information, integrating experiences, and abstract thinking) and specific abilities (like the capacity to acquire knowledge, perform in an activity). By **creativity** Renzulli understands the fluency, flexibility, and originality of thought, an openness to experience, sensitivity to stimulations, and a willingness to take risks. Under **task commitment** he understands motivation turned into action (like perseverance, endurance, hard work, but also self-confidence, perceptiveness and a special fascination with a special subject). Renzulli argues that without task commitment high achievement is simply not possible. Only if characteristics from all three rings **work together** can high achievement or gifted behaviour be witnessed. 