The impact Gifted and Talented (GT) and/or Advanced Placement (AP) teacher training has on the gifted and general education student
Needs Assessment
As my school district incorporated heterogeneous classrooms, teachers were encouraged to attend teacher trainings that reinforced increasing rigor levels and developing differentiation skills, more specifically receive the thirty hours of Gifted and Talented training. Many teachers took advantage of the opportunity, however, many chose not to do so. With this, my supervisior and I determined it would be beneficial to measure the difference of student achievement of the classrooms that are led by a teacher trained in the skills of differentiation and increasing rigor, and those that are not. If data shows better instruction and student achievement with those attending training, this type of training could become mandatory. As shown in Table 1, there were a large amount of teachers that have chosen or chose to attend gifted and talented training.
| Table 1: The amount of teachers attending GT training | ||
| Campus | Total Number of Core Teachers | Number attending GT training |
| SFA Elementary School | 35 | 18 |
| Richter Elementary School | 41 | 20 |
| KMB Elementary School | 40 | 25 |
| Nottingham Middle School | 20 | 15 |
| Woodrow Wilson Jr. High School | 35 | 15 |
| Dayton High School | 52 | 25 |
Objectives and Vision
I will evaluate the level of rigor and differentiation applied in all core subject classrooms. I will determine if there is a difference in the amount of rigor and differentiation applied in the classroom of a teacher that participated in GT training and those that did not. I will provide learning opportunities for those lacking rigor and differentiation to enhance student achievement. If those that attend the GT training are more prepared in differentiation skills and increasing rigor, I will recommed that it become mandatory for all teachers to receive Gifted and Talented training for future years, in order to improve student achievement as we continue with heterogeneous classroom design.
Review of Literature and Action Research Strategy
Based on the decision to go to a heterogeneous classroom design, my Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction – Peter Griffiths; Superintendent – Mike Kuhrt; and myself were curious if teachers that have had the thirty hours of GT training, including differentiation skills and increasing rigor, will have more student success based on this training. Our goal is to have research based results showing the success of differentiation and increased rigor. With these results, we will make it mandatory for all core-subject teachers to attend the thirty hour GT training. Our goal is to make instruction consistent on all campuses and increase the learning of all students of all academic levels. District administrators and coordinators will conduct curriculum walkthroughs that measure the level of differentiation and rigor taking place in the classroom. The walkthrough results will always be shared with the teacher receiving the walkthrough. The walkthroughs will simply serve as a “snap shot” of what is taking place at that time, therefore, multiple walkthroughs will take place of a period of time. Teacher and student results will also be evaluated using the Curriculum Based Data every six weeks. We will measure the increase and decrease of student achievement with teachers receiving GT training and those not receiving the training.
Articulated the Vision
I communicated the action research project to the district staff through e-mail, teacher trainings, faculty meetings, and one-on-one meetings. I shared the project with my supervisor and Superintendent in a sit-down meeting, where we discussed student achievement and teacher training. I will share the results with the community once the project is complete. I will do so through the district website.
Manage the Organization
Student achievement is the number one concern. Therefore, this project is solely based on student success and progress. The individuals conducting the walkthroughs are myself, other district coordinators, campus administrators, and district administrators. These individuals are already conducting walkthroughs as part of their job description, therefore, we did not have to modify job requirments or time. Classroom walkthroughs are conducted in 2-5 minutes per classroom, in order, to minimize classroom disruption. Immediate feedback is provided to teacher to enhance classroom instruction. Every six weeks, a data dig meeting takes place to dissect the data. I will use the data received in these meetings to measure teacher and student success.
Manage Operations
The strategy I have used to lead the operations of the project is part of my job description as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator. I am communicating with other district administrators to discuss walkthrough data and results along with CBA data. The needs assessment was easily identified when my district chose to go to a heterogeneous grouping for the classroom. We wanted to find a way to enhance the learning of all students, not just the gifted or struggling learner. As differentiated instruction has become a hot topic, we realized tha all teachers that attend the thirty hours of gifted and talented training, receive in-depth skills to enhance differentiation and rigor in the classroom for all learners. When we realized that only about half of our teachers have attended this type of training, we wanted to compare the results of the two groups of teachers. We communicated this goal with other administrators and as we conducted the initial walkthroughs, we saw a great demand for differentiation and rigor training. There has been conflict about walkthroughs. The teachers felt threatened with administrators coming into their classroom. We are calming the conflict by reassuring the teacher that the walkthroughs are meant to be curriculum support and allow us to determine the best strategies to enhance student learning. We are focused on increasing student success.
Responding to Community Interest and Needs
Our district most recently went to a heterogeneous learning environment, versus homogenous. This has raised community concern. Many parents and community leaders are concerned that those of the minority or with special needs will not receive the education they deserve and need. This is what intrigued me on this research project topic. We notify these parents and individuals on the increased focus on differentiation and rigor. We show them how many teachers have received the training and how we are helping those that have not. If we set the bar high for increased achievement for all learners, we will see improved student achievement for all.
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