Illinois Administrative Code
Title 23 - EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
Part 27 - STANDARDS FOR ENDORSEMENTS IN SPECIFIC TEACHING FIELDS
Subpart C - ADDITIONAL TEACHING FIELDS
Section 27.480 - Gifted Education Specialist
Universal Citation: 23 IL Admin Code ยง 27.480
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
By October 1, 2024, all candidate for an endorsement in the
teaching of Gifted Education will be required to complete a program aligned to
the NAGC-CEC Teacher Preparation Standards in Gifted Education (2013),
published by the National Association for Gifted Children, 1331 H Street NW,
Suite 1001, Washington DC 20005, and available at
a) The competent gifted education specialist, recognizing the learning and developmental differences of students with gifts and talents, promotes ongoing self-understanding, awareness of their needs, and cognitive and affective growth of these students in school, home and community settings to ensure specific student outcomes. The competent gifted education specialist:
1) collects and develops tools and
techniques to engage the full range of profiles of gifted and talented
students, including students with special needs (e.g., students with
disabilities (twice exceptional), English language learners, creatively gifted,
visual-spatial learners, profoundly gifted), in identifying their interests,
strengths and gifts;
2) assists
gifted and talented students in developing their pride in their gifts and
talents and encouraging their passion in their areas of interest;
3) develops activities that can be easily
tailored to match each student's developmental needs and culture-based learning
needs or to compensate for areas of deficit, to include students with special
needs;
4) provides a variety of
research-based grouping practices for use with gifted and talented students
that allow them to interact with individuals of various gifts, talents,
abilities and strengths;
5) models
respect for individuals with diverse abilities, strengths and goals, including
those with atypical gifted profiles (i.e., students with special
needs);
6) provides role models
(e.g., through mentors, bibliotherapy) for gifted and talented students that
match their abilities and interests;
7) identifies extracurricular learning
opportunities that match students' abilities and interests, and works to remove
barriers to their taking advantage of these opportunities;
8) collaborates with families in accessing
resources to develop their child's talents;
9) designs interventions for students to
develop cognitive and affective growth that is based on research of effective
practices;
10) develops specialized
intervention services for underachieving gifted and talented students to
accommodate their deficits, remediate barriers to achievement, leverage their
gifts and build their community with other gifted and talented
students;
11) enables students to
identify their preferred approaches to learning, accommodates the students'
preferences and expands them;
12)
provides students with college and career guidance that is consistent with
their strengths; and
13) implements
a scope and sequence of the curriculum that contains personal and social
awareness and adjustment, academic planning and vocational and career
awareness.
b) The competent gifted education specialist has a deep understanding of assessment and its ability to provide information about identification, learning progress and outcomes, and evaluation of programming for students with gifts and talents in all domains. The competent gifted education specialist:
1) identifies gifted and talented students,
including those students with special needs who may be underserved;
2) develops environments and instructional
activities that accommodate the full range of learning and performing found
among gifted populations, and encourages students to express diverse
characteristics and behaviors that are associated with giftedness;
3) uses current, research-based assessment
strategies appropriate for accurately measuring the progress of all gifted and
talented students, including students with special needs;
4) establishes comprehensive, cohesive and
ongoing procedures for identifying and serving gifted and talented students;
these provisions include informed consent, committee review, student retention,
student reassessment, student exiting, and appeals procedures for both entry
and exit from gifted program services;
5) selects and uses multiple assessments that
measure diverse abilities, talents and strengths that are based on current
theories, models and research;
6)
selects assessments that provide qualitative and quantitative information from
a variety of sources, including "off-level" testing (i.e., not designed for the
grade level of the student), and are nonbiased and equitable, and technically
adequate for the purpose;
7)
possesses knowledge of student exceptionalities and collects assessment data
while adjusting curriculum and instruction to learn about each student's
developmental level and aptitude for learning;
8) interprets multiple assessments in
different domains and understands the uses and limitations of the assessments
in identifying the needs of gifted and talented students, including those
students with special needs;
9)
informs all parents and guardians about the identification process, obtains
parental or guardian permission for assessments, uses culturally sensitive
checklists, and elicits evidence regarding the child's interests and potential
outside of the classroom setting;
10) selects and uses non-biased and equitable
approaches for identifying gifted and talented students, which may include
using locally developed norms or assessment tools in the child's native
language or in nonverbal formats;
11) understands and implements district and
State policies designed to foster equity in gifted programming and
services;
12) provides parents and
guardians with information in their native language regarding diverse behaviors
and characteristics that are associated with giftedness, including unique
characteristics associated with gifted students with special needs;
13) provides parents and guardians with
information in their native language that explains the nature and purpose of
gifted programming options;
14)
uses differentiated pre- and post-performance-based assessments to measure the
progress of gifted and talented students;
15) uses differentiated product-based
assessments to measure the progress of gifted and talented students;
16) uses off-level standardized assessments
to measure the progress of gifted and talented students;
17) uses and interprets qualitative and
quantitative assessment information to develop a profile of the strengths and
weaknesses of each gifted and talented student to plan appropriate
intervention;
18) communicates and
interprets assessment information to gifted and talented students and their
parents or guardians;
19) ensures
that the assessments used in the identification and evaluation processes are
reliable, are sensitive to the needs of special populations, are valid for each
instrument's purpose, allow for above grade-level performance and allow for
diverse perspectives;
20) ensures
that the assessment of the progress of gifted and talented students uses
multiple indicators that measure mastery of content, higher-level thinking
skills, achievement in specific program areas and affective growth;
21) assesses the quantity, quality and
appropriateness of the programming and services provided for gifted and
talented students by disaggregating assessment data and yearly progress data
and making the results public;
22)
provides the necessary time and resources to implement an annual evaluation
plan developed by personnel with expertise in program evaluation and gifted
education;
23) ensures that the
evaluation plan is purposeful and evaluates how student-level outcomes are
influenced by one or more of the following components of gifted education
programming: identification, curriculum, instructional programming and
services, ongoing assessment of student learning, counseling and guidance
programs, teacher qualifications and professional development, parent and
guardian and community involvement, programming resources, and programming
design, management, and delivery; and
24) disseminates results of the program
evaluation, orally and in written form, and explains how results will be
used.
c) The competent gifted education specialist applies the theory and research-based models of curriculum and instruction for gifted and talented students and responds to his or her students' needs by planning, selecting, adapting and creating culturally relevant curriculum materials or curricula and by using a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to ensure specific student outcomes. The competent gifted education specialist:
1)
uses local, State and national standards to align and expand curriculum
materials or curricula and instructional plans;
2) designs and uses a comprehensive and
continuous scope and sequence to develop differentiated plans for gifted and
talented students in prekindergarten through grade 12;
3) adapts, modifies or replaces the core or
standard curriculum to meet the needs of gifted and talented students and those
with special needs;
4) designs
differentiated curricula that incorporate advanced, conceptually challenging,
in-depth, distinctive and complex content that can be modified to meet the
needs of all gifted and talented students, including students with special
needs;
5) uses a balanced
assessment system, including pre-assessment and formative assessment, to
identify students' needs, develop differentiated education plans and adjust
plans based on continual progress monitoring;
6) uses pre-assessments and paces and
differentiates instruction based on the learning rates and needs of each gifted
and talented student, accelerating and compacting learning as
appropriate;
7) uses information
and technologies, including assistive technologies, to individualize
instruction for gifted and talented students, including those who are
twice-exceptional;
8) collaborates
with school service personnel and special educators to design and deliver
curricula in cognitive, affective, aesthetic, social and leadership domains
that are challenging and effective for gifted and talented students, including
students with special needs;
9)
uses meta-cognitive models to meet the needs of gifted and talented
students;
10) selects, adapts and
uses a repertoire of instructional strategies and materials that differentiate
instruction for gifted and talented students and respond to
diversity;
11) uses school and
community resources that support differentiation;
12) provides opportunities for gifted and
talented students to explore, develop or research their areas of interest
and/or talent;
13) uses
critical-thinking strategies to meet the needs of gifted and talented
students;
14) uses
creative-thinking strategies to meet the needs of gifted and talented
students;
15) uses problem-solving
model strategies to meet the needs of gifted and talented students;
16) uses open-ended inquiry models to meet
the needs of gifted and talented students;
17) develops and uses challenging, culturally
responsive curriculum materials or curricula to engage all gifted and talented
students;
18) integrates career
exploration experiences into learning opportunities for gifted and talented
students (e.g., biography study, speakers);
19) uses curriculum materials or curricula
for deep explorations of cultures, languages and social issues related to
diversity; and
20) demonstrates the
ability to identify and leverage sources for high-quality resources and
materials that are appropriate for gifted and talented students.
d) The competent gifted education specialist creates learning environments that foster personal and social responsibility, multicultural competence, and interpersonal and technical communication skills for leadership in the 21st century to ensure specific student outcomes. The competent gifted education specialist:
1) maintains high expectations
for all gifted and talented students, as evidenced in meaningful cognitively
and creatively challenging activities;
2) recognizes, accommodates and helps to
remediate the limitations of gifted students with special needs in meeting
production demands;
3) provides
opportunities for self-exploration, development and pursuit of interests and
development of identities supportive of achievement (e.g., through mentors and
role models);
4) creates
environments that support trust among diverse learners;
5) provides feedback that focuses on effort,
evidence of potential to meet high standards and mistakes as learning
opportunities;
6) provides examples
of positive coping skills and opportunities to apply them;
7) understands the needs of gifted and
talented students for both solitude and social interaction;
8) provides opportunities for gifted and
talented students to interact with intellectual and artistic and creative
peers, as well as with chronological-age peers;
9) provides students with special needs with
opportunities to interact with both intellectual and emotional-age peers and
with other gifted and talented students with special needs;
10) assesses and provides instruction on
social skills needed for school, community and the world of work;
11) establishes a safe and welcoming climate
for addressing social issues and developing personal responsibility;
12) provides environments for developing many
forms of leadership and leadership skills;
13) promotes opportunities for leadership in
community settings to effect positive change;
14) models appreciation for and sensitivity
to students' diverse backgrounds and languages;
15) censures discriminatory language and
behavior, and models appropriate strategies for addressing social issues,
including discrimination and stereotyping;
16) provides structured opportunities to
collaborate with diverse peers on a common goal;
17) provides opportunities for advanced
development and maintenance of first and second languages;
18) provides resources to enhance oral,
written and artistic forms of communication, recognizing students' cultural
context; and
19) ensures access to
advanced communication tools, including assistive technologies, and use of
these tools for expressing higher-level thinking and creative
productivity.
e) The competent gifted education specialist is aware of empirical evidence regarding the cognitive, creative and affective development of gifted and talented students, and programming that meets their concomitant needs. Competent teachers use this expertise systematically and collaboratively to develop, implement and effectively manage comprehensive services for students with a variety of gifts and talents to ensure specific student outcomes. The competent gifted education specialist:
1) regularly
uses multiple alternative approaches to accelerate learning;
2) regularly uses enrichment options to
extend and deepen learning opportunities within and outside of the school
setting;
3) regularly uses multiple
forms of grouping, including clusters, resource rooms, special classes or
special schools;
4) regularly uses
individualized learning options, such as mentorships, internships, online
courses and independent study;
5)
regularly uses current technologies, including online learning options and
assistive technologies, to enhance access to high-level programming;
6) demonstrates support for gifted programs
through equitable allocation of resources and demonstrated willingness to
ensure that gifted and talented students receive appropriate educational
services;
7) collaborates with
educators in gifted, general and special education programs, as well as those
in specialized areas, to collaboratively plan, develop and implement services
for gifted and talented students;
8) regularly engages families and community
members for the purposes of planning, programming, evaluating and
advocating;
9) tracks expenditures
at the school level to verify appropriate and sufficient funding for gifted
programming and services;
10)
develops thoughtful, multi-year program plans in talent areas relative to
students in prekindergarten through grade 12;
11) creates policies and procedures to guide
and sustain all components of the program, including assessment,
identification, acceleration practices and grouping practices, that are built
on an evidence-based foundation in gifted education;
12) provides professional guidance and
counseling for individual student strengths, interests and values;
and
13) facilitates mentorships,
internships and vocational programming experiences that match student interests
and aptitudes.
f) The competent gifted education specialist formally assesses professional development needs related to standards, develops and monitors development plans, systematically engages in training to meet identified needs and demonstrates mastery of standards through the assessment of relevant student outcomes. The competent gifted education specialist:
1) participates in ongoing,
research-supported professional development that addresses the foundations of
gifted education, education of gifted students with special needs,
characteristics of students with gifts and talents, assessment, curriculum
planning and instruction, learning environments and programming;
2) provides professional development for
teachers that models how to develop environments and instructional activities
that encourage students to express diverse characteristics and behaviors that
are associated with giftedness;
3)
stays current regarding key issues affecting gifted students, such as
anti-intellectualism, and trends in gifted education, such as equity and
access;
4) provides human and
material resources needed for professional development in gifted education
(e.g., release time, funding for continuing education, substitute support,
webinars, mentors);
5) expands the
support system for gifted and talented students and their families by
connecting them to organizations and publications relevant to gifted
education;
6) assesses his or her
instructional practices on an ongoing basis and, based on these assessments,
continues his or her professional development related to gifted education
through the school district's staff development, professional organizations and
higher education settings;
7)
assesses evidence of the impact of new instructional approaches both on teacher
practice and student learning;
8)
leverages multiple modes of delivering professional development, including
online courses, online gifted-related communities, workshops, professional
learning communities and book "talks";
9) identifies and addresses areas in his or
her professional development plans for personal growth in the teaching of
gifted and talented students;
10)
responds to cultural and personal frames of reference when teaching gifted and
talented students; and
11) complies
with rules, policies and standards of ethical practice.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Illinois may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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