Friday, November 15, 2013

How Does the Perseverance Model Fit?


Last module we read ch. 11 and Castellano's Perseverance Model. In that chapter, he described the model in relation to gifted Hispanic students. In reality, the elements of that model apply across all populations. Now that you have completed Module 3, please describe how the elements of this model can help you to identify giftedness among students in your classroom. Describe how this model helps you to understand the TABs in more depth?

65 comments:

  1. The Perseverance Model has given me a new insight into how much resilience and perseverance our underserved populations in gifted must go through. Castellano and Frazier (2011) state it best: “(this model) serves as a clear tool for how gifted Hispanic students show they are resilient and must overcome barriers and persevere over conditions that often are outside of their control. Those who can successfully navigate this process are demonstrating the exact qualities that make them unique...” It is through this new lens of perspective that I can look at giftedness among my many different students.
    As I look at my group of diverse, rural gifted students, I see in each one a unique perseverance that I can now appreciate. With my one ESL Hispanic student, I now can see that his hard work and need for clarification is one trait of overcoming his obstacle of coming from a Spanish-only speaking household. In fact, my other two Hispanic students come from Spanish speaking homes as well. With my many black gifted students, I can now appreciate that they are fighting against a community who doesn’t value education and intelligence as much as other suburban areas, and must overcome the idea that failure is a norm for them (p.103). These students must be comfortable with their own talents and gifts in order rise above and not succumb to peer pressures. My one Asian boy, I see now, must cope with parental pressure and monitoring (p. 17) and refute stereotypes and discrimination (p. 21). Most of my students, Whites and other, are from rural, working-class backgrounds where academics may not be seen as important, and many struggle with poverty and instable home environments. These students also will need to overcome incorrect regional dialect and grammatical deficiencies, and often low-standardized tests (p. 33). Simply looking carefully at the various backgrounds and differences each of my students bring to my classroom makes me appreciate them all even more.

    The Perseverance Model helps me interpret the TABS to better meet the needs of my students by viewing the gifted traits and behaviors as related to their individual backgrounds and community, not related to a traditional White advantaged background. In particular, I need to consider the backgrounds and support my students do not have and view how well they are rising above the communal norms, and related to their own peers, not those in a different school system.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that you have completed Module 3, please describe how the elements of this model can help you to identify giftedness among students in your classroom. Describe how this model helps you to understand the TABs in more depth?

    I have been thinking about this model in relation to one of my students since the last blog post. In the last post, I had mentioned one of my students who is 1) African-American, 2) comes from a low income family, and 3) has experienced trauma in her life with watching her mom get killed in the April 27th tornado. Thinking now, I would definitely consider this student as one who should be considered under the perseverance model. All three of these aspects could be considered as barriers under the model in terms of being different from the mainstream American culture.
    Prior to these recent readings, I would have considered this student as "average." She has not shown critical thinking skills in an sense of the word, although her appetite for learning (and reading books) has been insatiable. I always saw some "gifted" traits, but until now I would not have thought about it as what Castellano identifies as resilience. Now, I realize that this child embodies the word resilience. Her insatiable appetite for reading and completing independent projects - in and outside of the classroom - is one aspect of this. With the art and Spanish teacher, I have also started to see that so much of her learning and motivation has been cast into these areas. I have also learned more about the events surrounding my child immediately after the tornado, and while I won't share I can tell you they weren't pretty. She was selectively mute for awhile afterward, for one. She still won't talk about that time, but she has been able to express it some in her art, and I think for me that shows a lot of resilience and perseverance. I think I really must cut her some slack in terms of what I classify as "gifted" versus who she is. She has actually achieved a lot given some of the differences and barriers she has overcome.
    I give this personal anecdote as my idea that the perseverance model has shown me that I cannot rate all students on the TABS based on the same mainstream American perspective, but I need to take into account individual differences and possible challenges in background that students have had to overcome. This can help me be more equitable in recognizing who in my classroom is gifted.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Being from a white, middle class background myself, reading about the culturally diverse populations of gifted students and their gifted behaviors has really opened my eyes to the way in which I view my students. I have really reflected on my own perceptions of giftedness and how my cultural background has heavily influenced the way in which I view the gifts and talents in my students.

    Each of the components in The Perseverance Model is somewhat of an obstacle or gatekeeper that many of our gifted students must overcome; those that stood out to me as having the greatest influence were: identification, dynamics of the home, level of acculturation, socioeconomics, and perceptions and stereotypes. I need to seek out more information in these areas of the model for my students so that I can have a better understanding of the factors that most heavily influence the demonstration of their talents and gifts in the school environment. I have been challenged to appreciate the gifted behaviors of children from backgrounds other than my own; as a result, it also influences the way in which I would complete the TABS for students in areas like humor and communication. I was very intrigued learning about Native American and Asian students this week, especially in the area of communication. The "American" way is to be extroverted, outspoken, and able to communicate your ideas well; but students and their families from other backgrounds may not value this trait in this way, and therefore if we are holding them against the white, middle-class standard for communication, we are inadvertently excluding students. I agree with Ford, Harris, Tyson & Trotman (2002) on pg. 83 where they explained, "...These traits and behaviors may not be construed as just 'differences' but as 'deficits'." I think I have often unknowingly viewed differences as deficits! That sentence really spoke to me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe that most all gifted students have obstacles that they must persevere to feel accepted by their peers. This is especially true of gifted students who really struggle with asynchronous development. On top of asynchronous development, a large portion of our gifted population is also overcoming cultural differences between their home life and school expectations. Throughout this semester, it has been reveal time and time again that difficult cultures value different things and educational values vary greatly from culture to culture. As a teacher, I must know and understand the cultural values of the students in my classroom before I am able to objectively evaluate them through the TABS Observation Form. I must take in in depth look into their culture and base every trait, aptitude, and behavior based on their culture not the culture of the majority or my own culture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Perseverance Model was especially interesting for me because not only do I teach gifted students, I also teach English language learners. However none of my EL students have yet been identified as gifted learners. This is an area in which I plan to take a closer look.
    This model gives me better insight to interpret TABS by viewing traits and behavior based on "their" culturally diverse backgrounds, not mine.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As I was reading through the Perseverance Model by Castellano, I realized this can obviously apply to more than just Hispanic students as it was originally intended. Many of my students suffer from low SES, come from a "rough" home life, and would fall in several stereotypes as well. All those factors certainly create barriers for any child to have to overcome. These struggles help me realize that being identified as gifted means so much more than taking a test. As Castellano and Frazier said "There should be no gatekeeper in programs designed to educate the best our nation has to offer." This is truly applicable for all our students, we as teachers should realize their culture should not hold them back in life or keep them from reaching their full potential.For example, I must remember that my ELL students may be very bright and gifted even if their communication skills are not very high. It is our responsibility to look past their "barriers" and provide the best education for them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Perseverance Model was very interesting to me because of the various students within my classroom (and previous classrooms) and also with my boyfriend. As I mentioned before, he is African-American and we are from very similar backgrounds, but have had extremely different experiences which contributed to his "deficits". He had many struggles in life, but was always in gifted classes. These trials contributed to his success and helped to inspire him to become more than what was expected of him. It helped me realize the power that we have as teachers to encourage our students that they can be anything that they want to be. The Perseverance Model reiterated this thought for me and continued to widen my thoughts and ideas behind students' behaviors. This knowledge gave me a better grasp of how to interpret TABS and students' behaviors based on their various backgrounds.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think it is very important to look at a variety of assessments when determining who should be tested for gifted. Castellano’s Perseverance Model identifies several areas we as educators need to be mindful of when making this determination. We should not look at just one IQ test for entrance into the program. Many of our students are verbal and do not perform well on these types of tests. Also, creativity is not measured on tests like the NNAT. We must help our teachers understand the importance of the TABs and make sure they view each child based on their background as opposed to our traditional views. Our definition and views of certain traits, aptitudes, and behaviors may not be the same as those who are racially, ethnically, or linguistically different from us. Thus, we may unfairly fail to identify students. As hard as we try, we do misidentify kids. However, through resilience and perseverance many of them are tested again after the second grade. My seventh grade male student that I spoke about in the last blog is a great example of this. He was not identified in the second grade. He did not get placed until fifth grade. He comes from a low socio-economic background. I personally have seen him preserve through many situations. He is very misunderstood and has a lot of personal issues.
    Demisha stough

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with the previous comment about testing. I think that by giving only one screener to all students we are not taking their needs into account. The NNAT is a non -verbal screener that is suppose to identify more students, but what I have found in my short time with Second Grade Child Find is that we are missing students. We had several students this past year that did not pass screener, but luckily they had TABs scores that sent them for further testing. When given a verbal test, the students presented great scores. I guess I say that to say that by looking at the model and TABs we see areas of strengths for students that are not covered with a test.

    ReplyDelete
  10. In working to identify students, it is easy to overlook students based on their performance in the classroom. However, after studying the Perseverance Model, I recognize that many students show gifted characteristics in various ways. Understanding how home life, socioeconomic status, and stereotypes (among other things) can become barriers for our students is key in identifying their gifted abilities. Looking at their coping mechanisms, attitudes, and passions can help when completing the TABs form. Whereas before, I might have overlooked a talent or behavior because I was not familiar with the child's culture; now, I will work to encourage and challenge their differences and abilities. I see now more than ever how vital a teacher's encouragement and expectations can be for students.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The perseverance model sheds an interesting light on the added difficulties that special population students face in receiving gifted services. It is simply not an opportunity that is afforded without diligence, awareness, advocacy, and perseverance. The model provides a complex collection of variables that increase in depth and complexity as poverty level increases. It also helps me clearly see that this might be the very reason my program has such limited representation from special populations. In carefully looking at the elements of the model laid out in chapter 11 I do feel that our school dynamics, assessment and evaluation (use of the NNAT non-verbal screener) and awareness of socioeconomic status as a delimiter are working but we do not do a good job of taking into account home dynamics, socialized environment and acculturation. These are possible areas of focus and improvement. The model, and the diagram in particular, help me to see that there are many additional hurdles to jump for special populations to acquire gifted identification and services. This model actually helps me understand the Bright, Talented and Black text to a greater degree. When looked at through the lens of the perseverance model it is an excellent tool for parents as advocates and speaks specifically to many of the obstacles on the diagram. A similar text written exclusively for Hispanic families might help those students and families as they navigate gifted services.
    In terms of the TABs greater and more careful attention to ratings are critical. Appropriate definitions of the descriptors and behaviors in relation to the students culture are also critical. For example, my one sweet little Hispanic student is incredibly quiet. If asked to identify and rank his skills as a leader at the beginning of the year I would have scored him very low. Having learned how the Hispanic community views our "Americanized" definition of leadership I am now able to look for the quieter characteristics of leadership and observe his management when involved in group activates and can see very clearly he has leadership qualities, perhaps even more so than the loud and commanding leader. I am able to look at many of the TABs characteristics differently now.
    Lindsey Irvin

    ReplyDelete
  12. In my small time in the Gifted Program I have seen students with gifted characteristics go without these being clearly recognized. Every part of education has flaws , but it is how we tend to mending these flaws that counts. I believe that all teachers need to be familiar with the TABS and how to apply these to their students. Things such as socioeconomic background and home dynamics can alter the way students exhibit humor , display motivation , and communicate. I have a student that communicates very well after you get to know her , but for the first two months of coming to my class she didn’t communicate much at all. This model reminds me of those things that should definitely be considered in identification that are sometimes overlooked. Learning about all these different cultures and the variables in this model is an eye opener as to how easy it can be to overlook very important details. I will be more aware of these things in the future concerning the TABS and identifying students.
    Katrina Kimbrell

    ReplyDelete
  13. All students come from a unique background that makes them who they are. Students have different socioeconomic, cultural, linguistic, racial, and personal backgrounds that make them all a part of our diverse society. As a teacher in a rural school system with no Hispanic students, it was easy for me to look at The Perseverance Model to see how it could be used with students from other cultural backgrounds.
    Some of the problems addressed when it came to Hispanics were low socioeconomic status, uneducated/uninvolved parents, low expectations from teachers and parents, and a distracting home environment. These are problems that are faced by many students other than Hispanics. Students who live in poverty lack resources to reach their full intellectual potential. Also, it is sad to say, but all students are typically stereotyped by others including their teachers. There are a lot of students that may have been overlooked when it came to being considered for the gifted program based on their race or socioeconomic status.
    The Perseverance Model lists several ways to keep students from diverse cultures from being underrepresented. One thing I think is important is making sure that we are assessing students in the best way where their intellectual strengths can be shown. All students are unique in their way of thinking and the way we test them for the gifted program is important in tapping into their talent. It is also important to remember the dynamics of the home. You have to look at their talents based on their cultural background, how they were raised, and how they have overcome certain obstacles to be able to display their giftedness. I believe socioeconomics is a huge factor to look at when looking at gifted children. If parents do not have the resources to teach their children at home, then the children are usually behind at school. Also, parents who may have to work multiple jobs may not be around to give their children extra attention intellectually.
    The Perseverance Model helps me to understand TABs in a better way because it shows what these students have to overcome to rise to being categorized as gifted. Teachers need to look at these different ideas from The Perseverance Model when looking at Communication Skills, Interests, Imaginative Creativity, etc. in the TABs form. We need to realize that students from different backgrounds will demonstrate different abilities that could fit into TABs in a different way.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Using this model as well as TABS I can see more of a student's abilities and make better decisions when lesson planning. Seeing the whole school in music class is great; I get to see them outside of the regular classroom and possibly bring out talents and abilities the classroom teacher doesn't get to see. I haven't had much experience in a rural setting or low socioeconomic status, but as I work towards SEW and my educational future it will be good to have an understanding of these things.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Perseverance Model fits in nicely with TABS in the sense that it can significantly help teachers using the TABS forms to consider a different cultural background from their own in evaluating a student. The diagram shows different areas that might pose difficulties for students of different and minority backgrounds. Without an awareness of cultural differences and how these manifest, teachers might miss a potentially gifted candidate or could fail to recognize certain characteristics which are present in gifted students. The TABS forms could easily be paired with the Perseverance Model to ensure equity in evaluation and response; I feel that many teachers probably do not take low socioeconomic background or different cultural and ethnic traits into consideration when they are evaluating a student, and this can make scores trend negatively if such characteristics and situations are not acknowledged. Children grow up in very different situations and the impact of these differences can be massive; being culturally sensitive and responsive in evaluation will help teachers to more accurately evaluate students.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Perseverance Model can help me to identify giftedness among my students by making me aware of areas that need to be considered when screening students for gifted education. All students come from different backgrounds and experiences. When identifying and evaluating these students, several aspects should be taken into consideration. It is important to look at their home environment, social groups, language, socioeconomic status, dynamics of the school and their classroom, among other things. These children, despite their past experiences and culture, should be equally considered. Stereotypes can get in the way and I feel that I should have high expectations for all. I believe that the perseverance model helps to highlight students who turn motivation into action. They are the ones who want to overcome the challenges that have been given to them and excel.

    I have never worked with either model, the Perseverance Model or TABs. This has helped me to realize that the Perseverance Model is a tool that acknowledges the problems that students face that are outside of their control. (Castellano & Frazier, 259) I have learned that a variety of screening models should be used. This would ensure a broad perspective of the students and help the teacher to make a clear judgment.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Castellano’s Perseverance Model takes into account all the factors that mold and shape any child, not just the gifted and talented. As it relates to Gifted and Talented Education and the identification of students in our classrooms, the Perseverance Model defines variations that are bound to exist in any culture because of beliefs; customs; upbringing; native language; country of origin; and views of family, school, and society. To correctly use Castellano’s model, I must be culturally aware of the various backgrounds that do exist in my classroom. If I do not understand the factors that shape the environment of the child and their perspectives on life (at least to this point in their development), then using the model becomes simply another way to enforce the norms of white, middle class America on my students. However, when I see each student in my class as independent of the other, than identifying the gifted and talented child begins with assessment and perceived need for advanced or more challenging coursework. Identification then continues along a continuum to incorporate all the intricacies of the learner and whether or not the child has developed gifted and talented behaviors and traits, potentially foreign to me, but completely recognizable by those with whom he or she shares a cultural heritage. The diagnosis of the gifted is correctly made when the environmental, social, emotional, as well as intellectual factors create the picture of the whole learner and the whole student. I think because of stereotypes associated with various cultural groups, it is easy to mistakenly identify or unintentionally overlook some children with gifted and talented behaviors because the use of the Perseverance Model becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. We may look at the model and anticipate or think we know the information relevant to the categories, based purely on assumptions we think to be true about a demographic. To avoid this, the Perseverance Model must be used objectively, with a cultural understanding of the various groups of learners in the room and how these cultural variations can manifest themselves in truly gifted behaviors that extend far beyond what has become the norm for white, middle-class, America.

    I have never worked with TABs, but with respect to the ten areas used in the student observation, the cultural context for what a student finds interesting, is motivated by, wants to question (or if his/her culture allows for just questioning), what they find funny, how they communicate, the way in which they reason or problem solve, and what they define as creative leads to greater potential for not only cultural understanding, but also for identifying students from various backgrounds as demonstrating gifted and talented behaviors. TABS allows for learning assessed on the perceived traits, behaviors, and attitudes of gifted students, but the student’s cultural experiences and unique environmental circumstances may yield measures that redefine what is meant by the ten categories; a redefinition that may even be unfamiliar to the assessor of the test. With both Castellan’s Perseverance Model and TABS, the most important aspect is that the educators, school, and community be willing to accept and understand the cultural differences that make each child unique, and to understand that each child’s uniqueness may lead to gifted and talented behaviors that are less recognizable, but just as powerful in the lives of the learner and potentially the community.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The elements of The Perseverance Model are easily applicable to all students. By acknowledging these components we are gaining an understanding of the whole child and all that shapes them. As a Gifted and Talented teacher, it is my job to encourage classroom teachers to reach beyond their standard interpretations of gifted behaviors and recognize those behaviors in students who are culturally different from them.
    There are several specific areas in the TABs that can be heavily influenced by a teacher’s cultural biases. As I stated in my previous blog post in this module, I have worked a great deal with 4 different 2nd grade teachers over the last few weeks on correctly identifying and assessing 5 ELL students. We have discussed in depth the ways that culture can affect the areas of communication, humor, and leadership. I have a much more in-depth understanding now!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I believe that the Perseverance Model helps identify giftedness in my classroom especially in terms of cultural differences and learning styles, as well as social norms related to “under identified” gifted students. Since I do not complete the TABS forms for my 2nd grade CF – I can not truly speak to their results. However, after paying closer attention to the culturally and linguistically differences of some of my students – I believe that I would rank fairly dramatically different on their TABS scores than I would prior to the reading and videos completed in class.
    I think of one Asian student who rarely offers his opinion in my class. On a TABS form, he may be considered as unmotivated or having a lack of interest/ inquiry. However, I believe that his cultural background has cultivated his personality – and it is one that I respect. His culture is not one to show success in public nor to draw attention to oneself. I am actually very glad to see that he chooses to honor his culture rather than attempt to change who he is to assimilate to ours. He is an outstanding student and well liked – simply quiet.
    The readings have helped me understand that the TABS form must take into consideration the differences of each student in order to accurately score the characteristics. However, as it has been stated, that requires professional development for teachers and administration. I believe this is currently a huge gap in our educational system. Teachers and administration need to be trained to recognize the cultural differences of RELD students and incorporate that knowledge into all aspects of the curriculum and school environment.

    I believe the Perseverance Model offers us a specific outline of how to learn about and then institute a classroom that provides Cultural competency on a school wide level. I believe that the TAG teachers may need to step up and provide examples and suggestions to regular education classroom teachers in order for them to teach to the individual child rather than assuming that a child is unmotivated or lacking communication skills (as an example). Most of all, I believe that the Perseverance Model needs to be adopted from the administration level – in order for it to be accepted and understood by teachers in all classes.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Castellano’s Perseverance Model can be used to reach all students regardless of their culture or ethnicity. As we have learned thus far in SPE 584, diversity is much more than skin color. When we stop and look at where our students come from, we can identify the diversity in all of them. I think the overall awareness we are gaining will help to identity students from all backgrounds and allow for a much more diverse group of students. As teachers, we want to ensure that our students are successful and are offered the best chances possible in life. Learning how to offer our students different ways to express themselves through type I, II, and IIIs ensures that we do offer our students the best chances at success. As Dr. Reis spoke in the video, I could see her passion for teaching others how to identify and teach Twice Exceptional students. I think with the changing of times and a greater tolerance for diversity among students, one of the hardest aspects to have general education teachers understand is the Twice Exceptional student. We can use the Perseverance Model to ensure success of all students.

    ReplyDelete
  21. All students come from different backgrounds and cultures. It is important that teachers understand this and use these differences to build the best classroom and educational experiences possible. Castellano’s Perseverance Model points to numerous ways our students can be different. This can be beneficial in all classrooms. I would love to see this model paired with TABs to point out to teachers that do not teach G/T that they need to look beyond “mainstream America” when identifying G/T students.

    As a teacher who does not currently teach G/T, I find that the Perseverance Model helps be achieve a deeper understanding of TABs through illustrating exact areas my students can differ from the generic idea of G/T. It is important to have an understanding of diverse cultures as well as a willingness to apply this knowledge. This chart supports my desire to apply my knowledge by breaking down the vast areas of differences into understandable chunks. I have never had to complete TABs on a student; however, I look forward to applying my knowledge of TABs from last semester and the Perseverance Model from this semester to give a well-rounded approach to identifying G/T students in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  22. As a first year teacher, I have learned so much about diversity and the importance of differentiation. I knew that I would have diverse students, but I did not realize the discrepancies between minority/RELD students and identification for gifted education. Reading and learning about culturally diverse students and how to identify them as gifted individuals has helped me to better meet the needs of my students this year. I thoroughly benefitted from reading about the perseverance model by Castellano. This tool helps “students show they are resilient and must overcome barriers and persevere over conditions that often are outside of their control” (pg. 256). The eleven variables have opened my eyes to the ways that my students overcome adversity in their lives.
    As I was reading and analyzing this model, I immediately thought of one student in my classroom who is not identified as gifted. He has had to overcome so many obstacles in his life: divorce, death of a parent and grandparent, blended families and adapting to a new school. Towards the end of last semester he went through a very emotionally hard time which reflected in his school work. Prior to knowing about the trials he was going through I was less graceful and understanding. I now see him through a different lens. This model will help me to identify the areas of his life that he needs to be more resilient in and the areas that he has persevered. This model will also help me to understand TABs in more depth because when I do assess students through TABs I will now include more variables when scoring students. I will think about the eleven different areas and how each child specifically has persevered or lacked resiliency. I will look at TABs on an individual basis; rather than comparing students to each other I will compare the student to the obstacles and background of his/her life.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Reading Chapter 11 as well as using the Perseverance Model to watch Reel Injun, my mind was opened!! I had no idea how many ways these students have to deal with their differences. I need to be much more mindful when deal with my own students who all come from different cultures than me. Just because someone doesn’t look or think like me doesn’t make them any less gifted. And when trying to rate students on their talents, aptitude, achievements and behaviors, we have to remember what is important in their cultures and give it corresponding values. It’s unfair to rate them all on the same scale if they are all working differently. -Anna Miller

    ReplyDelete
  24. The Perseverance Model provides indicators to observe and consider while identifying Hispanic and/or other underrepresented groups for gifted education. For example, identification describes the need for advanced academic services based on the student’s demonstration of that need. If classroom teachers are not adequately trained, they will not pick up on it because of the student’s lack of not “looking/acting like a ‘typical’ gifted student.” The perceptions, attitudes, and stereotyping of teachers and administrators build hurdles and blockades in the identification process. Most of the time it is not intentional, but from lack of training.

    Using the various indicators from the Perseverance Model together with the TABs would allow the teacher, administrator, and parent to provide stronger and reliable evidence for all students but mostly the underrepresented groups. For example, combining the understanding of communication skills from TABs and considering the language patterns and acculturation of the Preference Model would provide more accurate information to know which language to use while testing and what IQ test to use.

    Using the 11 indicators from the Perseverance Model makes me look at the ten traits, attributes and behaviors more intently. For example, observing insight, the exceptional ability to draw inferences and being keenly observant, might look differently for a student in an underrepresented group. It is important to weigh in all the factors before making the final decision.

    ReplyDelete
  25. If I have learned nothing more this month, I have learned that diversity of culture is far more complicated than I thought. With this new knowledge of the complication in mind from now on, I can apply those ideas to everything that I now take in as a learning teacher. In applying the Perseverance Model's areas to the process of gifted student identification, the process is broadened. If all of the aspects of Castellano's model are truly considered, the TABs becomes a much more effective tool for identification. Various behaviors and traits are looking more like indicators of giftedness to me; whereas before, I would have been looking for the "typical gifted kid" behaviors. With all of that being said, I feel as if classroom teachers need to be given an opportunity for some of this eye-opening and I hope that I will be able to bring the things that I am learning to light if given the opportunity (as I am not currently teaching GT).

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love what Nellie said about the Perseverance Model being a lens through which to see all the different factors that have shaped a child – and not just the gifted and talented ones, either.

    My eyes have most assuredly been opened to what diversity truly is; prior to this class, I was just looking for diversity. Since January, I have learned that there are a multitude of factors to take into account when considering diversity. My mind has been blown. When I thought of a gifted child, I thought of the well behaved, eager-to-learn, good-at-everything type of student who never erred from the path of what is considered appropriate in school. In being introduced to and reading about the Perseverance Model, I now see that giftedness is just as diverse as my student body and that I must take into consideration the culture and background of each student.

    In thinking about the elements of the Perseverance Model and what little I know about the TABs, I feel like my school’s current G&T teacher does an excellent job in identifying students. In thinking back to conversations I’ve had with her in the past about certain students, I now see how she has taken into consideration many of the areas of the Perseverance Model. I look forward to pairing what I’ve learned about the Perseverance Model with the TABs in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The Perseverance Model has opened helped me see things about giftedness in a new way. Before, I was simply looking for behaviors that I came in contact with through the students I teach (gifted education). Therefore, when I would go in 2nd grade classrooms to conduct my Child Find lessons, I would bring the behaviors associated with giftedness with me. This model has helped me to realize that diversity is so much more than the color of ones skin. When I look at the dynamics of home part of the model, I have a student that immediately comes to mind. Most people associate giftedness with a well to-do family who may communicate with the child on a regular basis. However, some students that I have came in contact with are the exact opposite, but they are extremely gifted. This model has helped to look further into the meaning of diversity and look past what is evident and search for what is not.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I could not view the video above. However, after studying the perseverance model, I view TABs as a somewhat biased way to assess student behaviors. For example, hispanics who do not speak the same language as their teacher and most other students may receive a low score on communication because of the language barrier. Because of differing cultures and the language barrier, I feel that scores on other traits such as motivation, interests, humor, and leadership may also be affected which could possibly prevent the student(s) from receiving gifted education services. A more unbiased way to assess students should be created and implemented to improve gifted education.

    ReplyDelete
  29. In its simplest form, the understanding that I keep coming back to is to know the students. Granted, this is a very uncomplicated statement for a very complicated subject. However, in the reading for Module 3 (much of which blew my mind), I couldn't help but think that truly it all goes back to knowing your students and having an understanding of their inherent culture.

    I feel as though all gifted students must endure a certain amount of perseverance and resilience in order to be successful. Gifted students do have a different social skills set than the average student, and most find certain situations difficult because of this. This is compounded for students experiencing cultural and linguistic differences. I loved reading through chapter 15 on the misdiagnosis of gifted learners. Although it seems an elementary principle, it was a bit of an "a-ha" moment for me to read the analogy of the cardiologist and to apply that to CLD students. Have we taken into account all of the thought processes that these students have gone through just to arrive at the same conclusion as their peers? It's interesting to consider.

    I also found it interesting to read about the differences in Hispanic culture vs Anglo (321). While standing apart from the group is respected in Anglo culture, Hispanic students are commonly taught humility and cooperation. Therefore, the Hispanic student may not "stand out" in a regular ed teachers mind as much as the other child who is generally more boastful and confident in questioning and answering. This applies to TABs, in that each child's culture and personality should be heavily considered.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Understanding perseverance and resilience has helped me better understand why minority cultures are underrepresented in gifted programs. It stands to reason that the more hurdles a student has to overcome in life and in academics, the lesser degree his or her potential is being met, or is being recognized. Leadership skills that are valued in the dominant culture may not be the skills that are valued, cultivated, and expressed in other cultures, yet they are just as important and should be recognized. The amount of acculturation may determine how much certain qualities are valued (e.g., a family that has just moved to the U.S from Guatemala could value certain qualities differently than a second or third generation Guatemalan family). In addition, stereotypes of gifted children (harmful to the dominant culture) can be even more harmful to minority cultures, especially when influencing identification. These students may be overlooked because they do not fit what a teacher thinks a gifted student should be.

    ReplyDelete
  31. My views on the diversity of my gifted and talented students has completely changed since beginning SPE 584! I already feel as if I am more equipped to view the diversity of my students in culture and in their abilities. For example, I have a student who seems to be struggling in the general education classroom. Before this class, I even questioned how he was able to test into the program due to his lack of effort and low grades! However, after studying the different ways diversity reveals itself in the gifted and talented classroom, I have now learned that it isn't a lack of ability in those subject areas but more of a boredom with the curriculum, little support from home, and low expectation from his teachers due to what he has done all year. I sat down with him and developed some goals for higher achievement in his regular education classes and have enrolled myself as his advocate with his teachers. Since our conversation, his sense of responsibility and effort has completely changed! He no longer views school as a place where he is just going to get in trouble for underachievement, even though the expectation for him was to be an underachiever, but he looks forward to coming to school and is excited about proving to his teachers that he is smart and CAN do the work. He is now fighting through the previous expectations his teachers had and proving to them that there is much more to him than he was showing. He looks forward to me coming into his classroom and talking to his teachers about his work. There is a sense of pride in his accomplishments that was not there at the beginning of the year. The attitude of the classroom teachers, toward him, has now changed as well. He is no longer viewed as a student who will only get by with minimal effort but as a student who CAN self-motivate and accomplish the learning task at hand. It's funny how all it took was someone stepping into his corner and showing him that they care. Someone to give him some accountability and truly believe that he can achieve. Someone to break those achievements down into attainable goals and work with him on how to achieve those goals. All along he had it in him to persevere, he just failed to see it in himself until someone believed in him and showed him that he could.

    ReplyDelete
  32. although TABS is a different approach to getting teachers to understand their children, it's just that - another way. i believe that no matter the test - the most important thing is knowing the students. being familiar with them in many ways and understanding and appreciating their culture is the most important step any teacher can take. training as we talk about before the foremost issue to deal with TABS. i\the better connected the teacher and student - the more successfully and accurately you can fill out the TABS.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Now that you have completed Module 3, please describe how the elements of this model can help you to identify giftedness among students in your classroom. Describe how this model helps you to understand the TABs in more depth?

    "The perseverance model offers a clear explanation for why Hispanic students continue to be an underrepresented group in gifted education. It presents both individual and institutional variables that impact issues of equity and access and can be seen as a validation for the need to review and include a cross-section of information and data when identifying Hispanics for gifted education." (Castellano 256)

    Castellano's model reminded me of a Hispanic student that was placed last year in our school's gifted program. He came from a school about five miles away, where he was placed in their gifted program under Second Grade Child Find. He scored pretty well on NNAT and his TABS was high in some areas. Since he was previously placed in Alabama, he was eligible in our program as well. He was extremely quiet in his first few weeks with the other students and with me. I assumed his hesitancy was because of him being new and not really sure how everything worked at our school. As we all got to know him more and asked questions, he opened up more and we all began to see why he was placed.

    After showing Castellano's Perseverance Model to the student's teachers from last year, we spoke about how our concerns were with ourselves, not the student. We worried that we might not have placed him if we had filled out the TABS and it had been up to us. Would we have considered his social environment, his family and school dynamics, research on gifted education and Hispanic students? Would we have taken his perceptions, attitudes, and learning styles when making a decision about services?

    The answer was we did not know. The model forces you to look a little bit deeper and think a lot more about the child as an individual. It forced us to ask ourselves some hard questions and change our own perspective about identification. When we look at TABS and the Renzulli Behavior Rating Scales, we will use this Model as another tool to make a more meaningful and established decision for every single student.

    Katherine Kiser

    ReplyDelete
  34. The perseverance model shows all the different aspects of a child's life that we need to consider while screening them for giftedness. Similar to twice-exceptional students, or students with specific disabilities that perform at a normal level, overcoming their disability, students of different cultures must overcome certain aspects of their lives to achieve.
    As a teacher looking for giftedness in children, we must consider these differences and the power and determination used to overcome these discrepancies.
    The TABS observation form is a fairly subjective assessment that allows teachers to rate a child's motivation, interests, communication skills, problem-solving ability, humor, inquiry, leadership, reasoning, imagination, and insight. Each item has a description to assist the teacher in scoring the student. This is where cultural differences should be considered. What if the child's family or culture has kept them from being exposed to activities that could lead to areas of great interest? What if the child's culture and upbringing have trained the child to give up on solving problems? The culture may unknowingly be hindering leadership skills? Children are taught how to behave by their home life, culture, and religious beliefs.
    By not taking these aspects into consideration, teachers are stereotyping students, therefore not uncovering possible giftedness.

    ReplyDelete
  35. We have identified in SPE 584, diversity is way more than skin color. If we stop and looking at where our students come from we will be able to identify the giftedness in all of them. I think the overall awareness we are gaining will help to identity students from all backgrounds and allow for a much more diverse group of students According to the text, "The perseverance model offers a clear explanation for why Hispanic students continue to be an underrepresented group in gifted education. It presents both individual and institutional variables that impact issues of equity and access and can be seen as a validation for the need to review and include a cross-section of information and data when identifying Hispanics for gifted education." (Castellano 256)

    ReplyDelete
  36. I have several students in my class that excel in my classroom, but teachers are always coming up to me asking why they are in my class. As Sally Reis said in her speech, the students are underachieving on material that may be below their level or are not given a chance to show or demonstrate using their strengths. Creativity is of course in the classroom but it is given stipulations and is not a true expression of creativity.
    I feel classrooms teachers are not trained enough in identification to pick up on some of the traits from RELD students. In the perseverance model the dynamics of the home and school play a major role in favor or against students. Also, perceptions of these students by teachers, admin., etc. based solely on ignorance and tunnel vision. Not all blame can be placed on teachers, but I totally agree if the teachers are not trained how can they know? Funding is what keeps some teachers in the dark, while it takes some teachers out of their comfort zone.

    ReplyDelete
  37. For me, the perseverance model goes beyond Hispanic students and helps me to understand the challenge of gaining access to gifted education programs for students of all skin colors and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Often on the TABS from 2nd grade teachers, I find the teacher-pleasers and straight-A students highly rated. While they may certainly be identified as gifted, I find not many students of races other than white referred. I also find few very low-socioeconomic students referred. Sometimes these students are re-referred in later years and are found to be gifted through that re-referral process. However, often by the time they are found to be eligible for gifted services, they have already lost a few years of access to the gifted program. I think this could be remedied in part by in-depth TABS characteristics training for 2nd grade teachers.

    My gifted classes consist of mostly white, low-economic students. I often am asked the question, "Why is he/she in gifted?" Or "What makes him/her gifted when this other child I referred isn't gifted?" When I explain the gifted characteristics, the teacher usually understands.

    The sections on Dynamics of the School and Socioeconomics speak volumes to what I have witnessed in gifted over the years.

    ReplyDelete
  38. The Perseverance Model is a very insightful graphic organizer that clearly organizes categories that should be considered when seeking out students with special gifts and talents. A careful consideration of each attribute will help a teacher or gifted specialist make sure that all areas are considered when trying to learn more about a student.
    One example of a category listed in the perseverance model is "Assessment and Evaluation". It is important that all parties involved carefully select the most effective assessment tool to evaluate a student based on certain criteria.
    Another aspect to consider when using the perseverance model is "Dynamics of the Home". What are the valued traits of this culture? Does the student demonstrate high achievement or potential in areas that are valued by his/her particular culture, but may not necessarily be valued by the mainstream population? What is the home situation like?
    A third area of importance mentioned in the perseverance model is socioeconomics. A child's lack of experiences and knowledge level will definitely have an impact on the identification process. If the playing field were leveled, it would give the student more of an opportunity to demonstrate special abilities. It is a tricky thing.

    The perseverance model definitely helps create a new viewpoint when examining the TABS, and viewing each child through culturally responsive lenses, considering all aspects, and not just the attributes listed on the TABS questionnaire.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Although the Perseverance Model was meant to describe all of the areas that Hispanic students have to show resiliency, it can be used to help identify giftedness among all RELD students. The 12 variables listed on the model can have an effect on how teachers perceive these students and their giftedness. The variable of perceptions, attitudes, and stereotypes is a big obstacle for RELD students to overcome. This variable can keep gifted students from being identified and therefore, not reaching their full potential. The variable of the Field of Gifted Education is an important one to consider, especially as our schools and classrooms continue to become more and more diverse. Gifted students are not just the cookie cutter, straight A students who follow directions and pay attention. The pool of gifted students is more diverse than ever and teachers need to be able to find the potential in all gifted students. Considering the Perseverance Model is important when scoring a TABs. Although there are specific categories on the TABs form, it is important to consider these other factors on the Perseverance Model that may have an effect on students. It is our duty as teachers to teach resiliency in these areas.

    ReplyDelete
  40. The Perseverance Model has helped me realize different aspects of giftedness and that diversity is much more than skin color. The student’s cultural background is also important because it shapes and molds the students into who they are as individuals. Most students from my district are white, and from lower socioeconomic and middle class backgrounds. The many problems that face Hispanics also affect many students from low socioeconomic areas. These problems may include poverty, unstable home environments, and uninvolved or absent parents. Sadly we tend to stereotype students based on their background and race; this explains why many students are overlooked for gifted services. I think teachers would benefit from The Perseverance Model and from TABS training when considering communication skills, creativity and interest. This model has helped me to strengthen my understanding of diversity and my desire to help all of my students reach their full potential.

    ReplyDelete
  41. While the perseverance model is specificially referencing gifted education challenges for Hispanic students, it can be applied to any RELD student. I do not have any experience teaching hispanic students in my four years of teaching, but I have always taught mostly African American children. By using this model I can effectively look past just the standout academic student by numerical standards and use the different areas of perseverance to identify students that while may not have the stand out score worked twice as hard to overcome these areas to get their scores. In doing this it just lets me know that it is ever more important for teachers to truly get to know their students personally and educate yourself as to the different cultures that make up your classroom. Without doing this there is no way to truly understand the areas of the perseverance model that you students may be up against and you as a teacher don't even know it!

    I believe that you have to take time to reflect on you RELD students against the perseverance model when scoring them on the TABS form. If you don't you may cost their entrance score because you scored them based on the typical "all American GT student standards". In many cases the RELD student worked much harder to prove themselves and that has to be taken into consideration.

    ReplyDelete
  42. After reading through Castellano’s Perseverance Model, it’s interesting how it can be applied to all populations, not just Hispanic students. I know I may not be the one filling out the TABs form, but it’s my job to make sure my second grade teachers are well informed and know how to do so properly. I need to make sure I stress the importance of not allowing stereotypes or their particular race/culture/religion to interfere with their judgment. It’s important to break down each characteristic and describe how it may or may not look in each and every student. As I was reading, I learned that many bilingual students are extremely creative, because they enjoy the challenge of a new vocabulary and grammar and also show a great deal of perseverance because they want to be able to understand the language and “get it right.” Before the readings, I would have never thought that being bilingual could possibly be a form of creativity. It’s interesting to see how much I learn with each module and how I’m slowly changing some of my original views of giftedness.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The main message I've been gathering from the readings is that giftedness looks different in different students. I had a fundamental understanding of that after last semester, but this semester has broadened my perspective into a more global outlook of "different". I need to keep my eyes open for more than one set of behaviors to indicate gifted ability. I was especially moved after reading that many cultures value cooperation and humility over competition and "standing out above the rest". They may even be expected by their parents and friends not to rise above. Without reading that, I would not have been drawn to the students who blend in to consider them for gifted services.
    This certainly has an affect on scoring TABS. This year, I will take a slightly different approach. Instead of simply thinking, "Does this student exhibit _______ trait?" I will ask myself, "What does ________ trait look like in this student's culture? Am I seeing THAT displayed?" This will take more effort, for sure; I'll need to be aware of what the traits look like in the different cultures in order to see them. The readings have been helpful, and more reading into the cultures of my particular student population will be beneficial as well.

    ReplyDelete
  44. The Perseverance Model highlights the multiple reasons why underserved populations are underrepresented in gifted education. I think one of the things that jumped out at me was the idea that language patterns affect how students are perceived. Not only are the majority of standardized tests in English, but we, as educators, are judging student performance from tests, projects, etc. all in English. While we make adaptations for our ELL students, we rarely think of these accommodations when it comes to enrichment activities. When you are testing a student, especially for GT, shouldn’t you test that student in their primary language in order to get the most accurate results? Of course! I have a very small Hispanic population at my school. I have two Hispanic students, both speak English as a first language, and English is spoken almost exclusively at home.

    By highlighting all of the aspects of gifted students in underserved populations, this module has helped me to interpret behaviors previously thought to be unrelated to giftedness. Students that overcome barriers to learning are displaying the particular attributes that make them gifted and talented.

    As educators, we always want to see the best in our students. However, we must step back and see the bigger picture of all of our students—black, white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. If we do not take their bigger picture into account, then we may miss a student who is exhibiting gifted attributes easily missed without all the parts of the puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I think it is so important to realize that culturally responsive teaching applies to every single child in our classroom, not just those we are trying to identify as gifted. If all teachers would take this type of true differentiation in to mind as we plan and teach our students could excel and grow as never before.

    From a gifted professional perspective, I think the Perseverance Model helps point out across multiple cultures how much must be overcome just to reach a somewhat more even playing ground with the average. This great deal of effort and determination that these students have to overcome the obstacles in their way should be accounted for during the identification process. It is beneficial to have a varying amount of areas to test and observe using the matrix so that if one area is low because of a cultural difference, then another will give a chance for the student to shine. The Perseverance Model brings to light the many things that could prevent any student from showing their commonly accepted ability like: poverty causing lack of background experiences, gatekeeper prejudice, the importance of certain areas valued by a particular culture as giftedness, etc.

    If the teachers were not only better informed of the TABS process and what impact it has on the students’ identification, but also on the individual culture of each of their students, then a better TABS assessment could be made. More differentiation could be met for every student in the classroom as well.


    ReplyDelete
  46. So it seems that every assessment is in some way culturally biased. Instead of doing away with the hopelessly subjective form, we suggest teachers learn the myriad cultural intricacies of Melting Pot America to better help them complete a form that is already culturally biased and is about to have another layer of conscious and subconscious bias layered over it by someone who might or might not be as culturally sensitive as one might hope.

    It seems as if the burden on the teacher to navigate these cultural intricacies is a bit much. I would love to have the time to explore the various cultural differences of my students, but that could be daunting. If a kid from Oaxaca transfers into my district, I would really like to figure out what his or her culture values and incorporate that into my assessment, but multiply that by several dozen and it begins to be a monstrous task. We might as well stop for a couple of years and go study sociology and anthropology and ethics and social theory and figure our world out. The glaring flaw of the TABs is that when it comes down to it, a teacher can bomb it and we'll never know otherwise. We can take precautions and talk to the teachers about evenhandedness, but if a teacher doesn't like a student or has prejudices against certain things, we cannot remedy that.

    The Perseverance Model points out what I think is obvious about studying gifted: we are constantly expanding what we see as gifted in order to incorporate as many children as possible and to eliminate as much prejudice as we can. The model points out all the areas which could suggest prejudice or inaccurate assessment. Reading the model is something that would benefit all teachers.

    So we have two things we're dealing with it seems like: biased people and biased assessments (made by biased people). We know that tests are biased and we know that people have prejudices. So how about we stop testing and spend all that money on teachers and dilute the prejudices of teachers with more teachers? It seems utopian, but with the amount of cultural knowledge it takes to teach and the amount of cultural assessment one has to do in order to make culturally sensitive lesson plans, it seems absolutely necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  47. The Perseverance Model applies to gifted students of all races, cultures, genders, colors, intelligences, and socioeconomic status. This model demonstrates how truly difficult it can be for a child to just be noticed as a talented person. Assessment is only a small part of the picture. Before a child is tested, she must first impress an adult in her life, and many times, she must have an adult advocate.

    The path to being viewed as "gifted and talented" is treacherous; full of twists, turns, and obstacles. Many times, it is easier for a gifted child to check out and stop trying than to conquer the stereotypes and challenges that must be overcome. Many elements can come into play, including socioeconomics, school dynamics, teacher stereotypes, misunderstanding of a student's culture, and with ELL students, language barriers.

    As a music teacher, I see every student in the school. Often times the gifted students are placed together, and the differences between these students and my other students is glaring. The opportunity to see and be able to compare my gifted and talented classes with the other classes has allowed me to be able to identify gifted traits easily. However, like many teachers, I used to look first at those students who were always on task and were always eager to listen and learn. The Perseverance Model will allow me to take a second look at a student who I may have previously overlooked. Luckily, I have always been able to see the person and not the color of skin, so I should not miss minority students in my identification process. However, I will need to be more conscious of those students who do not immediately jump out because they are not hard workers or because they have problems paying attention. I will also need to take a second look at a student who may have a language, cultural, or socioeconomic barrier. These students may have to be assessed differently than others. It is important to look at the student's background and culture when filling out the TABs.

    ReplyDelete
  48. After reading about the Perseverance model I realized how common sense the model is. It makes sense that something as simple and yet multifaceted as culture would need a multidimensional model to explain it.
    Several of the reading materials we have read this semester have discussed how giftedness is simply defined by the culture and what society values. Therefore different cultures will have different definitions of "giftedness". This means if the majority culture defines and determines how giftedness is selected the minority group may be missed. Minorities may be missed because they do not fit the majority cultures definition of gifted. That does not mean they are not gifted. It just means they are not gifted in the way the majority culture defines gifted.
    The perseverance model addresses all the facets of culture. If we look at accepting and supporting our minorty students as a box that can be checked with a few actions we are missing how deeply this cultural bias can be. We are also ignoring how many hurdles minority students must persevere through.
    We as teachers need to think about each of minority students through the lens of each facet of the model. We must be proactive and warm in every area of culture.
    The TAB's in my opinion is a two sided argument. One: the behaviors listed are not valued in every culture. For example: some cultures teach their children to show respect by being seen and not heard. This means the children will not speak up during school. This would cause the student to receive a lot score on the (I can't remember exactly which one it is) verbal/communication section. But that would be a false negative. Teachers' opinion is also relied upon heavily which can be a horrible thing if the teacher had not cultural sensitivity training.
    The other side of the argument is this: The teacher is able to observe the student and use the TAB's to rate the student. The teacher will be someone who is around the student the most and if they are culturally responsive he/she will be able to use the TAB's to show off a student's strengths even if they didn't shine in another are of testing.
    Lydia Hinshaw

    ReplyDelete
  49. Last module we read ch. 11 and Castellano's Perseverance Model. In that chapter, he described the model in relation to gifted Hispanic students. In reality, the elements of that model apply across all populations. Now that you have completed Module 3, please describe how the elements of this model can help you to identify giftedness among students in your classroom. Describe how this model helps you to understand the TABs in more depth?

    Again, this course continues to be eye opening. After reading through the perseverance model, I see that it is a very difficult challenge for students from many different cultures to be considered as gifted. I think-going back to the TABS- that many students from different cultures are not considered gifted because they don't fit what we know in our culture. This biased way of thinking then causes a severe underrepresentation of these students. I think this is something that all teachers (gifted or not) should be aware of. Many teachers who fill out the TABS form could truly benefit from hearing about this and I strongly feel that this is something that the gifted teacher should bring up at the beginning of the year before any TABS have been completed on a student. Teachers need to be aware of this model, of the different cultures and what is considered a valuable trait in these cultures as well.

    ReplyDelete
  50. The perseverance model fits RELD students in several ways. RELD students need a variety of assessments. By providing different formats for identifying gifted characteristics, opportunities are developed for students to demonstrate their strengths. Including parents in the screening process to determine possible gaps in background knowledge, as well as gifted indicators, allows an evaluator to filter the process in the interest of the RELD student. Building communication with parents impacts components of the perseverance model. Those components are dynamics of the home, language patterns, acculturation, socio-economics, and perceptions, attitudes, and stereotypes. Unfortunately, to some parents the school represents negativity. Typically parents of RELD parents from poverty areas tend to have bad experiences with the school bureaucracy. Overcoming perceptions and attitudes is difficulty, but especially in regards to parents understanding giftedness and a gifted program. A primary concern for them is keeping their child in school. I think elementary teachers set the stage for success, but a gap begins to occur in middle school. By the time students reach high school, they are waiting to drop out. There's a bias from teachers regarding gifted students that needs to be diminished for RELD students to succeed through out their school experience. In addition, the climate of learning needs to be inclusive and build on students' learning styles/modalities rather than expect all students to learn the way teachers teach...usually lectures with memorized information for tests. Perseverance begins with the educators caring about students and supporting all learners with differentiated instruction. An open mind about diversity and cultural differences is the beginning of accepting the abilities RELD students offer to the learning community.

    ReplyDelete
  51. The Perseverance Model is very interesting to me because it is very eyeopening to issues in the identification procedures in our schools today. I can see where Hispanic students along with many other student groups could be easily "overlooked" or not even considered to be "gifted" because of the possible language barriers, culture differences, home life, background, ethnicity, etc. Fortunately, there are programs, such as this program, that help educate teachers and parents on these significant differences and potential issues, so they can be aware of ways to avoid mislabeling and identifying these students. I personally believe we need extensive training for all teachers and administrators in our schools on this topic. It is extremely hard to "watch for gifted characteristics in a child" if you don't understand all the barriers that could potentially distract you from seeing and understanding these characteristics.

    ReplyDelete
  52. From the beginning of this module to now, I have learned so much about cultural and special populations. It has taught me to be more aware of the culture of my students and my students I test.

    The Perseverance Model speaks of gifted education for Hispanics but can easily apply to all cultures. It refers to why many cultures are underrepresented in the gifted programs. It cites many obstacles that a gifted student may have to overcome or at least a person determining the giftedness of an individual to consider. The typical image of a gifted person is not always seen in students of another culture. Stereotyping what gifted looks like would keep many gifted from other cultures from participating. Teachers need to understand culture and home values, make sure the language of testing is appropriate, and let the student know they are valued.

    The Perseverance Model can help me assist classroom teachers in identifying gifted students. At one of my schools, the second grade students switch classes among three teachers. One class has all the Hispanic students in it. Of 18 students, about 7 are Hispanic, and none of them were rated high by the 2nd grade teachers on the TABs paper I gave them. I know last year they did refer one or two Hispanic students. I believe the teachers are able to see giftedness through our labeling of gifted, but are missing what is important to the Hispanic culture for giftedness. I believe I need to discuss with the whole staff this model just to help them see what to be looking for in their classrooms.

    At my other school, I have a teacher who referred two students - one is Hispanic and the other is black. I believe she has a great concept on what to be looking for in giftedness of children. I am making sure I am more aware of their culture while I am testing them and while I am looking at the TABs and rating them myself.

    ReplyDelete
  53. After reading about the Perseverance Model in Chapter 11, the importance of understanding and becoming better informed of various cultures is even more obvious. Although the model is directed toward the Hispanic population, it can be applied to any culture. As educators and advocates for students, the Perseverance Model helps us understand and look for barriers that keep Hispanic students and other students from qualifying for gifted services. These variables can be as obvious as assessment and evaluation or funding, or as hidden from view as dynamics of the school and home or the actual field of gifted education itself. As educators and advocates we must embrace and work to maintain and build our programs to include all cultures and backgrounds. These cultures and background must also be considered when working with TABS. Our testing materials must be fair to all that are screened but appropriate to all that are screened as well. Classroom teachers and gifted teachers should collaborate for the best options for any student, but especially for students from different cultural backgrounds.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Studying the Perseverance Model helped me to understand that Hispanic children may not present in the same manner as children from other highly represented groups. As Castellano points out in chapter 11, the common belief is that with everything else being equal “IQ is mainly in the genes” (page 259). The fact that everything is not usually equal in most school districts accounts for the disparity. As teachers we have all worked with students that presented with high abilities, but were unable to keep up academically with their peers because of environmental factors beyond their control. Intelligence can be described as having the ability to, “reason, plan, problem solve, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience (page 260).” Although I believe that the TAB’s is designed to reflect these traits, frequently it only reflects high academic performance. Sometimes it appears to be like a math problem that we already think we know the answer to and then plug in the numbers to make it reflect the result we expect. I agree with some of the other comments that more training is in order for teachers that use the TAB’s correctly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sally.... much insight with your post.....KW

      Delete
  55. The Perseverance Model illustrates the virtual mountain some students must climb to gain equal educational footing with mainstream gifted students. It allows teachers and other assessors to draw from a broader investigative framework, built upon elements that lie outside the rigid and traditional types of evidence for giftedness. Recognizing the value of cultural and non-academic talents and strengths provides bases for referral that would likely be overlooked outside the model. Some useful examples of using the model to filter/interpret TABS in a more culturally relevant way include collecting information about leadership ability through social observation; recognizing the cultural value of humor as a communication tool and agility with this talent as a sign of giftedness; and taking into account the importance of language in relation to factors like motivation.

    Successful implementation of the Perseverance Model requires the recognition of and meaningful reflection on the biases and stereotypes about different cultural groups that one may hold. Doing so allows the assessor to look past these barriers to admission and develops a professional standard of proactivity when it comes to inclusiveness in education.

    ReplyDelete
  56. After reading about the Perseverance Model, I understood that there are so many more aspects to consider in the identification process than I originally thought. I have two Hispanic students and this model allowed me to view my students differently. They are both extremely quiet, they both only speak Spanish at home, and they are so creative. I began asking myself, were they tested against other white students or were they individually considered with their background and ethnicity taken into consideration.I believe these students were overlooked.
    Using this model, I would be able to think about every aspect of the students’ backgrounds, social groups, language, socioeconomic group, etc. that would be different from mine or other white students in my class. One of the many things I like about the Perseverance Model is the Dynamics of the School category. This really made me think about the school where I teach, are we truly giving our Hispanic students a fair chance at identification?

    ReplyDelete
  57. Does giftedness look the same in every student? No, that is what I am interpreting from every class I attend, every video I watch, and every article that I read. I think what is mind blowing is that not every culture wants to be represented or "labeled" gifted (Dr. Wetzel was telling us about these cultures in class). Using the Perseverance Model can help me look at students beyond those who are academically gifted. This graphic organizer will help identify students that are not straight As and "Natural born leaders".

    I feel like a broken record when I say how important it is for teachers to know the diversity, home life, and personalities of their students. This will not only help you score them on the TABS, but it will also allow you to become a better culturally responsive teacher. Doing this also helps you identify the giftedness in each student that goes beyond academics.

    ReplyDelete
  58. The Perserverance Model, although geared to Hispanic children, further emphasize the importance of using more than just test scores to determine the eligibility of students to receive gifted services. We must take into account the cultural diversity of students and accept that not all students demonstrate giftedness through academics. Additional work samples and classroom visits/lessons should be used as another means for identifying gifted students. I understand that TABS must be used as an indicator of gifted behavior, but I strongly believe that work samples, whether completed in a classroom setting or one on one with the gifted specialist will better represent the true ability of the student.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I think that the perseverance model ties hand in glove with Renzulli's three-ring concept of giftedness including creativity, above average intelligence and to my mind - above all - high levels of task commitment. For Hispanic children, but also other historically under-identified populations, it is overcoming that hurdle in identification that demonstrates the need for advanced academic studies - this can be easily masked with dual language challenges, gender roles, language patterns and dynamics of home and school (Castellano & Frazier, 2010).

    I have a student in my second grade child find - a Hispanic female, who scored well enough on NNAT2 in combination with her work samples and TABs to qualify. It was a process to get her parents to sign the consent. In so doing, her older brother was also enlisted to help, and I realized he could have been missed as well. I evaluated him as well (with separate consent). However, sister in 2nd grade will qualify, and brother, in 5th grade, will not - solely due to his IQ (108 on Unit2 and NNAT2). Especially in reading this chapter, the limitations of even the wider net of our matrix model are apparent. There are so many that do great on TABs and work products, but cannot qualify without the Aptitude component. Seeing the average ranges in Castellano & Frazier makes me wonder if we should adjust that Apitude average and standard deviations for gifted by sub-population?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe you're on the right track, Kaatje. Hmmmmmm..... how do we go about adjusting the aptitude average and SDs for g/t by sub-populations? KW

      Delete
  60. I view the perseverance model as a tool that if studied and implemented could possibly level the playing field in the Child Find Process. When all elements of the perseverance model are taken into consideration especially socioeconomics and acculturation it is difficult to determine how much exposure the child has to print, technology, and life experiences in relation to children from mid to upper class homes that are not facing a culture barrier. Teachers need to be properly trained in a way that they can bridge the cultural barrier and correctly identify giftedness in underrepresented groups.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I’ll say it again…teachers need training. Yes, the PACE teacher does a short in-service meeting at the beginning of each school year and sends out power points, but it’s not in depth enough. We need real professional development in giftedness of diverse students. Until this happens I feel there will always be an underrepresentation of minority groups in the gifted classroom. The perseverance model is much deeper than the TABS and it makes me wonder why we as students see this and the state doesn’t. I do not understand why this model or something like it isn’t use in place of or in addition to TABS. Hispanics and other minorities are fighting an uphill battle in society and people want to stick to the notion of them “pulling themselves up by their bootstraps”. How are we to expect that we they aren’t given equal opportunity in the classroom? And another aspect of not having equal opportunity is the Asian population who are scoring higher on SAT and ACT but are earning a lower wage than white Americans. “Despite their high average academic achievement scores and educational attainment, analysis of average earnings by educational level for white and Asian Americans (Stoops, 2004) document that Asian Americans earn less than White Americans at nearly every education level. (Castellano, pg.6) It’s 2017, something has to change.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I came from a stable, low income, for most my early childhood, and middle class, during pre-teens on up, loving, supportive, encouraging family from a small community. I never knew we were “poor”. I was always given the necessities plus extras. I was always involved with the community, church, sports, and other extra curriculum activities. My parents did a great job shielding me from the obstacles we were truly facing.
    I feel that the Perseverance Model opened my eyes to the obstacle and short comings that our children, gifted or not, face every day. There are many areas in which a child can be gifted. I feel that all 10 elements need to be explored for all children. I will say, I don’t feel as though we have the time and resources to do this as thorough as we should. Children should not be overlooked due to reasons beyond their control.
    This is my second year filling out TABS. I feel that I have a little better understanding of the form now that I have been introduced to the curriculum taught in this course. I do hope that the understanding of the Perseverance Model will allow me to continue to advocate for those students who may otherwise be looked over. I feel that ALL teachers need to be better trained and introduced to the tools that will allow them to be advocates, as well.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Unfortunately, Hispanic students with potential for high academic achievement are currently unrepresented in our school-wide gifted and talented education program. I concur that elements of The Perseverance Model: Gifted Education for Hispanic Students (Castellano, 2011) apply across all populations—gifted students from other cultures and ethnicities. The elements or challenges of this model can certainly enhance my focus on issues of equality and access during the process of truly identifying all of my intellectually advanced and creatively gifted students who have unique learning characteristics, interest, personal needs, and capabilities. The traits, attitudes, and behaviors rating scale (TABs) is non-verbal and qualitative. Castellano (2011), stated that, “The assessment and evaluation of Hispanic students for gifted education should include a combination of quantitative and qualitative data that embraces a multicriteria philosophy” (Castellano, 2011, p. 264).

    ReplyDelete