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The Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program is designed to build a nationwide capability in gifted and talented education and encourage rich and challenging curricula for all children.
THE JACOB K. JAVITS GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS EDUCATION PROGRAM:
Improving the education of gifted and talented students is an integral part of achieving the National Education Goals, which require that every student attain higher standards of academic excellence. Gifted and talented programs contribute to systemic education reform by modeling coordinated systems of challenging standards and assessments, curricula, and teacher preparation aligned with those standards to improve education. The use of challenging content and performance standards is the most promising way to raise students’ achievement.
Educators are eager to raise the achievement levels of all students. Previously funded Javits grants have been credited with creating an environment that recognizes talents in students whose education needs otherwise might not have been addressed.
In 1996, the Javits office received 125 applications and 8 grants were awarded. An additional 8 grants were awarded in 1997 using the same slate. The Javits grants are highly competitive. Five new grants were awarded in August, 1998, including the grant for “Project GATE”, a proposal sponsored by the Center for Gifted Studies and Talent Development at Ball State University in cooperation with the Indianapolis Public Schools.
Javits grants are three-year awards. Each applicant must propose three years of activity and budget information. Grants range from $185,000 a year to $215,000 a year.
Applications may be submitted by State educational agencies; local educational agencies; institutions of education; and other public and private agencies and organizations, including Indian tribes and organizations--as defined by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act--and Native Hawaiian organizations.Projects must be operating in schools in which at least 50 percent of students enrolled are from low-income families (families that are eligible for free or reduced lunch). Projects must include students who may not be served by traditional gifted and talented programs, including economically disadvantaged students, limited English proficient students, and students with disabilities.
A Javits grant must be used to focus on finding effective methods of identifying and serving economically disadvantaged gifted and talented students. The grant should propose innovative ways to help build a nationwide capability in elementary and secondary schools to meet the special educational needs of gifted and talented students, and encourage the development of rich and challenging curricula that may be used for all students.
Projects must incorporate high-level content and performance standards in one or more of the core subject areas as well as utilize innovative teaching strategies. They must also provide comprehensive ongoing professional development opportunities for staff and incorporate training for parents in ways to support their children’s educational progress.Javits grant successes and lessons learned must be well documented. Applicants must describe an evaluation plan that will be in place when the project begins. This plan should clearly describe how the project will be assessed and how feedback will be provided.
JAVITS GRANT SELECTION CRITERIA (100 points):
- Significance (20 points)
- Quality of the project design (35 points)
- Quality of project personnel (10 points)
- Adequacy of Resources (10 points)
- Quality of the project evaluation (20 points)
- Quality of project services (5 points)
Project GATE is a three-year project with the Indianapolis Public Schools to provide professional development to all teachers in grades K-12 to differentiate curriculum in mathematics and science. The project is funded by a Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Program Grant.The project directors for Project GATE are Dr. Cheryll Adams (BSU) and Dr. Marsha Butler (IPS).
At present only minimal effort is being expended in Indiana in particular and in the nation in general in seeking out, assessing and identifying, and then cultivating the skills and intellectual talents of intellectually gifted K-12 students. Even less effort is expended on identifying and serving gifted and talented individuals from underserved populations. Harris and Ford (1991) recommend seven issues that must be addressed to expedite the process of identifying and serving minority students: continued professional education for teachers and administrators, parental involvement, community involvement, public education, a philosophy of pluralism, nontraditional assessment, and curriculum that is differentiated. The model program initiated with this grant addresses these elements. Project GATE is a partnership between the Center for Gifted Studies and Talent Development at Ball State University and the Indianapolis Public Schools to address these issues. Five elementary school sites based on boundary areas have been chosen for Year One. In Year Two, five middle schools will be added, and in Year Three, the five high schools will be added.During Year One, at each site, the building level principal and all faculty will participate in intensive professional development sessions targeting strategies for differentiating instruction in the regular classroom. The training will be focused on preparing challenging mathematics and science instruction to benefit the students who have been identified as gifted as well as other students in the classroom. In addition, teachers will use the strategies, methods, and techniques learned in their workshops to develop curriculum that is appropriately differentiated to meet the needs of all students in the mixed ability classroom. This same format will continue with the middle schools in Year Two and the high schools in Year Three.
The products that will result from this project will take the form of curriculum units, innovative strategies, videotapes of effective classroom experiences, and collaborative presentations at a wide variety of conferences and inservices. The outcomes of the project will be presented at state and national conferences with both gifted education and general education audiences. Teachers, parents, administrators and project directors will work together to design strategies used. The project directors and IPS teachers will develop a curriculum guide for mathematics, science, and technology content areas with lessons based on strategies developed and refined through the grant and problem-based learning units that encourage collaboration of teachers in an interdisciplinary framework will also be distributed. Project GATE will publish the project on the world-wide web to increase the dissemination to a variety of audiences.
GOAL 1: Provide teacher knowledge base and best instructional practices.
Objective A: TRAIN--Curriculum differentiation strategies.
Objective B: DEVELOP--Challenging curriculum in math & science.
Objective C: EXTEND--Training to all IPS teachers by Year 3.
Objective D: IMPLEMENT--Differentiated curriculum in math & science.
GOAL 2: Ensure that participants in gifted education reflect underserved populations in IPS
Objective A: ADD--Curricular-based component to screening/identification system.
Objective B: DESIGN--Curriculum-embedded assessment.
Objective C: INCREASE--Standardized test scores (ISTEP, Terra Nova).
GOAL 3: Develop a cadre of teachers to serve as mentors for IPS faculty and students.
Objective A: IDENTIFY--Teachers with complete or partial endorsement in gifted education.
Objective B: OFFER--Coursework for additional 30 teachers’ endorsement in gifted education.
Objective C: MODEL--Lessons one day/month at each site--provide teacher support.
GOAL 4: Provide opportunities for increased parent involvement.
Objective A: PROVIDE--Ten 90-minute workshops for parents (2/site).
Objective B: PROVIDE--Resource packets for parents.
GOAL 5: Disseminate strategies to meet needs of underserved gifted students.
Objective A: DEVELOP--Curriculum guide for each content area..
Objective B: PRESENT--Outcomes of the project at state and national conferences.
Objective C: DEVELOP--Videotaped demonstrations of exemplary classroom experiences.
Objective D: PLACE--Project GATE on world wide web; develop CD ROM components.
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