Foundations

NAGC 5, 6

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable (7-8)

Unacceptable (06)

6.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand how
foundational
knowledge,
perspectives, and
historical and current
issues influence
professional practice
and the education and
treatment of individuals
with gifts and talents
both in school and
society
6.3 Beginning gifted
education professionals
model respect for
diversity,
understanding that it
is an integral part of
societys institutions
and impacts learning
of individuals with gifts
and talents in the
delivery of gifted
education services.

Student makes
specific commentaries
on how foundational
knowledge, historical
legacies, and current
issues impact the
education and the
general welfare of
student with gifts and
talents.
Links to theory
(citations) are
numerous and evident

Describes strategies
used with some
reference to theory or
historical perspective.

Little discussion of
theory and historical
perspective when
addressing strategies
chosen.

Student is aware of
the growing diversity
of the student body in
general, and how
educators
demonstrate cultural
responsiveness in
particular.
Student understands
that opportunities for
enrichment and other
gifted education
services are unequal
for diverse students.
Student clearly
describes and
discusses specific
strategies including
differentiation,
enrichment,
compacting and
acceleration for gifted
learners (includes
specific examples)
and includes
discussion of
strategies for teaching
problem-solving,
creative thinking and
performance skills for
all gifted learners,
including those who
are twice-exceptional

Discusses meeting the

needs of gifted
students in general,
with some reference
to diverse
populations, but
unclear understanding
of cultural
responsiveness in
delivering instruction

References to
diversity are very
vague and lacking in
detail. Cultural
responsiveness is not
mentioned.

Strategies described
to not address the
needs of all learners,
includes descriptions
of some, but not all
strategies
(differentiation,
enrichment,
compacting and
acceleration) may
not provide specific
examples of
strategies. Includes
reference to problemsolving, creative
thinking and
performance skills and
discussion of twiceexceptional learners.

Does not address the

needs of all learners.
Vague descriptions of
strategies limited
discussion of
strategies for
problem-solving,
creative thinking and
performance skills.

5.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
know principles of
evidence-based,
differentiated, and
accelerated practices
and possess a repertoire
of instructional
strategies to enhance
the critical and
creative thinking,
problem-solving, and
performance skills of
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Links to theory and

research are limited
No link to theory and
research

Assessment
NAGC 1,4

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable (7-8)

Unacceptable (06)

1.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand how
language, culture,
economic status,
family background,
and/or area of
disability can
influence the learning
of individuals with gifts
and talents.

Clearly understands
how a dominant
culture might impact
the learning of
children from diverse
backgrounds and
addresses the need to
be culturally
responsive to students
of different cultures,
family backgrounds,
languages, and/or
undervalued dialects,
when assessing
students from CLD
backgrounds.
Clearly identifies an
appropriate process
for referral and
identification of gifted
learners, including
those from diverse or
underrepresented
backgrounds.
Discusses
underrepresentation
as related to
assessment. Specifies
assessment
instruments to be
used in multiple
domains and
alternative
assessments

References to cultural
responsiveness are
made but lacking in
detail.

No mention of cultural
responsiveness or the
impact of failing to do
so on diverse student
populations.

The process chosen

for identification and
needs assessment will
identify giftedness in
the majority
population, but may
not accurately assess
the needs of those
students from
underrepresented
groups or diverse
backgrounds.
Student mentions
underrepresentation
but fails to discuss
appropriate
assessment
instruments or
strategies.
Describes the
processes of learning
assessments for gifted
learners, including
differentiated and
alternative
assessment
approaches,
qualitative and
quantitative
approaches

Process for
identification lacking
in one or more areas:
a) referral, b) variety
of assessment
instruments, c)
identification of
students from
underrepresented
populations.
References to
underrepresentation
are vague and
unrelated to specific
assessment
instruments.

4.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand that some
groups of individuals
with gifts and talents
have been
underrepresented in
gifted education
programs and select
and use technically
sound formal and
informal assessments
that minimize bias in
identifying students
for gifted education
programs and services.

4.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use knowledge of
measurement
principles and
practices to
differentiate
assessments and
interpret results to guide
educational decisions for
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Describes the
processes of learning
assessments for gifted
learners, including
alternative
assessment
approaches,
qualitative and
quantitative
approaches, describes
specific examples of
differentiated (e.g.,
above-level)
assessment.

Describes assessment
in general, without
specific description of
differentiated
assessment OR
Inaccurate description
of assessment
procedures and
strategies

NAGC 3, 5 Instruction

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable (7-8)

Unacceptable (06)

4.3 Beginning gifted

education professionals
collaborate with
colleagues and families
in using multiple
types of assessment
information to make
identification and
learning progress
decisions and to
minimize bias in
assessment and
decision-making.

Includes a discussion
of each of the
following: a) the
accuracy of
measurement
instruments, b) test
bias, c) qualitative
and quantitative
assessments in regard
to referral and
progress monitoring
for instructional
decision making.

Includes a discussion
of each of the
following: a) the
accuracy of
measurement
instruments, b) test
bias, c) qualitative
and quantitative
assessments in regard
to referral OR progress
monitoring for
instructional decision
making.

Fails to include a
discussion of
accuracy, bias, variety
in assessments OR
does not discuss
assessment for
referral or progress
monitoring.

4.4 Beginning gifted

education professionals
use assessment
results to develop
long- and short-range
goals and objectives
that take into
consideration an
individuals abilities
and needs, the
learning environment,
and other factors
related to diversity

Specifically and
accurately discusses
assessments for
planning long-term
and short-term goals.
Includes discussion of
factors relevant in
assessment decisions,
such as diverse
student needs and
strengths, cultural
relevance and the
environment.

Discusses
assessments for
planning long-term or
short-term goals.
Includes discussion of
factors relevant in
assessment decisions,
such as diverse
student needs and
strengths, cultural
relevance and the
environment.

Fails to include
discussion of
assessment for
planning purposes or
relevant factors for
assessment decisionmaking

3.1 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand the role of
central concepts,
structures of the
discipline, and tools of
inquiry of the content
areas they teach, and
use their understanding
to organize
knowledge, integrate
cross-disciplinary
skills, and develop
meaningful learning
progressions within
and across grade levels.

Discussion of
curriculum
development includes
clear examples of
cross-disciplinary skills
to meet the needs of a
variety of gifted
learners; includes an
accurate discussion of
both within- and
across-grade level
challenges (horizontal
and vertical) and
discusses potential
outcomes of the
learning experience.

Weak in one of the

following areas:
includes clear
examples of crossdisciplinary skills to
meet the needs of a
variety of gifted
learners; includes an
accurate discussion of
both within- and
across-grade level
challenges (horizontal
and vertical) and
discusses potential
outcomes of the
learning experience

Superficial discussion
of organization of
curriculum; fails to
address within and
cross grade level
challenges; lack of
specificity regarding
outcomes of the
educational
experience for gifted
learners.

comments Rater

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable (7-8)

Unacceptable (06)

3.2 Beginning gifted

education professionals
design appropriate
learning and
performance
modifications for
individuals with gifts and
talents that enhance
creativity,
acceleration, depth
and complexity in
academic subject matter
and specialized domains.
3.3 Beginning gifted
education professionals
use assessments to
select, adapt, and create
materials to
differentiate
instructional
strategies and
general and
specialized curricula
to challenge
individuals with gifts
and talents.

Includes specific
strategies for creating
(and/or modifying
existing curricula to
create) challenging,
complex, and creative
opportunities for
gifted learners in both
academic and nonacademic domains

Includes strategies for

creating challenging
learning opportunities
and addresses most of
the following, tiering,
compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring.

Weak in more than

one of the following
areas: tiering,
compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring..

Appropriately
discusses use of preassessment, formative
and summative
assessment for
informing instruction
in both general and
specialized curricula
for gifted learners.
Outlines specific
examples of use of
assessment
information to guide
instruction.

Appropriately
discusses use of preassessment, formative
and summative
assessment for
informing instruction
in both general and
specialized curricula
for gifted learners.
Does not include
examples of use of
assessment
information to guide
instruction.

3.4 Beginning gifted

education professionals
understand that
individuals with gifts and
talents demonstrate a
wide range of
advanced knowledge
and performance levels
and modify the
general or specialized
curriculum
appropriately.
5.5 Beginning gifted
education professionals
use instructional
strategies that
enhance the affective
development of
individuals with gifts and
talents.

Provides appropriate
examples of each of
the following for
meeting the needs of
gifted learners
(tiering, compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring)

Provides appropriate
examples of most (45) of the following for
meeting the needs of
gifted learners
(tiering, compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring)

Fails to discuss one of

the following:
Preassessment,
formative or
summative
assessment to guide
instruction for gifted
learners in general
and specialized
curriculum OR
discusses use of
assessment in general
without specific
reference to the needs
of gifted learners.
Fails to provide
appropriate examples
for most (4-5) of the
following for meeting
the needs of gifted
learners (tiering,
compacting,
enrichment, contracts,
acceleration,
mentoring)

Includes examples of
affective education
strategies such as
self-awareness,
bibliotherapy,
character education,
service learning and
self-direction.

Refers in general
terms to affective
education strategies
such as selfawareness,
bibliotherapy,
character education,
service learning and
self-direction.

Does not refer to

affective education
strategies.

Total
Score

NAGC standards

Target (9-10)

Acceptable (7-8)

Unacceptable (06)