Kyeesha's assessment results outtake for the Gifted Program: Kyeesha's parents assessed her in a ...

1. Prinicpal's Perspective

1.1. Feeling: Principal needs to be unbiased and supportive towards all parties (ex. teacher, parents, Kyeesha) until the test results come back

1.2. Significance: Principal needs to understand all parties - the student, the teacher and the parents as being in charge of the entire school. Might have a tendency to favour the school board more as the principal works directly under the school board's findings.

1.3. Response: Trying to find other accommodations for the student in order to have the student become successful in their everyday learnings.

1.4. Response: Take concerns from parents and teacher to psychologist to encourage the use of assessment. This way the psychologist can better understand the situation and what is going on.

1.5. Significance: Play important role in supporting teacher and parents to ensure stability - principal needs to be able to give effective resources to teachers and other support staff

1.6. Plan of Action: Wanting to do a third assessment on the child because it was completed too early. Track progress and meet with parents at least once a year.

2. Student's Perspective

2.1. Feeling: Kyeesha might face confusion as to where her Academic performance lays - might feel more pressure from parents, but pressure overall from both parties - might feel isolated from other students because she's going through a specific case - might also feel insecure because the school is second-guessing her abilities

2.2. Feeling: Kyeesha is struggling with her work load and might feel overwhelmed. She might feel stuck between not wanting to ask for help because she might feel like she should know how to complete the work

2.3. Feeling: Her parents are consistently pushing her to stay in the program and be gifted. Kyeesha might feel restricted and obligated to do so in order to please her parents

2.4. Response: Her classroom environment is constantly changing - lack of structure due to constantly moving and having to adjust to her new environment quickly - which includes new teachers, new students, new resources and new learning strategies.

3. Strategies

3.1. The teacher can better assess by testing their teaching level instead of how many questions she can answer ex. assessing math skills. Providing 5 thinking questions instead of 100 questions

3.2. Plan for differentiation. We should consider pre-assessments, extension activities and compacting/extending the curriculum in order for Kyeesha to become successful

3.3. Offer the student to participate in clubs and activities in school to assess Kyeesha's social behaviours

3.4. Parents and students working closely with one another - both want to advocate for the child's well being and that the gifted child is being appropriately challenged

4. Parents Perspective

4.1. Feeling: The parents are frustrated because two of Kyeesha's assessments have different results.

4.2. Feeling: Questioning the education system: Wondering if instead of the child not being able to be successful in the school, wondering if the child is being taught properly by staff. The parents are overall worried for her academic well-being

4.3. Response: Kyeesha grew up in a intellectually and culturally stimulating environment - her parents both have academic degrees leading them to believe their child can be academically successful

4.4. Response: Her parents see her as a child that shows signs of excelling at skills that are beyond her age

4.5. Response/plan of action: Parents want another assessment through the school

4.6. plan of action: communicating issues up to the Principal and Teacher. The parents are willing to do an assessment with Kyeesha through the school. Having open communication with Kyeesha as to what is going on and try to help her with her homework in the meantime (ex. sitting down with her at home, private tutoring)

5. Teachers Perspective

5.1. Significance: Teacher is confused with Kyeesha's progression in school and her test scores. How should she accommodate with her learning needs in regards to the current situation she is in?

5.2. Feeling: Parents are being too hard on the student and thus the student cannot be academically successful.

5.3. Feeling: The first assessment was completed when she was 4 years old, the school board should have completed another assessment before enrolling her. Age might also be a factor.

5.4. Feeling: Concerned that Kyeesha's grades are dropping - finding ways to modify/accomodate her needs.

5.5. Response: Looking over the students strengths and weaknesses from previous years and compare/contrast from this year. Also having different levels of academic resources that are available to the students

6. Interpretation/Connection to Text

6.1. According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, Giftedness is defined as "an advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated." Therefore, if Kyeesha is in the gifted program, she is receiving a different learning experience. If her assessments are different, she might not be getting the right learning experiences she should be getting and if it changes she will have to take time to refocus.

6.2. In the text on page 172, under special education in Ontario Schools, it states that some children deliberately underplay their potential because they do no wish to be singled out. The connections that Kyeesha possibly feels left out as single student, therefore she might have underplayed her academic abilities on the assessment - causing her to score lower than prior

6.3. In the text on page 172, it states that many able students in their earlier grades effortlessly master classroom demands. However, as the level increases it is difficult for them to meet their expectations. Often because of low confidence or ineffective working habits. This could be a potential reason as to why Kyeesha scored higher on her earlier assessment versus the most recent assessment

6.4. As stated in the text on page 173, sometimes the expectations of the adults in the student's lives do not match with what the child is capable of doing. Kyeesha was pushed during her private assessment and might have felt pressured to continue