0.5+AIM+Profiling+and+Interventions

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Profiling and Interventions

__**STEP 2 Analysis of CDA Data** __

Use the CDA data and other data gained from the identification process to classify students as achieving, underachieving or invisible underachievers. Estimate the level of underachievement, ie. high, moderate, low.

•**Achievers** (Gifted and Talented - performing in the classroom and assessment tasks.) •**Underachievers:** School performance judged to be significantly below the level expected, based on some reliable evidence of potential for higher achievement, (Whitmore 1987:1)•**Invisible Underachievers**: Students who under-perform both in the classroom and on commonly used evidence of potential for higher achievement. (Coolabah Dynamic Assessment and Betts and Neihert profiles of underachievers may be used to assist you in this classification.) __**STEP 3: Create Class Profile** __

Below is an example of a proforma which can be used to create a class profile. Adjust these headings to suit your school community eg. indigenous underachiever, invisible underachiever or double-labelled gifted are other possible headings.

** Class Profile Proforma ** Achievers Underachievers Gifted- including ‘invisible’ underachievers.
 * Gifted Achievers || Mainstream achiever || Special Ed. achiever || ESL achiever ||
 * ESL Gifted underachiever || Gifted non-producer || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Double-labelled || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gifted Underachiever ||

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">UnderachieversMainstream / Special Education -including ‘invisible’ underachievers
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mainstream underachiever || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Special Ed. underachiever ||

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**STEP 4: Screen for Specific Learning Disabilities** __

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Silverman (2003) has identified six major learning disabilities that are common in gifted children. These are outlined in detail in the Professional Development Package for Teachers, Specialisation Module 4, UNSW Gerric, Dept. of Ed., Science and Training., p23-25.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some of the major learning disabilities that are common in gifted children include; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">1. Sensory Integration Dysfunction <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">2. Auditory Processing Disorder <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">3. Visual Processing Disorder <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">4. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">5. Dyslexia <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">6. Nonverbal Learning Disorder (Spatial Disorientation) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">7. Writing Disabilities. (For a diagnostic checklist refer to the specialisation module outlined above, p26).

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**STEP 5: Create Individual Student Profiles** __

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Underachievement among gifted students often occurs for one of three basic reasons: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">1. A more serious physical, emotional or cognitive issue is masking their ability. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">2. A mismatch between the student and his/her school environment. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">3. Underachievement resulting from ‘a personal characteristic such as low self-motivation, low self-regulation, or low self-efficacy. (Reis,S., McCoach,D.B, 2002,p.238)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Therefore some of the causes for underachievement may include; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- low self-efficacy <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Forced choice dilemma, peer pressure <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Internal issues such as, Dysfunctional perfectionism, anxiety, failure-avoidance <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Boredom, slow-moving classroom, lack of challenge <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Dominant visual-spatial learners <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Skill gaps caused by long term disengagement <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Lack of opportunities to develop meta-cognitive skills. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Students’ perceptions, attitudes and motivation towards learning and school.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Select a variety of checklists and activities from the table below to begin to develop a profile of the underachieving student. The checklists may be used to gain specific information about the student’s interests, learning style preferences, motivation level and possible causes of underachievement

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The highlighted items have been particularly useful when profiling Indigenous students.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">__Identifying the Causes/ Needs/ Interests of Gifted Underachievers:__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Underachievement Cause: **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Student to complete: || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Teacher to complete: ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 ) ‘What’s on your mind?’ Activity. (Students record on a picture of the brain anything they are thinking, worrying about, ie: anything that is on their mind.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Achievers Rubric (Coil 2005,p104) (Appendix 3)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) **Student interview questions with a significant other** || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) **Self-Efficacy Question list (Chaffey 2005b,p18)**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) **Problem Checklist (Heacox 1991,p57-59)**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) Reflection comment sheet using the teacher interview questions as a guide. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Heacox 1991) ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Student Interests/ Learning Styles: **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Student to complete: || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Teacher to complete: ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Identity/ background information://

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) **Identity Web (Grigg. D, 2004)** (Appendix 2)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Interests:// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Interest Survey – Renzulli (Source unknown) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Multiple Intelligence Checklist for Upper Primary and Secondary: MICUPs checklist (Yr4-6) (McGrath. H and Noble. T 1995,p49-51) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) Multiple Intelligences online test (use google to locate the test if the web address doesn’t work) <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Attitudes or Learning Styles:// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 ‘**Attitudes about school and learning** (Rogers,K. 2002, pp454-455) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**2. ‘ How do you like to learn?’** (Rogers,K. 2002, pp466-470) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**3.** other Checklists on the relevant subjects (Rogers,K. 2002, pp456-465) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) **‘How do you feel about school?’** checklist <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) Learning Style Inventory || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Reflection comment sheet <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Appendix 1 see Academic paper) ||

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">**STEP 6: Initial discussion with parents** __

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">When students display a high level of underachievement the class teacher or gifted reference teacher may interview the student’s parents and ask them to complete checklists about their child to provide extra information when trying to identify possible causes of underachievement.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parents of gifted achieving students may also be interviewed or given checklists to complete to gain a deeper understanding of the student’s needs, interests etc. Michael Sayler Checklist ‘Things that My Child Has Done,’ could be utilised with parents.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">**STEP 7: Conference between Class teacher, Gifted Reference teacher and Principal** __ (where needed to assist with the following step)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Group students according to their needs and plan interventions ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Analyse the class profile and the individual student profiles to group students according to their needs. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Plan whole class, group or individual interventions based on needs/causes of underachievement that were identified when student/class profiles were created. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Select interventions focusing on one problem or area at a time. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Involve the student/s in the planning process. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Have reasonable expectations. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Provide opportunities to be successful. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Establish incentives and/or recognition for change <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Monitor progress <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Be consistent and stick with the plan. Adjust plan if it doesn’t work. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Utilise strategies for enhancing academic self-efficacy in the teaching program. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Raise student, parent and teacher expectations for the underachiever <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">- Provide differentiated modifications/ interventions for these students at school and where necessary at home. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Adapted from ‘Underachievement to do list’ by Diane Heacox)