What Works
In the Hardin, Montana, school system we have children who are the descendants of immigrants from Germany, Norway, Japan, and other European and Asian countries. We also have children whose ancestors arrived on the continent thousands of years earlier and whose great-great-grandparents counted coups in the valleys of the Yellowstone and the Big Horn (see Editor's Note below).
As is the case in other, similarly diverse districts, most of our gifted White children are fairly easy to identify. It is not always so easy to find our gifted Indian children.
Fifty-five percent of our students are American Indians. Most are from the nearby Crow Reservation, and a smaller number are from other tribes. Although Indian students technically are the majority group in our district, the culture of the traditional school setting more closely reflects the cultural values of our non-Indian students.
American Indian students' values spring from a rich heritage. These youngsters come to school steeped in traditions that focus on strong ethical standards and mores. These traditions teach, for example, that it is important to treat one's elders with respect. Other traditional beliefs hold that working together as a cohesive unit is preferable to individual competition, and that the welfare of the extended family takes precedence over other concerns. Many of the Indian students' values conflict with the competitive culture of the public school, in which individual academic attainment is a student's primary goal.
Over the years we have implemented a variety of measures in our gifted program to provide equity of opportunity to students from all cultural groups. We have gained valuable knowledge through local and national research and through participation in a project conducted through the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented under the direction of Dr. Mary Frasier at the University of Georgia. Our methods of finding and serving high-ability students have gradually evolved, and current methods bear little resemblance to those used earlier.
Our gifted program is guided by certain beliefs:
- It is both possible and desirable to use a single identification method to assess the needs and strengths of students from all cultural groups.
If children from one group are assessed differently, there is an implication that high-ability students from that group do not "measure up" or cannot be identified according to the same standards as other high-ability students. However, it is vital that all elements of the identification process be carefully selected to ensure that they are not biased in favor of nor against any group.
Gifted American Indian students have acquired a wealth of knowledge. Although rich in tradition, this knowledge often differs from that which has been acquired by other gifted children and which forms the content of knowledge-based tests. Thus, to formally assess intellectual ability, we use tests that do not depend on acquired knowledge.
Twenty years ago, most Crow Indian children spoke their native language when they entered school. Although the Crow language remains the dominant social language among the tribe, nearly all of the children speak only English. While they understand spoken Crow, they are essentially "caught" between two languages and lack the mastery of English vocabulary and usage of their non-Indian peers. Crow students, therefore, are at a disadvantage when assessed through verbal instruments. The Raven Progressive Matrices, Standard and Advanced, are examples of nonverbal instruments we use to equitably assess the ability of all our students. A number of other appropriate tests are available, as well.
Our identification process includes both objective and subjective data. Much thought has gone into selection and development of identification tools. Our parent form addresses characteristics such as imagination, insight, and humor. For each characteristic, several descriptors are given, some of which describe how a trait might "look" among Indian students. The goal is to provide examples that enable a parent to recognize the traits as they are manifested by her child. Although we include standardized achievement test scores in our assessment, a student who does not have exceptionally high scores may still be identified for special services if she exhibits high ability in other ways.
The Frasier Talent Assessment Profile (FTAP) developed by Frasier provides a defensible method of finding gifted students within any population. Dr. C. June Maker of the University of Arizona has also developed methods that are suitable for identifying gifted students in schools with diverse populations.
- After equitable identification methods have been adopted, some high-ability Indian children do not immediately "surface." The alert teacher watches for signs of giftedness, which may be exhibited in a child's humorous or highly imaginative stories, in thought-provoking questions, or in unusual ideas. The Frasier Profile describes the traits, attributes, and behaviors of giftedness and provides a practical means of observing students for these characteristics.
- Gifted American Indian children should be expected to perform at an academic and intellectual level equal to that expected of other gifted students. Lower expectations imply that the students are not capable of performing at the same level as gifted non-Indian students. However, some gifted Indian youngsters may initially be unable or unwilling to perform at a high level simply because they are not academically or attitudinally prepared for high performance. These students may need individual encouragement and the academic assistance that will enable them to excel and to participate in high-level courses.
- Like other gifted children, gifted Indian children have varied interests and need opportunities to learn about topics that intrigue them. Enrichment activities focusing on American Indian cultures enhance the education of all children and encourage appreciation for cultural diversity, but the gifted program should not be limited to such activities.
- Some gifted American Indian children may need individual support. In addition to the pressures that all gifted students encounter, the gifted Indian student must find a middle road between the values of her own culture and those of the school. She may need emotional support and encouragement from teachers or counselors within the school in order to excel.
A former Hardin student, Grace Bull Tail, who now attends St. Paul's School in New Hampshire on a scholarship, said as a seventh-grader, "I would never want to be judged by anything but my own ability and accomplishments." We have not yet achieved our goal of cultural parity in numbers of American Indian students in our gifted program. However, the Indian students who are in the program participate and excel on an equal basis with their non- Indian peers. Their success rests solely on the strength of their abilities and accomplishments.
—Karen Davidson
Karen Davidson has been coordinator of the school district gifted program in Hardin, Montana for 11 years. She has had articles published in G/C/T and Roper Review and was a presentor at the World Conference on Gifted Education in Toronto, Canada in 1993
Editor's Note: Counting coups refers to the practice among many Plains tribes of purposely touching or striking an enemy during battle without killing him. "It was considered a highly honored feat of bravery," says Robey Clark of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
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