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Illinois School Board Journal
July/August 2006

Training initiative a 'gift' to learning
by Robert Madonia

Robert Madonia is superintendent of schools for Frankfort CCSD 157-C in Will County.

During its strategic planning process, Frankfort School District 157-C identified the importance of professional development for teachers so they can best serve the educational needs of all children. Toward that goal, they recognized the importance to train teachers in specialized strategies in all facets of students’ needs, whether special education, gifted learners or somewhere in between.

They also recognized that every teacher needs these skills in an instructional tool box in order to serve all children in the least restrictive environment in the regular classroom.

Just as the special education needs of the most challenged students may cover multiple areas, the talents of accelerated and gifted students also may be wide ranging. Students’ exceptional abilities can extend not only through reading, language arts, math, social studies and science but also into physical education, music and the arts.

With all this in mind, the district embarked in 2004 on a two-year plan to secure certificates of completion for 42 hours of professional development in the gifted area for all of the district’s 159 teachers and administrators. This goal was achieved, on time, in March 2006, when the district held its final institute and a graduation ceremony. Rich Duran, Will County Regional Superintendent of Schools, distributed diplomas along with Jay Linksman, the executive director of the Professional Development Alliance. Board members, community officials and the media attended to celebrate the success of this endeavor.

"Having all the teachers in the same place at the same time, training, learning and sharing the same information and ideas should ensure consistency in application of strategy, carryover and heightened academic expectations in every classroom in the district," said Courtney Stillman, Frankfort school board president.

While other teacher institutes have involved a one-time contact with the subject , the gifted training allowed multiple contacts with the subject matter and time between meetings to assimilate the information and reflect on how to meet student needs, according to veteran teacher Dawn Petit.

"Most importantly," she said, "our gifted initiative permitted us time to apply what we learned to the students we teach by encouraging us to use our current lesson plans and our newly acquired skills to improve instruction in order to increase student achievement. As the teacher of fourth- and fifth-grade students in both the technology program and the gifted program for our district, I found the training extremely beneficial."

With inclusion of a goal in the district’s strategic plan for professional development, the idea of getting a state certificate of completion of gifted professional development for all teachers and administrators emerged. The certificates would not only verify the hours but confirm the quality of the content.

In order to do this, the district had to secure permission from the Regional Superintendent of Schools and the Professional Development Alliance to allow training of staff in total in the school district as opposed to the traditional model of sending teachers to the county’s Professional Development Alliance. This permission was secured with the following controls and accountability:

• All teachers and administrators had to sign in and log hours each time they participated in training. Anyone who missed any part of the 42 hours had to document make-up time.
• District liaisons for the project were instructional coordinators Wendy DeBartolomeo and Cindy Thompson.
• A regional office liaison also was identified.
• The 42 hours of training had to be spread out among specific content areas:
• Myths, realities, philosophy of gifted education, characteristics of the gifted
• Identification strategies and issues, strategies for exit procedures
• Program models, instructional strategies
• Social/emotional needs of gifted students
• Evaluation of students and programs
• Use of research, Web sites and accessing information
• Advocacy for gifted children
• The district and county office had to discuss and agree on presenters.

Special benefits

The plan, which was the first of its kind to be tried in Will County, provided a number of special benefits to participants as well as the district.

• District teachers trained with each other, which meant that they could effectively carry out this plan in their teams once they returned to the classroom. Traditionally teachers are trained by sending them out of the district to learn with non-district teachers. These teachers then return to try to motivate and educate their colleagues to the ideas not everyone learned firsthand.
• The state certificate that teachers and administrators earned will be a résumé enhancer.
• The program was good for morale and made teachers and administrators feel good about what they accomplished.
• Teachers will feel more confident when addressing the needs of the accelerated and gifted learner in the regular classroom.
• All teachers are being trained without students losing instructional time with their regular classroom teacher.
• The cost of securing substitute teachers during the time teachers are being trained was eliminated.
• The strategies for gifted and accelerated students are good for all students.

Outcomes

The outcome of the plan is better opportunities for the children of the school district and increased teacher confidence that they can better serve the individual needs of students in the regular classroom setting.

Combining past training in the areas of special student needs with the mastery of strategies for the gifted and accelerated learner, teachers now have the tools necessary to individualize and differentiate instruction. With states like Pennsylvania mandating contract learning for gifted children, the district feels proactive in providing these opportunities for all children even before Illinois might consider such a mandate.

Special cases still may require gifted and special needs students to leave the room for specialized instruction. However, this endeavor maximizes inclusive settings for all students whenever possible. Besides students getting the best education in the least restrictive setting, it enhances children’s social and emotional welfare to be with their peers to the fullest extent possible.

The district expects student academic, social and emotional outcomes to improve.

Evaluation

As district liaisons, Wendy DeBartolomeo and Cindy Thompson see meeting the needs of all learners as a vital part of educational programs. "The district takes great pride in providing the teachers with both the methodology and practical applications for successful completion of the two-year gifted initiative," they said. "Both staff and students have been trained to use more critical thinking and engaged learning through the use of differentiated products, content and process.

"Frankfort School District 157-C continues its quest for excellence in the educational delivery systems and models that concentrate on best practice and high student achievement," they added.

The effectiveness of the two-year staff development program will be assessed not only by student outcomes but by surveying teachers and administrators for their feedback. Evaluation of this program will help refine future staff development endeavors.

"The gifted training has shown value in the development of problem solving, critical thinking and questioning skills for all students," said Tracey Lazzo, a third-grade teacher. "The differentiated strategies are those that can reach all learners with particular emphasis on the gifted student."

"These workshops exposed us to different strategies to meet or challenge each student," added Carolyn Stanek, a primary-level gifted teacher. "Each teacher can create an environment where all learners feel that their ideas and work are valued and they are able to succeed."