Talent Act

12/06/11 15:09 Filed in: Advocacy
Key Provisions Of The Talent Act
Success in the 21st century requires a commitment to developing student talent as early as possible.  To address this urgent need, gifted education supporters have introduced legislation to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to provide responsible federal leadership in meeting the needs of gifted and high-ability students.  To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation’s Teachers (TALENT) Act, which replaces the Javits Act, has four key emphases:
1.  Changes To Assessment And Accountability Systems: The TALENT Act seeks to ensure that assessments are able to accurately determine student mastery of state content standards, which will enable teachers to make appropriate instructional adjustments.  The Act also makes changes to the accountability and assessment system to ensure that all students make learning gains.  The TALENT Act will:
  • •Require that state assessments are vertically aligned and able to measure student knowledge of standards established above their grade level.  
  • •Establish a requirement that states, districts, and schools report learning growth for their most advanced students on state report cards.
2.  Emphasis On Classroom Practice: Identifying gifted and talented students and supporting their needs in the classroom requires specialized knowledge and skills, yet more than 60% of teachers have never received training in gifted education strategies.  To address this paradox, the TALENT Act expands professional development opportunities in gifted education pedagogy for teachers nationwide and develops research-based best practices.  It will:
  • •Require states to include in their application for funds under Title II, Part A Grants a description of the comprehensive strategy that a state will use to improve educators’ teaching skills for students who are gifted and talented -- including indentifying specific learning needs and tailoring instruction to meet such needs.
  • •Authorize the Professional Development and Best Practices Grant Program, a targeted, competitive grant program that will conduct schoolwide and classroom-based research to develop innovative instructional practices and provide high quality professional development for teachers and other educators on strategies known to be successful with this special-needs population.
3.  Focus On Underserved Populations: The TALENT Act responds directly to the concern that advanced students of color and those from low-income backgrounds are losing academic ground compared to their more advantaged, high-ability peers.  There is strong evidence that these students do not move into the top achievement levels over time, and those who do reach high levels do not remain in the top achievement percentiles.  The bill recognizes the traditional federal role in addressing the needs of students in poverty and focuses on students in Title I schools and rural schools to ensure they have adequate support to achieve their full potential.  The Talent Act will:
  • •Require Title I schools to describe how they plan to identify and serve gifted and talented students, including high-ability students who have not been formally identified as gifted.
  • •Require states to include in their Title I plans steps the state will take to assist local school districts in supporting gifted students, including high-ability students who have not been formally identified.  States are also required to develop a recognition programs for districts that increase the proportion of their underserved populations of advanced students scoring at the advanced level or higher on the state academic achievement tests.
  • •Expand the Rural Education Achievement Program to allow for funding and services to support gifted and talented students who live in rural communities through activities such as professional development for teachers. 
  • •Establish a priority for underserved, high-ability students in the professional development and innovative instructional practices grants under the Act.
4. Emphasis On Research And Dissemination: The TALENT Act recognizes the development of best practices in gifted education through research and data collection as essential to effective teaching and learning.  The bill addresses these essential components and importantly, includes a critical dissemination requirement so that more districts have access to the latest developments in the field.  The bill will:
  • •Initiate a competitive research grant program to investigate the effectiveness of strategies to identify and serve gifted and talented students, including high-ability students who have not been formally identified as gifted.
  • •Establish a National Research and Dissemination Center that will conduct research on strategies for identifying and teaching gifted students, develop resources for teacher training and professional development systems and for parents to help them support their children’s education, and disseminate findings broadly, including to the network of technical assistance centers established by the Education Technical Assistance Act and by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  • •Direct the Secretary of Education to collect data and report on the education of gifted and talented students to ensure that the nation's most advanced students are getting the educational supports they need to achieve at the highest levels.
NAGC urges support of the TALENT Act to systematically ensure that all high-ability students, regardless of their zip code, are able to maximize their potential.  The nation cannot afford to delay.  Read below for how to act today!

NATIONAL ADVOCACY ALERT!!!!

RARE OPPORTUNITY:  It is rare that gifted education appears in the national legislative agenda; the federal government has taken the position that gifted education is  a state responsibility.  Our national organization - the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)-  has been working hard to raise federal awareness and support for the need for services for these learners of advanced potential.  In the amending and reauthorizing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the TALENT Act has been introduced in both the House & Senate (S.857; H.R. 1674).  Copies of the bills and the bill summary are available on the TALENT page of the NAGC website at http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=7804
NAGC is grateful to the Congressional sponsors, Senators Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Bob Casey (PA) and Representatives Elton Gallegly (CA-24) and Donald Payne (NJ-10) for their leadership.
In short, the legislation focuses in 4 key areas that have an impact on whether and how gifted students receive a quality education:  professional development, accountability, disadvantaged student access to services, and research and dissemination on best practices in gifted education.  The TALENT Act has been referred to the Senate and House education committees, but we do not expect that the bills will be considered by the committees as stand-alone bills.  Instead, our goal is to incorporate the text of TALENT into the House and Senate education committee versions of the reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The committee chairmen will be introducing their versions of a new ESEA after consulting for months (years!) with stakeholders, colleagues, and staff.  
How can we influence this? 
The most effective way to show the chairmen that there is support for TALENT and for high-ability students is to gather cosponsors for both bills.    We need  cosponsors from  ALL STATES for  S. 857 (in the Senate) or H.R.1674 (in the House).  That comes from individual people lobbying their own representative and both senators from Indiana.  INDIANA CAN DO THIS!!!
Please contact your Senators and Representative ASAP to ask them to cosponsor the TALENT Act (S.857 in the Senate; H.R. 1674 in the House).
1.  Access the online email forms for your Members of Congress at www.house.gov   and www.senate.gov   (use www.votesmart.org  if you need to figure out who your representative is from your address)
2.  Enter your name and address on the form and give this simple message:  “As a [parent/teacher/supporter of gifted and talented children] I strongly believe that federal education policy should support high-ability students so that they receive an education appropriate to their needs.  As a constituent I ask that you become a cosponsor of the TALENT Act [INSERT the correct bill number for the House or Senate], which addresses the needs of advanced students through professional development, accountability, and dissemination of classroom practices shown to work with this special population of learners.  Thank you for your attention.” (be sure to include your contact information)
Of course, adding some additional information about the availability of gifted education services in your congressional district or the impact of quality gifted education on your children strengthens the message.  But include the simple request to cosponsor TALENT!