LB 647, which was adopted by the Nebraska Legislature in 1994, has the
following requirements:
For school year 1997-98 and each school year thereafter, each school district
or ESU . . . shall identify learners
with high-ability and contingent upon available local, state, or federal
funding, provide programs or services
that will address the educational needs of identified students at levels
appropriate for the abilities of those
students.
LB 647 contains the following definition of a learner with high ability:
Learner with high ability shall mean a student who gives evidence of high
performance capability in such
areas of intellectual, creative, or artistic capacity or in specific academic
fields and who require services or
activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to develop those
capabilities fully (LB647, adopted
1994).
Myths:
High-ability students . . .
· are always recognizable early in their school
years;
· wear thick glasses and carry pocket protectors;
· are not good at sports;
· are self-sufficient; less able students really need the teacher’s help;
· are well-behaved;
· are gifted in all areas;
· can always be identified by intelligence tests and academic achievement;
· are identified accurately by teachers, who often rely only on test scores;
· are self-motivated;
· always exhibit mature social behavior for their age;
· always get high grades;
· behave the same in and out of school;
· are encouraged to learn by the school’s learning climate;
· are always easy to teach;
· are focused and competitive;
· are more likely to be Caucasian and are from middle-to-higher income levels.
From the Nebraska Department of Education High
Ability Learner Manual:
WHO ARE NEBRASKA’S HIGH-ABILITY LEARNERS?
In Nebraska, the terms “high-ability learner” or “gifted and talented”
are used interchangeably. Defining these terms can be a challenge in
itself. With Nebraska’s great diversity in geography and population,
identifying the state’s high-ability learners and meeting their needs may
be unique to each school district. Between the 1985-86 school year
and the 1995-96 school year, Nebraska doubled its population of Asians
and Hispanics while experiencing a significant growth of American
Indians and African-Americans.
One small
neighborhood group of parents developed a definition of
being gifted
by saying:
Giftedness is that precious endowment of potentially outstanding
abilities which allows a person to interact with her or his
environment with remarkably high levels of achievement and
creativity.
For the complete
manual, click here.
