When considering gifted education, according to the National Association for Gifted Students, there is no universal ruler that can measure the fluid concept of giftedness, but this does not change the fact that gifted students exist. Teachers need to know how to identify gifted students, but in order to do so, they must first know what the concept of gifted means. Estrella Mountain Community College is bridging the gap between what is known and what teachers need to learn by introducing the Gifted Education Endorsement program.
In order to renew a teaching certificate, certified personnel are required to have a certain number of continuing education or professional development hours documented. The Gifted Education Endorsement program will allow educators to fulfill this requirement while earning an Endorsement from the Arizona Department of Education. EPD225, Foundations of Gifted Education and Identification of Gifted Learners, will be the first course offered and is a prerequisite to all other courses throughout the program. However, the program is not only helping educators, but also students who will benefit from teachers who are better prepared to meet individual learning needs within the classroom.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students who qualify for special education will be provided the services they need; however, IDEA does not offer that same protection for gifted students. This places gifted students in a classroom setting where they might not be challenged or stimulated enough to grow academically. Because of this, gifted students are often used as peer tutors when teachers are unable or unaware of how to tackle the needs of the student.
“As an educator, it’s critical that we serve all of our students: those who are at-risk, those who are average, and those who are highly intelligent,” said Dr. Deborah Raffin, education faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College. “If we don’t provide appropriate educational opportunities for our best and brightest students, we will miss out on the possibilities of their potential.”
Teachers, counselors, administrators and any other certified personnel in the K-12 education system are able to enroll now in this program that will begin in fall 2010. This six-course program, the only Gifted Education Endorsement program available in the state of Arizona, grants those who reach completion a Gifted Endorsement from the Arizona Department of Education.
For more information about the courses, please visit www.estrellamountain.edu/ctl/teachedu/pdct.asp or contact Gifted Education Endorsement Program Coordinator Dr. Deborah Raffin at [email protected] or (623) 935-8441.
To register for the program, contact Marsha Carlen at [email protected] or (623) 935-8479.