Vision and initiatives in Gifted and Talented Education

Hon Heather Roy speech to the GiftEDnz Mini-Conference; Campus of Massey University; Saturday March 20 2010.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your warm welcome Tracy [Riley, Chairperson, giftEDnz].
It's a pleasure to be here today. I would like to acknowledge the board members of giftEDnz, today's speakers Dr Valerie Margrain and international speaker Professor Michael Piechowski, Chris Harwood from the Ministry of Education, and a very warm welcome to Viv Russell whose students will be joining you later - not in person but virtually - from Rutherford College.

As Associate Minister of Education, the contact I've had with gifted and talented organisations such as giftEDnz has added enormously to my knowledge of your sector.  I enjoy opportunities to meet with you and hear your views, and I look forward to continuing to work with you this year as we move towards improving educational opportunities for gifted and talented students.

When I look at giftEDnz I see a highly professional, well-organised, and passionate organisation.  I'd like to acknowledge your representation on the national Gifted and Talented Advisory Group I established last year, giving giftEdnz a voice on the future directions of gifted and talented education.

You were also a key contributor to last year's inaugural Gifted Awareness Week, helping focus the spotlight on the issues facing the sector and I'd like to congratulate you on the success of that initiative.

I've been asked to speak to you today about vision and initiatives in gifted and talented education.  Simply put, my vision is that gifted and talented students have their unique educational needs recognised and met and that all gifted students reach their unique potential. We must nurture excellence and celebrate the achievements of our gifted students. It is vital for us as a country to recognise achievement in all its forms, whether in academic, artistic, cultural, or sporting fields.
 
It is important to remember that gifted and talented does not only mean academic success.  The gifted and talented child in the classroom is not always the one getting the highest marks.  There is such diversity in the gifted and talented sector that no one-size-fits-all diagnosis or response could ever be right. 

Students and their families need to be able to work with their teachers and schools to develop the best responses for the student.  Curriculum-based learning programmes must be responsive to the needs of gifted and talented students so they can thrive. Sometimes additional support and opportunities may be best provided outside of school, and good information is needed about the choices available. All gifted and talented services must be culturally appropriate and support the Government's aspirations to increase achievement for Māori and Pasifika students. 

As I've met with many of you over the past year, it's become very clear to me that from the sector's perspective, the greatest need in gifted and talented education is in teacher training. There is any amount of evidence showing the great importance of quality teachers and teaching.

Effective teacher training must be a three-pronged approach. Initial teacher training is the first, and too often students graduate without appropriate training - practical or theoretical - to cope with the range of needs present among students. The second is professional development. This happens well in some schools but in others, is very limited and often gifted and talented education is the poor cousin along with special education. Finally, professional leadership from principals and other leaders is crucial in ensuring gifted and talented education is a priority.

I know many of you were disappointed at the funding reallocation in last year's budget, which saw the removal of Gifted and Talented Advisors.  That decision was one of many tough choices we had to make in Budget 2009.  I am currently working with the advisory group on how to share the information advisors previously had available to them with the wider gifted and talented sector.

As we continue to work in an environment of economic constraint, it remains clear that we need to work smarter.  We need to use the resources we have efficiently to ensure all gifted and talented students have access to learning that meets their needs. Greatest innovation often comes out in times of tight financial constraints. 

Of course teachers want to extend their gifted and talented students, and some exceptional teachers are doing this extremely well already.  It is true, however, that too many teachers find themselves in the frustrating position of not being able to offer the support they would like to their gifted students.

A 2008 Education Review Office (ERO) Report identified that "most schools lacked programmes to match students' gifts and talents or, where appropriate, across a variety of curriculum areas. Most provide only for academically gifted students, while some had no provision at all." The report found that provision is highly responsive and appropriate in only one in five schools, with 58 percent of schools, programmes and provisions being either somewhat or not appropriate and responsive. These are not figures that we can be proud of and it signals the need for urgent attention for the educational opportunities for this group of students.

In November last year, I announced the appointment of the gifted and talented advisory committee. This group will provide me with advice on education tailored to gifted and talented students and strengthen partnerships across the education sector. The committee consists of representatives from across the sector and will look at new and innovative thinking. It provides a forum to engage on the future direction of gifted and talented education with the anticipated key outcomes being to improve support for gifted and talented education and to improve outcomes for all gifted and talented students. Although in its early stages of planning, I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and expertise sitting within this group.

Following on from initial discussions last year I'm delighted to announce today that three providers have been contracted to provide gifted and talented professional services to schools in 2010. 

Cognition Education Limited, Tairawhiti Rural Education Activity Programme (REAP) and Eastbay REAP will work with schools to deliver a continuum of support, from developing student programmes to building whole-school gifted and talented capability.  Their challenge, and it's no small task, is to contribute to raising the achievement of all gifted and talented students, particularly Māori and Pasifika. 

This will involve working with students, parents and teachers to plan career pathways and related qualifications for individual students.  The idea is to give gifted and talented students a strong direction and challenging goals to which they can apply their abilities.  We also want to create opportunities for stronger input and involvement from students and parents. 

Gifted and talented children can also benefit from services and support from providers outside the school.  Informed choice is vital.  In fact real choice only exists when quality information is available. Parents, students and whānau must have good information and guidance about the services available.  I want to see schools providing more information and better opportunities for students to find the right services for them.  Supporting schools to do this will be another component of the work ahead for Cognition Education and Tairawhiti and Eastbay REAPs.

Other initiatives underway for 2010 include an upgrade of the Ministry's Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) website. The upgrade will involve a review and update of existing teaching tools and resources and the outcome should be online information which is easier to access and more user-friendly. 

In addition, the decision was made last year to explore ways to utilise information technology to strengthen links between students, parents and private providers - an interactive forum for those interested in gifted and talented information. A study into the feasibility of developing an online gifted and talented learning portal is scheduled to start in July. 

Three weeks ago I was delighted to launch the Post-graduate Qualifications in Specialist Teaching, a joint initiative between Massey University, the University of Canterbury and the Ministry of Education.  I have been told this qualification will include a gifted and talented endorsement which is great news. 

I know that National Standards are an issue that you have turned your minds to with some concern. Tracy Riley recently provided a guest blog on my website where she questioned the impact of National Standards on gifted and talented students and she raised a number of questions about what they mean for this sector. I know the gifted and talented sector will follow the progress in this area with interest and I encourage you to continue representing the needs of your sector. 

The three providers I have announced today will work with schools to support the implementation of National Standards in both English and Māori-medium settings.  National Standards, as you'll be well aware, are signposts of achievement in literacy and numeracy for Years 1 to 8 students. 

I'm not going to go into great detail about the National Standards as Chris Harwood from the Ministry of Education will cover this topic fully in her address.  I do, however, want to state that while I support the implementation of National Standards, particularly for the one in five students who are failing in the system, I also acknowledge the concerns about standards that I've heard from the gifted and talented sector.

Part of my challenge is tying together the excellent body of academic work, both international and domestic, the practical work that has been done to date and looking to the future and applying this to provide the educational opportunities for our gifted and talented students which allow them to reach their potential.

Research to inform best practice is another key component of effective education provision. In order to know what is being done well and where the gaps are in the provision of education to gifted and talented students quality research is crucial to effective decision making of the future. I am determined that research will form an important part of future initiatives of gifted and talented education.

I am pleased to announce today the release of research conducted by Massey University between 2005 and 2009 that evaluates the effectiveness of the Talent Development Initiatives. 

The report, entitled ‘Enhancing and Igniting Talent Development Initiatives: Research to Determine Effectiveness' (http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/72710) examined the effectiveness of five gifted and talented programmes.  The participating providers were evaluated against several measures including how well the objectives of each initiative were achieved, how the initiative contributed to improved outcomes for students, and how providers responded to evaluation and planned for the future.

I would particularly like to thank all those involved in contributing to this work. I know some of you are in the audience today.

The information and recommendations in the report will help to inform the next steps in the future provision of gifted and talented services.

Today, we expect schools to adapt to fit the needs of all students - whatever these may be.  I want to make sure that all schools have the confidence to meet the needs of a range of students including those with gifts and talents. To do this we must build the capability of the broader education system.

There is no ‘one size fits all' model of support that will work for every student in New Zealand.  That means we need schools to be adaptable and capable, and services flexible and efficient.

Thank you again for the contribution you continue to make to gifted and talented education. You are the ones with the professional knowledge and expertise to nurture our gifted and talented students and to find the innovative solutions to push these students to new heights of achievement.

I look forward to continuing to work with you to strengthen gifted and talented education in New Zealand.  I'm delighted to have this opportunity to speak with you today, and wish you all the best for the remainder of your conference.

Thank you.