Twice Exceptional (GT/LD):
Fairfax County Council of PTAs Approves Resolution
The Executive Board of the
Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA), at their November meeting,
approved a resolution requesting the Fairfax County School
Board create a GT/LD Task Force to review and revise the FCPS
Program for supporting the achievement of gifted students
with special needs. The County Council made this recommendation in
order to assist staff, parents and students in understanding the
identification process and in accessing appropriate instruction and
accommodations for students who are Twice
Exceptional because they are both gifted and have learning
disabilities.
The Twice Exceptional
students are often not appropriately
identified because their brilliance and disabilities mask one
another. In fact all
too
often adults see only the rough parts/challenges - the student's
inability to write, read or organize effectively which often result in attitudes of
discouragement and defeat. When these "diamonds in the rough" are
found, and provided appropriate early and continuous
interventions... not only can we help them reach their potential, we
identify and promote their gifts which will benefit our society.
On December 2, the FCCPTA
presented the resolution to the FCPS School Board. As of
this writing, both the Fairfax County Association for the Gifted (FCAG)
Board and the Fairfax County School Board's Advisory Committee for
Students with Disabilities have voted to support the approved
FCCPTA GT/LD Resolution.
More information concerning twice exceptional
children is available from a guidebook prepared by Montgomery County
MD Public Schools; it is call "Twice
Exceptional Students".
The wording of the
resolution is provided below.
WHEREAS,
“Twice Exceptional”, GT/LD students are those considered gifted,
have a learning disability as defined by IDEA, and require special
education services in order to receive educational benefit,
(Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), A Guidebook for Twice
Exceptional Students Supporting the Achievement of Gifted Students
with Special Needs); and
WHEREAS, research
indicates that between 2 percent and 5 percent of all students are
GT/LD, (Dix & Schafer, 1996; Whitmore, 1981); and
WHEREAS,
increased risk of academic failure, high-risk behaviors including
drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide, can be the unintended
consequences of failing to meet the educational needs of the GT/LD
population; and
WHEREAS, GT/LD
students typically demonstrate outstanding abilities in either the
verbal or visual-spatial areas, yet despite these outstanding
abilities GT/LD students typically have production problems,
particularly in the area of written output, and organization,
memory, and reading also may be significantly impacted. (MCPS, A
Guidebook for Twice Exceptional Students Supporting the Achievement
of Gifted Students with Special Needs); and
WHEREAS, FCPS
current Special Education Policy specifies a student will be found
eligible for Special Education Services only if he/she scores 90 or
below on an academic achievement test; and
WHEREAS, the
current Policy creates an unusual discrimination against bright
students whose IQ’s are significantly above average and may score
above 90 on components of the achievement test and therefore not
qualify for Special Education Services; and
WHEREAS, 3
standard deviations occur for a GT student who has an IQ score of
145 and an achievement score in written communications of SS 100,
yet these students are found ineligible for Special Education
Services, which would deny them access to a free and appropriate
public education, (FAPE); and
WHEREAS,
providing a student with differentiated instruction and appropriate
accommodations without the benefit of an IEP or a 504 Plan will not,
due to the lack of Special Services, provide the continued benefit
of accessing those accommodations when taking standardized
educational assessments, (i.e. AP, IB, Standards of Learning
Assessments (SOLs), SAT, and other state, national, or district
assessments); and
WHEREAS,
currently, in Fairfax County, the ONLY way to guarantee the GT/LD
student will be identified for Special Services is to deny the
student accommodations, the absence of an IEP or 504 Plan will most
likely result in a lower score in those assessments, or worse, the
student will fail; and
WHEREAS, a
continuum of services is in line with the current trend toward
building capacity by providing a diversified educational program for
our multi-abled student body in an inclusive setting; and
WHEREAS, although
serving special needs students in their base school, as appropriate
to the educational needs of the students is preferred, a continuum
of Services maybe necessary; and
WHEREAS, a
combination of cognitive training and appropriate accommodation can
make an important difference to those who suffer from this
disability; and
WHEREAS, all
teachers (especially those serving GT Centers) would benefit from
further training in the diverse abilities of the GT/LD student;
THEREFORE,
NOW, BE IT RESOLVED that the Fairfax County Council of PTAs requests
the Fairfax School Board establish a GT/LD Task Force, to examine
the services provided to the GT/LD students in FCPS.
November 1, 2004
