HILLSBORO -- When Crystal Schmidt-Diapaola became principal at W.L. Henry Elementary a year ago, she noticed the school of 600 kids had only four "talented and gifted" students.
Statistically, it should have had about 40, but the school has a large number of students in poverty and kids who struggle with English, which makes it harder to identify their intellectual talents.
Across Oregon, minorities and children from low-income families are under-represented in talented and gifted (TAG) programs. In 2007-08, about 80 percent of all TAG students were white. Combined, minorities accounted for 19 percent, according to the Oregon Department of Education.The numbers are disproportionate compared to the total population of students during the same time. About 69 percent of all students in Oregon were listed as white and 31 percent minorities. Also, 18 percent of low-income students were recognized as gifted versus 43 percent of the total population.
Ideally, the percentage of gifted students would reflect the demographics of the total population, educators say.
Hillsboro School District has made it a priority to identify overlooked high-achievers.
"It's especially important for those kids that somebody recognizes they're thinking at a higher level," said Liana Duran, talented and gifted liaison at Henry Elementary. "Once they figure out they have that talent, they're eager to go on. They are no longer limited."
Henry Elementary now has 14 TAG students, of which six are minorities and eight are white. Henry could be considered a majority-minority school. This year, about 80 percent of the students at Henry are Latino and 100 percent of the school's 500 students are considered low-income.
The gifted numbers still fall short, but "it's a work in progress," Schmidt-Diapaola said.
By law, school districts must identify their talented and gifted students and educate them at their level and rate, or pace, of learning. Identification is determined by testing. Students who score at the 97th percentile on a nationally standardized test are eligible.
Schools must also recognize students who demonstrate the potential to perform at the 97th percentile. Typically, those students include minorities, low-income and learning disabled students.
In Hillsboro, a child who reaches the 93rd percentile, with other supporting factors, is considered TAG potential. Teacher training and a new test helped find previously overlooked bright students in Hillsboro.
When a student's in-class test scores and homework don't reveal a brilliant mind because of a language or economic barrier, teachers have to look for other characteristics.
"It's not always the kids who get their work done on time," Schmidt-Diapaola said.
Teachers were taught to look for richness of imagery in the student's casual language, originality of ideas in problem solving, an unusual sense of humor, ability to see relationships between unrelated items, speed at which they grasp new concepts or acquire a new language, their independence and leadership.
There are plenty of examples. Kathi Robinson, executive director for school performance in the Hillsboro district, remembered a 6-year-old boy whose second language was English, but he taught himself how to read a newspaper and interpreted it for his parents.
If a teacher notices an exceptional student, she will recommend him for testing. But that's the tough part for low-income students and those whose second language is English.
The tests require reading and understanding English. Low-income students often have less exposure to reading and vocabulary. The children might not have books or magazines at home. Their parents may lack an education and have only a basic vocabulary. The kids may not have a computer at home.
"We (mistakenly) think ... they don't know a lot or can't learn quickly," said Andrea Morgan, an education specialist with the Oregon Department of Education. "For a lot of teachers, we still have that image that kids have to look and act a certain way."
Hillsboro has joined Beaverton, Salem-Keizer and Portland school districts in giving its students non-verbal tests, which rely on pictures. Students use their reasoning, analysis and analogy skills as well as visual/spatial abilities to complete patterns and puzzles.
The cost of new tests may prohibit some districts from using them to identify their minority and low-income students, Morgan said. But, she added, "It could be they are simply not aware. It's only been over the last few years that we've been able to do more professional development (in gifted education) for teachers."
Meanwhile, Hillsboro plans to replicate its successes at Henry in its other schools. The district budgeted $439,000 for TAG this year, which is slightly less than last year as a result of budget cuts. Many districts spend nothing. The state does not fund TAG programs.
About 6 percent of the Hillsboro's 20,400 students are identified as talented and gifted -- 80 percent are white, 9 percent are Hispanic and 8 percent are Asian.
"Our ultimate goal is that our percentages of gifted kids reflects the percentages of all of the subgroups we have," Robinson said.
-- Wendy Owen