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Helping Juan Case Study

GATE 7350
November 13, 2012
Sandra Leiterman

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Background Information
Juan is a third grader at a school he has been at since kindergarten. His behavior in class
ranges from daydreaming and withdrawn, to angry outbursts. He is a leader and appears to know
more than the average students in his class, as his classmates regularly go to him for help in
research and math. Juan acts out occasionally during work sessions, especially in math. Juan is
an omnivorous reader that prefers non-fiction, and likes to illustrate his readings. He has been at
his current school since Kindergarten, and consistently made above average marks on his report
cards.

Juan comes from a home that speaks both English and Spanish. He was born in the
United States and lives with his natural parents, his grandmother, and a little sister two years
younger than him. Juans parents know English, but prefer to speak in Spanish, and his
grandmother whom also lives in the home speaks only Spanish. Juans father emigrated from
Ecuador 15 years ago, has some college education, and his mother is the daughter of Puerto
Rican parents, is mainly a homemaker, but does some baking for the Hispanic community. Juan
and his sister are both fluent in English as well as Spanish. Juan is the main communicator for
the family, translating on the spot for his parents when they come to school; as well as filling out
his own forms and asking his parents to just sign the papers.

Cognitive/Affective Characteristics and Developmental Patterns

Termans landmark project from 1925 revealed many (frequently) noted characteristics of
gifted students, including early and rapid learning, superior language (fluency, large vocabulary
and good grammar); over-excitability and advanced interests, active (including directing, leading

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and offering help) and underachievement and nonconformity. (Davis 33) All of these
characteristics are ones that Juan portrays. It was noted that Juan consistently earned high marks
in the areas math science and reading, showing early and rapid learning. He has superior
language fluency and vocabulary, as evidenced by his choice of reading materials, and his ability
to translate from English to Spanish for his parents. Students seek Juans help in math and library
time, showing that he is actively involved in school as a leader. Juan daydreams and is
withdrawn at times and has outbursts in math, this may stem from the over excitability trait as
well as a small reflection of nonconformity and even underachievement.

The norm-referenced tests that Juan took revealed an overall score in the 97th percentile.
His math and reading scores were in the 99th percentile, and his language composite was 89th
percentile. The chart posted below (from education.com) shows that Juans language scores are
one standard deviation above the norm, and the rest are 2-3 standard deviations above the norm.

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These tests compare Juans scores to other students of the same age in the same country
as him. From the results above, Juan is well above the norm, or average. Juan was also given the
WISC-R, and has an overall IQ of 135, with a performance IQ of 140 and a verbal IQ of 125.
Juans performance IQ definitely puts him into the gifted category as does his overall IQ score
(Kearny 1999). The overall score is two standard deviations from the average (100), and his
performance IQ is three standard deviations. Performance IQ measures the ability of the test
taker to complete the tasks in each subset; overall IQ is testing your ability to adapt to and solve
new puzzles (problems). The two scores are relatively close, however, these scores are normed
against all other students, and to get a true picture of Juans ability, he should be normreferenced against only other bilingual/Hispanic students. (Ford 1998) Juan is definitively
learning at a faster pace than his peers are as evidenced by his scores.

Effects of Culture and Diversity

Data from a study in 2006 shows that Hispanic students are underrepresented in gifted
programs by at least 38%, this means that nearly 250,000 Hispanic students (the majority boys)
nationwide should be in gifted programs, and are not. (Ford 2010) The number one reason for
this underrepresentation is lack of teacher referral; which could be caused by any number of
reasons, but mainly by one of three reasons cited by Dr. Donna Ford in her article
Underrepresentation of Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education: 1. Deficit Thinking
2. Color (or cultural) blindness or 3. White privilege. All three revolve around the issue of a
teacher/administrator not thinking that a Hispanic student really has what it takes to be gifted.

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The testing instruments used themselves are sometimes a deterrent to correctly

identifying Hispanic students as gifted and talented. (Padilla 2004) The norm-referenced tests are
written for the majority of students, which happen to be white, English speaking students.
Although a test may be translated to Spanish, oftentimes it is not a true translation, as some
concepts and wordings of questions are not logical in the Spanish language. However, math is a
universal language, and most potentially gifted students score really well on the math portion,
and only poor to fair on reading/language. As a result, bilingual students are often not placed in
GT programs.
Finally, Cultural differences also play a role in underrepresentation of Hispanic students
in gifted education. The lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity on the part of teachers and
appraisers exacerbates the problem. (Bermdez, Mrquez, 1998) For example, many MexicanAmerican children who value what an adult has to say, respect the law and authority receive little
attention as potentially gifted children because the American school system values individual
competition, initiative and self-direction. (Cohen, 1990) Similarly, some Puerto Rican children
will hesitate to act independently as they prefer to consult with family members first. This
respect of elders could be a potential problem for Juan, if he does not fully understand the
implications of gifted education, (or lack of) to be able to translate it to his parents. Oftentimes,
when a person does not understand something, they ignore it or say not a good idea. It appears
that no one in Juans school is bilingual (as he does the translating) therefore the real message
may get lost in translation and result in Juan being another statistic of an underserved
population.
The possibility of Juan missing out on having a gifted education is actually quite sad. Irby
and Lara-Alecio (1996) believe that a Hispanic bilingual student will have more cultural

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awareness than other students or adults. Although these children appreciate and value their native
language and culture, they still have a high motivation to learn, even if it is in an English only
school. They are not only good readers but they want to read. The child performs well in all areas
of reading including identifying cause and effect relationships and has a very expressive
vocabulary with a command of both English and Spanish. The child works well in groups and is
liked by peers. Much like Juan, overall achievement for bilingual Hispanic students is very high
in the classroom. Especially doing well in math and enjoying problem solving. The child can
perceive relationships between apparently unrelated areas. Finally, Hispanic bilingual gifted
children are also seen as very creative in the arts be it music, art or drama.

Anti-Intellectualism
Nick Baez (2011) writes that anti-intellectualism arises out of a belief that a particular
field of science/research is invalid or otherwise irrelevant for any one of a number of reasons,
including the lack of comprehension/understanding of the subject matter, or the belief that
personal opinions have equal or greater weight compared to research and data. Mrs. Bryants
attitude towards Juan seems to resemble both of these reasons; either she lacks the knowledge
for recognizing Juans behaviors as gifted, or she does, but because he has had a few behavior
issues, she thinks that he is not truly gifted. Of course, these are just assumptions, but one can
assume that Juans test scores in the 99th percentile, and an IQ of 135 or 140 (depending upon
which test your review) it is obvious that his misbehaviors are because he is not being challenged
to his full academic potential. Most people not educated in GT identification would see Juans
behaviors as a language barrier problem rather than the fact that he is a very gifted student whose
needs are not being met.

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Family in Talent Development.

The family has very powerful effects on the developing child, impacting attitudes,
beliefs, opportunities, habits, and personality traits. (Kubilis 2008) It can be assumed by the
background information that Juans parents are very involved, hardworking, and concerned
parents. His father has some education past high school, and his mother, although primarily a
homemaker, is involved in the Hispanic community. They visit school (where Juan has to
translate) which is evidence of parents involved in their childs education. Chapter 16 of the text
Education of the Gifted and Talented by Gary A. Davis et al, states empowering children with
adult decision making provides power without wisdom. This proves true for Juans family, as
he is the lead translator when his parents visit school; he also fills out all his own forms and just
asks his parents to sign them. These are adult roles that as a third grader Juan has assumed,
which gives him a perceived maturity level above his peers; however, he may not always fully
understand what is being said or the forms that he fills out. Bromfield (1994) Reminds parents
that accelerated language does not guarantee accelerated development. He states that language
may enhance experiences, but it does not always bring advanced emotional maturity. It is
important for a parent to understand, sympathize, and coach a gifted child through both
emotional and developmental changes in life.

Recommendation
Because classroom teachers interact with students on a consistent basis, they play a key
role in the identification of gifted and talented students (Read, 1991; Woods & Achey, 1990). A
study (Plata, Maximino, Masten, 1998) was done in the southwest United States found that
ethnicity was a factor in teachers' nomination rate and that these differences were more

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pronounced between Hispanic and Anglo females. Results also indicated that teachers' ratings on
the SRBCSS for nominated Hispanic and Anglo students were similar, but that ratings for nonnominated students differed significantly by ethnic group. The results of the test suggest that
teachers need to be trained so they are properly equipped to recognize giftedness across culture,
gender, and socioeconomic status.
Recommendations by both his teacher and counselor to test Juan for gifted education,
which suggests they both have the knowledge to recognize giftedness across cultural
backgrounds. The two tests given were the SAT-10 and the WISC-R. On the SAT-10, Juan had
an overall composite of 97th percentile using national norms. His reading scores were 99
percentile, his language composite (which includes spelling and grammar) was 89 percentile, and
his math problem solving was again 99. A writing sample scored above average for his grade
level except for his use of advanced vocabulary words. On the WISC-R, Juan received a 140
Performance IQ, a 125 Verbal IQ and an overall IQ of 135 with a standard error of plus and
minus 4 points.
Both of these tests are measures of ability, and in some cases approved for tests of creativity.
There is an obvious bias in these tests to a bilingual student, and in many cases cover up their
giftedness. (Davis p.328) The results of Juans tests would point out his high intelligence from
the SAT-10, but the scores on the WISC-R in overall IQ just barely put him into the gifted
category (132+). That information, as well as the low verbal IQ could lead to Juan not having his
gifted educational needs met.
I would recommend that further testing be done on Juan to be sure that his educational
needs are being met. The Torrance Tests for Creative Thinking have been used in several
research projects with results showing there is little to no racial or socioeconomic bias in tests of

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creative thinking. I would also ask that Juan be inventoried through the Iowa Scale of
Acceleration. Based on the given information, I believe with correct procedures Juan could be a
candidate for grade acceleration. His test scores are at least 2 standard deviations above the
norm, he has just one younger sibling, he friends are in the grade above him, and he was
recommended for gifted services by his teacher and counselor (which shows that the school is
equipped to handle the needs of gifted students). More information including a meeting with his
parents, his current teacher as well as the teacher that he would be going to, the principal, the
counselor and the GT coordinator (if there is a separate person). A further look into Juans
developmental factors and Interpersonal skills would be needed, as well as support from Juans
parents, but most importantly, from Juan himself.
If whole grade acceleration were not a viable option for whatever reason, then the next
best thing for him would be single subject acceleration. Juan should be given grade appropriate
tests for both fourth and even 5th grade to see where math aptitude is is. The problem with normreferenced tests is that they cap. Juan is at the 99th percentile for third graders, but there is no
determination for a grade level equivalency. If Juan is not able to attend different classes for
reading and math, then at the very least his current teacher, Mrs. Bryant should differentiate
those two subjects for him.
Juans parents should also be given information to help with Juans development as a
gifted child. It is perhaps more important for his parents to help develop a strong link between
home and school, as research shows this is one of the areas that fails many minority gifted
students. Literature can be sent home with Juan from the counselors office to help provide
information to his parents to help guide Juan with many developmental issues, including social
awareness and critical thinking skills.

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In the current classroom setting, Juans educational needs are not being met. A meeting
needs to be scheduled involving his teacher(s), parents, counselor, principal and Juan himself.
Together a plan of action should be developed that includes some form of acceleration for his
high ability in reading and math, if not a full grade acceleration. An enrichment program (if
available at his school) would also benefit Juan to continue to foster his creativity and interest in
science and the arts (particularly his drawing). Finally, a parental involvement contract should be
put into place so that Juans parents will have an idea on how to continue to foster the needs of
their gifted son.