EDG 550B Gifted Underachiever Case-Study

Devon: 9th-11th grade

Context:
Devon (name changed) was a student in my program at an alternative high school starting
as a ninth grader. I left the school after his junior year. The program was intended to offer
students more flexibility in completing course independently and taking ownership of their
learning. Teachers worked together to support students and class sizes were usually less than ten
students. I was not Devon’s advisory teacher, but I did help him with his math courses.

In school:
Devon entered high school two years ahead in mathematics and on grade level in all other
academic areas. He would stare at math problems and decide a plan of action for solving the
problem without writing anything down. He could multiply and divide multi-digit numbers in
his head and visualize how a model of a problem would look. He had a 504 plan because of his
anxiety. During his freshman year he had classes with a small cohort of 8 other freshman and he
successfully participated in and completed all of this classes. Throughout the year he developed
social relationships with a few of his classmate and would spend time with them outside of
school. During his sophomore and junior years, he was not as successful. Due to the nature of
the program, he was responsible for completing much of his coursework independently which he
did not complete at a pace comparable with his abilities or even with a general education student.
While Devon had never been particularly vocal in class, he became even more withdrawn, not
initiating interactions with anyone. It seemed that he suffered to be at school and bolted when
his time was up each day. After starting 2 years ahead in math, the last math class he completed
was pre-calculus, which is what most regular track students complete as seniors. He ended up
graduating as a 5th year senior. He was proud of himself for earning his diploma.

At home:
Devon lived with both of his parents and his dad was actively involved in school
decisions. Conversations with his parents were always calm, but they defended and protected
Devon from school consequences and did not hold him to completing work outside of the school
day. In a class where students were giving presentations when Devon was a junior, his parents,
not Devon, requested to meet with the teacher so that Devon would be excused from giving a
presentation due to his anxiety. Although never confirmed, Devon likely was suffering from
depression in addition to anxiety.

Recommendations:
1. Build self-esteem – Rimm et al. (2018) cited multiple studies that found that the most
frequent characteristic among underachieving students was low self-esteem. Devon’s
demeanor and behavior indicate that this was likely true for him. One way to build self-
esteem is through a change in expectations from parents and teachers. Teachers can
knowingly or unknowingly persist a student’s low self-confidence by providing additional
support or expectations of failure. When teachers have expectations that a student will
improve their performance, it can reviser underachievement (Rimm et al., 2018). Devon and
his teachers can set realistic goals and expectations and a plan for meeting those goals,
meeting regularly to check progress.
2. Build independence – Devon’s parents were frequently advocating for their son which can be
a positive measure to ensure that all of his needs are met. However, it made Devon
dependent on his parents to speak for him and he was not able to raise concerns himself.
Rimm et al. (2018) suggest that dependent students need to be allowed, encouraged, and
required to take steps toward independence even if they feel under pressure. To start
building independence, Devon, his teachers, and his parents need to work together to develop
a plan. One suggestion is to have Devon write down or ask specific questions about
assignments or directions that he does not understand. Teachers and parents can respond to
these questions, but not to the broad questions of, “I don’t understand.”
3. Find a role model – Devon was gifted in mathematics and had talents for completing
complex work in his head. An achieving role model with similar interests and abilities could
connect with Devon and help him see how he could use his gifts to be successful. Role
models demonstrate that accomplishments can be fulfilling and is the most important
treatment for underachievement (Rimm et al., 2018). I would recommend connecting Devon
with an engineer or a student or professor from a local college.
4. Increase social interactions – Another common characteristic of underachieving students is
that they do not find value in their school experience (Rimm et al., 2018). Devon’s first year
was academically and socially successful. Creating opportunities for Devon to socialize with
classmates during the school day could increase his connection to the school. Additionally,
positive relationships with teachers are an important part of establishing an environment for
students like Devon to succeed (Rimm et al., 2018). I would recommend that teachers spend
more time learning about Devon’s interests outside of school and inviting him to participate
in extracurricular activities.
5. Teach growth mindset – Devon likely had been able to easily understand math concepts
without much effort until he encountered higher level math courses. He probably had
teachers (myself included) who were amazed with his ability to quickly solve problems in his
head and not need any assistance to understand new material. It is possible that he never
developed study habits and was unable to cope when he discovered a class that required
effort. Rimm et al. (2018) write about students who describe intelligence as “fast and easy”
(p. 251) and would then assume that if they are not able to quickly understand something,
they must not be intelligent. Growth mindset is a frame of mind that connects effort to talent
development (Dweck, 2006, as cited in Rimm et al., 2018). Devon would benefit from
seeing the relationship between his efforts and positive classroom outcomes. I recommend
making growth mindset language and expectations a regular part of any classroom and
explicitly teaching growth mindset. One way to teach growth mindset is by using something
like the Week of Inspirational Math from youcubed.

References:
Rimm, S. B., Siegle, D. & Davis, G.A. (2018). Education of the gifted and talented (7th ed.).
Pearson Education, Inc.