GAGC RoundTable Discussion Notes 2/28/22:

Have you used TABs before?

● Bryant County – “talent-search / screener tool” just started using TABs; only at
elementary school level & just sent to middle schools to help placement for
STEM program; every teacher does it for every student in the building – *Training
is difficult part for teaching teachers to use it correctly*; Plan is for teachers to
complete a new TABs every year bc teacher bias differs; still working on “fidelity
with the teachers.” (don’t test kindergartners but did as a trial run and many
wanted to redo because of growth through the semester)
● Bullock (statesboro) County – Tests grades 1-8 - Part of nomination process –
online where parents/teachers can contribute based on specific school – creates
a packet where faculty can review in eligibility meetings
● Bent Hill County – Similar teacher/parent nominate, then a TABs is completed
● Franklin County – have had trouble with referrals, kids being masked and weren’t
being identified, now being tested
● Clarke County – sends cover letter home to parents for nomination (precedes the
nomination process) grades explaining that it’s time for testing soon
● Brian County just started using TABs, brief intro in Spring and classroom
teachers completed it on all elementary.
● Piloting it in elementary and sending the 5th grade TABS and it utilized for
placement in STEM programs.
● Eligibility team material. Different schools within the county—some used
meticulously on all and training has been difficult.
● Some schools do not use TABS on already identified students.
● Gave an activity about selecting who they would have identified as gifted.
○ And how Einstein would not have been selected.
○ prevent gatekeeping with TABs was to allow for all students to have a fair
chance within Franklin county, piloted it in 3 schools first and is now in all
schools
● Utilizing tabs as part of the nomination process, they digitized it so parents,
teachers, whomever can nominate a student. Link is sent out to all parents and
each school has their own link to the nomination form. 1-8 does not test
kindergarten

WHO can or should be able to nominate with a TABs or fill one out??:
● After school programming, resource teachers, gifted / special teachers, parents can so
why not anyone that interacts with them
● Any instructions for completion; it is self completion (statesboro – bullock county
● District using it as beginning identification
 ● Not a refresher course every year after initial training (Clarke county) used in
nomination.
● precedes actual nomination. I believe it was k-5
● certain counties (1st that spoke) start fresh every year with a new TABs, also
allows for teacher differentiation
● Not all teachers are using TABs to think of creativity in a positive way.
● reflection of issues bigger than TABS; with teacher training
● Specials teachers completing TABs also, they are asked to pick out exceptional
students
● TABS being used as nomination from enrichment teachers vs regular teachers

What are spaces where people are completing TABS?

○ STEM, after school programming, Specials teachers, parents

● Idea of what gifted looks like (gifted in only music and just music is still gifted
● use of notes rather than just checklists to emphasize on specific strengths
● conversation of deleting names and just looking at data

Benefits

○ is it just number of referrals

○ eligibility team
○ being able to ask the right questions to teacher regarding TABS as an
eligibility team member
■ give me an example of their creativity
● TABs vs Motivation
○ saying on TABS they are motivated but then not giving them the
motivation testing

Requirements for implementation

○ ADMIN buy in and support

○ teachers buy in
○ for admin being able to see numbers and changes for increasing
identification for FTE for number
○ has to be important at district level
○ timing of when to do it (doing it in December but everything is due in
December)
○ making it a working/digital document so you can continue to update it
throughout the year (maybe twice a year [September and march])

Challenges
 ● getting teachers to be consistent across the board on how they identify students
● lack of support/understanding from administration. With time dedicated to TABs
and effort towards refresher
● Training
● Getting teachers to use it the same way - consistency in training,
● Liability/Validity – need teachers to reflect on all different students’ abilities, having
them take it seriously and taking the TIME to do it correctly;
● The NEED for professional training each year (it not taking 15 minutes) but a whole day
or two of training;
● different versions and ratings can confuse some teachers;
● some aspects / standards of TABs do not match Georgia Standards of Education – they
don’t match or manifest
Benefits

● the process of reflection to look at students specifically for TABS and seeing
students they did not think of before
● Teachers writing notes + their own anecdotal aspects about their students via using
TABs;
● coordinators stating that of the 10 each child must have at least 1
● Question of using it with already gifted vs all students
● Does anyone use TABS for another reason
○ no one yet
● How can 10 traits be used to feed into regular Georgia gifted identification
● Georgia gifted vs TABS requirements and fits
● gifted traits are not always desirable traits; "negative behaviors" as still gifted
creativity

Impact: Having dialog between eligibility teams and classroom teachers – giving examples
based on what teachers marked on TABs nomination tool

What’s Required to implement TABs successfully: Principal Buy-In / Admin Support;

Respecting the importance of giftedness and what’s the “status quo” above the principal – who’s
holding him/her accountable – has to be important at the district level for it to happen; The
timing for when it’s due or when it to happen; Making it a working document so that teachers
can add or change aspects to TABs before due date; Digital document could be very beneficial to
make changes (example: 2-3 times a year for a review); The need to “get to know students” using
TABs in flexible grouping in classroom;

Using TABs in other ways?: grouping, getting to know student, training in gifted education,
student identification
“Gifted traits aren’t always desirable traits” Can be ‘negative’ manifestations

Using Data from TABs: for flexible grouping, nomination, etc.

Greatest impact

○ Casts a wider net for students

○ Teacher understanding of what characteristics to look for
○ As teachers get more familiar; it will continue to flourish

Digital Form

○ takes away from some detail people may add

○ if it was in a form that could easily connect to a spreadsheet
○ digital on a website as a rating system where you write in what you see
and then rate it. Contains characteristics and examples (Halston county
○ if it could be a shared document between all teachers who interact with
the student (could be positive or negative)
○ ^^would lead to AHA moments for teachers to see, hey that is where they
are gifted
○ question of sharing; for children of students whose parents are teachers
within document
○ collaborative document like a google form with different forms for each
teacher
○ paper version as 1 time and done with the sheet
○ digital is helpful for pushing it forward to future grades or different schools
○ the TABS as a document that follows the student
● once gifts have been identified then using TABS as an advocacy tool to say hey
this activity may be helpful for this group of students
● great professional learning tool
● Is routine training offered in the districts?
● the practice after training and then additional follow-up is perceived best
● continued training
● given TABS to broaden views of teachers to look beyond the "typical" gifted sit at
desk and follow all the rules, straight A