4.9.5 Fidelity of Implementation of the Total School Cluster Grouping Model: The Role of Teachers
Total School Cluster Grouping (TSCG) is a research-based model for meeting the needs of gifted students in general classrooms. This session will focus on the implementation of TSCG in 28 schools in the United States. Preliminary results indicate that the effect of the model on student achievement and identification of students from diverse backgrounds varied across the project schools. One identified factor that influenced these results is the fidelity of implementation of the intervention. The positionalities of the teachers and the level of teacher buy-in were found to be key factors that distinguish schools’ fidelity of implementation.
Author(s):
Juliana Tay
jtay@purdue.edu
Purdue University
United States
Juliana Tay is a doctoral candidate at Purdue University, pursuing a degree in Gifted Education. She worked in Singapore for 11 years as the subject head for art. Since coming to the United States, Juliana worked as a coordinator of enrichment programs for elementary school students in the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute at Purdue University. She is currently part of the research team for the Total School Cluster Grouping project, focusing on the evaluation and implementation of the intervention. Her research interests include gifted art learners, issues in identification for art giftedness, and evaluation of gifted programs.
Nielsen Pereira
npereira@purdue.edu
Purdue University
United States
Nielsen Pereira is an Assistant Professor of Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies at Purdue University. His research interests include the design and assessment of learning in varied gifted and talented education contexts, understanding gifted and talented student experiences in talent development programs, and conceptual, contextual, and measurement issues in the identification of gifted and talented populations. He currently serves as Associate Editor for Gifted and Talented International and on the editorial boards for the Journal of Advanced Academics and Gifted Child Quarterly.
Alissa Cress
apsalaza@purdue.edu
Purdue University
United States
Alissa Cress (née Salazar) is a doctoral student in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies at Purdue. She taught Kindergarten after obtaining a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. She has worked for the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute's enrichment programs as a teacher, counselor, Counseling Co-Coordinator of Summer Residential, and research assistant for the Total School Cluster Grouping project. She teaches a course for undergraduate students about classroom management, and provides professional development for teachers and school districts. Her research interests include parental, teacher, and society influence on gifted education, underserved populations, and the effect of resource availability on development.
Marcia Gentry
mgentry@purdue.edu
Purdue University/Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute
United States
Marcia Gentry is the director of the Gifted Education Resource Institute and Professor of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Her research has focused on the use of cluster grouping and differentiation; the application of gifted education pedagogy to improve teaching and learning; student perceptions of school; and on nontraditional services and underserved populations. Marcia developed and studied the Total School Cluster Grouping Model and is engaged in continued research on its effects concerning student achievement and identification and on teacher practices. She is past chair of the AERA SIG, Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent.
