Academic Games - RESA II
March 4, 2010

Future Problem Solving Program State Bowl
April 16-17, 2010
South Middle School
Morgantown, WV

WV - Frequently Asked Questions

Teacher Preparation

Marshall University

Program requirements

West Virginia University

Program requirements

     Not all types of knowledge and skills can be assessed using multiple choice tests (Acuity, DIBELS, etc.). Problem-solving and higher-order reasoning skills are better assessed with performance-based measures, such as rating scales or rubrics.

     There are many rubrics available on-line that measure components of a finished product, such as research project and writing rubrics. There are also rubrics available that measure higher order thinking, such as creativity and problem solving rubrics. These may be used to measure and evaluate annual goals in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) when appropriate.

      Although rubrics are available that measure separate components of higher order thinking, some gifted education teachers in West Virginia saw the need for a holistic rubric to assess gifted students' work and behavior that may be used as benchmark or formative data to describe present levels of academic achievement and functional performance in developing annual goals for an IEP in WV. The result of much study and writing is our Learning Skills/Behavior Rubric. This is available now as both a Microsoft Word and an Adobe PDF file at   Resources for Teachers; scroll down to Assessments.

     For those of you who would like the rubric in Excel, it can be emailed to you upon request. We hope to create an online form as soon as the logistics are worked out. Please give us feedback on this rubric.

     The site featured in this issue is Moodle; a free Web app that educators can use to create online learning sites.

     The highlighted county in this issue is TREK - Wood County

Teachers - Vicki Lytle, Anna Oehlmann, Wendy Redd, Jennifer Sisson, David Stone, Victor Tweel, Pam Wilson and Nancy Wolf.

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

National Research Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development