Volume I. Issue I. January-March, 2005

Newsletter

Mallett & Company is on the cutting edge of talented and gifted education and is ready to serve every school, both public and private. We have been serving schools in Texas with the thirty-hour gifted and talented training and with the yearly six-hour updates, and have available many other seminars for the gifted and talented. We hope to present two seminars at the National Association for the Gifted Conference in Louisville, Kentucky in November, 2005. In November, 2004, we participated in the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. Six seminars were presented to over five hundred coordinators, teachers, principals, superintendents, and parents. The reviews were splendid. Here are some of the comments from conference participants:

     “Your seminar on “Program Evaluation” was one of the best I’ve attended. I appreciated the help and your personal experiences that you shared. I also liked that I could walk away with a plan of action.”
Jennifer Jurries, Coordinator, Sunnyvale ISD

     "Too often, we, as educators, forget that students come from so many different backgrounds, but are all expected to meet the same goals. There is such a need for the information received in the session, "The Multicultural Needs of the Gifted and Talented in American Schools", as it addresses not only those different needs, but also how to meet them. Debbie Mallett makes this information relevant and interesting. She provides strategies that you can take with you, and materials that are very useful."
Lisa Knight, Special Programs, Midlothian ISD

     The seminar, “Stress: An Overview of the Effects in the Classroom", was extremely practical an informative! Ms. Mallett was outstanding! The material was presented in a thorough and very detailed manner. She was very knowledgeable about the subject presented and you could tell she had done extensive research and was very well prepared. She insured we would receive the most updated information available to help our children. Ms. Mallett took time with everyone who had a question and gave those who had questions her phone number and e-mail address in case anyone needed further assistance. We left her session with so much helpful information we could apply immediately. Thank you for having such an excellent presenter at out TAGT conference. I hope she continues to be a presenter at TAGT's future conferences."
Ms. C. Gonzales, Parent, 2004 Conference Participant

     I believe inclusion can work when done properly. Your workshop, "Format: Integrated Inclusion Model for Teaching the Gifted and Talented in the Regular Education Classroom", took the audience "out of the box" and gave us the background we needed to make it work. People often put inclusion down in favor of pullout, not realizing, that often pullout is sometimes "just enrichment" and sometimes that is only fluff. In your workshop we realized that we have the capability to accelerate, which is what a truly gifted chilled needs."
Mejji Smith, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Arlon Seay Intermediate School, Spring Branch, Texas

     On March 4, 2005, the Texas Legislature will meet to discuss the thirty-hour gifted and talented training for teachers. It is possible that SBEC's Executive Director. SBEC Board has instructed its staff to clarify the language in all teaching certificates under 19 TAC Chapter 233, so that the board's intent on each one is clear. Those certificates included Gifted and Talented (233.9). The question of grand fathering educators currently teaching gifted and talented students has been raised. The SBEC Board instructed its staff to draft language that would grandfather all teachers with the required 30 hours training and yearly 6-hours updated in gifted and talented education. However, these items were NOT on the agenda at the SBEC's Board meting on January 14, 2005. They are expected to be on the March 4 agenda. While it is still unclear what the board will do regarding the supplemental gifted certificate, comments by Dr. Smith, SBEC's Executive Director, make it appear that he is not supportive of efforts to make this certification mandatory. It is the desire of Mallett & Company, in concert with the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented, that certification be mandatory, not optional for teaching. Mallett & Company will continue to support that position.

     As a state, we want to have the best practices in place for our gifted and talented learners. One way to achieve this is for all districts to be held accountable and for districts to be in compliance with our state standards for gifted and talented education. It is important that districts receive training that meets the approval of TAGT. TAGT insures that the guidelines for training meet the state standards. The duty of every administrator and coordinator is to provide teachers, parents, and other educators with excellent training. Mallett & Company adheres to all of the guidelines for every seminal we present.

     I would like to again extend my personal thanks to Tracy Weinberg and to TAGT for their involvement in making provisions and decisions that are positive and impactful to all of Texas' gifted and talented students and to all educators who are involved with the gifted and talented. This organization does a tremendous work for all of us! The upcoming TAGT conferences for your review may be found by going to: txgifted.org.

     Deborah Mallett will be presenting Nature and Needs for the Gifted and Talented and Identification and Assessment for the Gifted and Talented at the South Dallas Gifted and Talented Conference, July 18-19, 2005, hosted by Ennis ISD in Ennis, Texas. Fox News Radio in Beaumont, Texas, invited Mallett & Company to be a part of the Ronnie Linden Show on Saturday, February 5th. The host, Ronnie Linden, invited Deborah back for the following dates: Saturday, March 5, April 2, and May 7. Please tune in from 10:00am to 11:00am on channel 1380 AM to hear about issues in gifted and talented education! Thank you South Dallas Districts and Ronnie Linden! Thanks to all parents, educators, administrators, and coordinators who have attended seminars presented by Mallett & Company. A special recognition and thanks goes to Dr. Paula Richardson, her staff, and teachers at TEKOA Academy for Accelerated Studies in Port Arthur, Texas for completing 30-hour gifted and talented training! Thank you TEKOA!

Next Quarter: Calling All Parents of Gifted and Talented Students! The new seminars for parents are on their way!!! Please keep in touch. To schedule seminars for your district or school and to obtain our information, please contact Mallett-and-Company.com.

     Kindest regards,

     Deborah G. Mallett, Ed.M., CEO