Program Information Jacob K. Javits
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act
Congress passed the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Eduction Act in 1988. It was reauthorized in 2001 as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This act provides the only federal funding for gifted and talented education. The amount of funding fluctuates from year to year and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and its state affiliate members work yearly to keep the funding in place. The purpose of the act is not to fund programs for students but rather to advance scientifically-based research, to promote demonstration projects, and to develop innovative strategies to meet the needs of high-ability students across the nation. Outstanding curriculum, programs and strategies have been developed through the grants given by the Javits program. More information about the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act can be found at http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=1061.
Utah was awarded a Javits Grant in 2004 specifically to research and implement strategies for advanced readers. It was titled, Advanced Readers at Risk, based on a model developed with funding by the Utah State Legislature in 2002. With the emphasis in our education system on bringing students up to grade level, advanced readers were at risk because they were not receiving new learning in reading. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), given to 4th and 8th grade students in all states, provided statistics that demonstrated a significant number of students who were at an advanced level in reading at the 4th grade level, but declined in reading by the 8th grade. In other words, growth did not occur for many of the advanced readers as they progressed from 4th to 8th grade. The purpose of the grant given to Utah, was to develop strategies to support and enhance the reading growth of advanced readers. Five districts (Davis, Salt Lake, Granite, Murray, and Nebo) participated in the program.
The success of this program was the catalyst for the High-Ability Student Initiative Program. The goal was to use the knowledge gained from the research regarding Advanced Readers to help teachers throughout the state know the best practices in helping high-ability students K-12, acquire new learning in all content areas.