Challenge for Excellence: Total Talent Portfolio

DVD Companion Guide

Student Services

Supporting
Student
Success
© Crown copyright, Province of Nova Scotia, 2006
The contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole
or in part provided the intended use is for non-commercial
purposes and full acknowledgment is given to the Nova Scotia
Department of Education.

Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Main entry under title.
Challenge for excellence: total talent portfolio: DVD companion guide / Nova Scotia.
Department of Education. Student Services Division.
(Series: Challenge for excellence)
ISBN: 0-88871-998-1
1. Gifted children – Education – Nova Scotia.
2. Special education – Nova Scotia. 3. Active Learning. 4. Experiential learning.
I. Nova Scotia. Department of Education. Student Services Division. II. Series.
371.95'09716 – dc22 2006
 TOTAL TALENT PORTFOLIO: DVD COMPANION GUIDE

Introduction
Total Talent Portfolio: DVD Companion Guide accompanies the professional development DVD
Challenge for Excellence: Total Talent Portfolio. A Total Talent Portfolio (TTP) is a systematic method
of compiling information about a student’s abilities, interests, and preferred learning styles. The
TTP is used to inform appropriate educational programming for individual students and is a
component of schoolwide enrichment. Schoolwide enrichment identifies, develops, and supports the
gifts and talents of all students through a broad range of opportunities and experiences. The DVD
and companion guide are part of a series of materials that support implementation of Challenge for
Excellence: Enrichment and Gifted Education Resource Guide (Nova Scotia Department of Education
1999), which provides a framework for developing enriching experiences to enhance student
learning.

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Background
Enrichment Teaching and Learning
The concept of enrichment teaching and learning follows three basic principles:
1. Each learner is unique; therefore, all learning experiences must be examined in ways that take
into account the abilities, interests, and learning styles of the individual.
2. Learning is more effective when students enjoy what they are doing; therefore, learning
experiences should be constructed and assessed with as much concern for enjoyment as for
other goals.
3. Learning is more meaningful and enjoyable when content (i.e., knowledge) and process
(i.e., thinking skills, methods of inquiry) are learned within the context of a real and present
problem. Therefore, enrichment teaching and learning attention should be given to opportunities
to personalize student choice in problem selection, the relevance of the problem for individual
students at the time the problem is being addressed, and strategies for assisting students in
personalizing problems they might choose to study.

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Enrichment teaching and learning enhances student construction of meaningfulness through the
aquisistion and application of knowledge and thinking skills.
The principles outlined above have been adapted from Renzulli, J. S., M. Gentry, and S. M. Reis, Enrichment
Clusters: a Practical Plan for Real-World, Student-Driven Learning (Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning
Press, 2003).
Context
The philosophy underlying enrichment teaching and learning is consistent with the Nova Scotia
Education Act and Regulations (1996), the Public School Program (PSP), the Special Education Policy
Manual, school improvement planning, and curriculum outcomes frameworks. This linkage is
evident, for example, in the goals of public education as expressed in the PSP where the point is
made that quality of educational programming is “demonstrated by the diversity of educational
experiences in which students are actively involved and by the extent to which individual students’
needs are met.”

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Rationale
The implementation of enrichment teaching and learning will result in benefits for students,
teachers, and school/community.
For students
• to foster an enjoyment of learning
• to develop and apply relevant knowledge and skills to authentic problem solving
• to foster student ownership of the learning experience and personal development by incorporating
their interests
• to acquire self-directed learning skills
• to make learning more meaningful by supporting students in the identification of their own areas
of strengths and interests
• to offer diverse learning experiences to support particular individual interests
• to provide extended challenges to students with gifts and talents

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For teachers
• to develop more in-depth student learning profiles
• to support student ownership of learning
• to enhance professional renewal and development
• to identify additional content to support the achievement of educational outcomes
• to support student decision making concerning pathways through high school and beyond
• to broaden the repertoire of instructional and assessment strategies
• to strengthen student-teacher relations
• to provide opportunities to meet the range of learners’ diverse needs

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For schools to
• to provide opportunities to identify and develop student talent
• to promote a culture of high achievement and accountability
• to develop partnerships and foster positive relations with the community
• to support school improvement planning by providing opportunities for enhanced student
engagement and achievement
• to enhance effective curriculum delivery through student-driven programming based on inductive
approaches
• to increase positive cross-grade/multi-age student interactions

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Total Talent Portfolio

While there are many types of portfolios, the TTP as designed by Purcell and Renzulli (1998) is
defined as a systematic compilation of information and evidence in a variety of formats gathered
from multiple sources that demonstrates students’ abilities, interests, and style preferences. The TTP
is reviewed and updated regularly, thus an accurate student portrait emerges, providing a deeper
understanding of each student as a learner.

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Principles
Total Talent Portfolios are intended to
• provide a holistic portrait of student accomplishments, abilities, interests, and strengths
• provide individual student profiles to help teachers make decisions regarding curriculum and
instruction
• support student transitions throughout school years
• develop student autonomy in charting individual progress and setting goals
• provide documentation to parents enabling their active involvement in their child’s academic and
talent development
• assist school-based teams or committees to plan and create programming options and
opportunities
Total Talent Portfolios evolve continuously through regular maintenance and updating of materials.

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Implementation of the Total Talent Portfolio

While initial implementation of the TTP can be outlined in six sequential steps, TTPs are always
works in progress. Once parents and students are informed and initial status information is collected
(steps 1 and 2), collection of evidence, organization, review, and program planning (as described in
steps 3–6) are ongoing.
Six Steps for Implementing Total Talent Portfolios
Step 1: Inform students and parents/guardians of TTP principles and process.
Send a letter home or hold a parent information meeting. A sample letter may be found in Total
Talent Portfolio: A Systematic Plan to Identify and Nurture Gifts and Talents1 (Purcell and Renzulli
1998, page 91).

1
This resource can be ordered through the Nova Scotia School Book Bureau On-Line System at <www.Ednet.ns.ca>.
Resource details can be found by selecting ALR Resource Search and choosing “Challenge For Excellence” in the Listing
Criteria Category.
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Step 2: Gather status information early in the school year.

Status information is any information which provides insights into students’ abilities, interests, and
style preferences. (A sample form may be found in Total Talent Portfolio: A Systematic Plan to Identify
and Nurture Gifts and Talents, page 106). The learning profile created from the status information
provides a starting point for enrichment planning.
Status information on abilities may include
• accomplishments and awards
• results of special contests, competitions, fairs, exhibits
• students’ previous work samples and products
• samples of teacher-made tests and assessments
• report card grades
• student profiles of multiple intelligences

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Status information on interests may include

• interest inventories (sample inventories may be found in the Challenge for Excellence: Enrichment
and Gifted Education Resource Guide)
• observation of interest-based activities
• documentation of formal and/or informal discussion with students and/or their families
Status information on style preferences may include surveys, conferencing, and/or observation of
students’ preferred
• instructional style
• learning style
• thinking style
• expression style
• learning environment style
(Sample surveys may be found in Total Talent Portfolio: A Systematic Plan to Identify and Nurture Gifts
and Talents, Appendix F.)

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Step 3: Collect new evidence and observations (students and teachers).

New evidence is any student work, products, activities, and/or accomplishments from the current
school year. Students’ original work (or copies of their work), certificates, and products (or photos of
products) must be collected and stored for review and organization in step 4.
Observations of students who exhibit heightened interest in certain topics or lessons should be noted
and recorded by teachers. For additional information on observation procedures such as the use of
Action Information Messages to document observations, see Total Talent Portfolio: A Systematic Plan
to Identify and Nurture Gifts and Talents and The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A How-to Guide for
Educational Excellence (Renzulli and Reis 1997).

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Step 4: Organize contents (classify, categorize, pare down).

The teacher may provide a framework with broad guidelines for the categories of products to be
included and presentation format of the TTP. Students must be responsible for establishing their
own criteria, assessing their work, and selecting the actual products to be included.
Consideration must be given to
• Criteria: TTPs are intended to be limited collections of selective works. Teachers may want to
provide opportunities to discuss and develop lists of indicators that describe high-level activities
and products so that students will be able to better establish their own appropriate criteria for
product selection.
• Diversity: TTPs should reflect a wide variety of student work and/or interests in various formats
that are representative of the student in the current year.
• Autonomy: Students must make independent decisions about what to include in the TTP. This
decision making includes the higher-level thinking skills of reflection, analysis, and evaluation.

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Step 5: Review the TTP.

The TTP should be reviewed regularly and this process should represent a number of perspectives.
• Student-led conferences: The teacher responsible for the TTP should meet individually with
students to review their portfolios. In this conference, students may explain their product
selection criteria, describe their experiences and growth up to this time, and discuss their ideas for
future educational opportunities and direction.
• Team meetings: Teachers involved with students developing total talent portfolios should review
the portfolios to assess the learner’s profile, inform options in programming (see Step 6), and
evaluate the TTP process for individual students.
• Parent-teacher discussion: The review of the TTP by parents offers evidence of their child’s
progress and experiences to date. Parent-teacher discussion of the TTP may reveal new insights
and/or suggestions for future planning.

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Step 6: Plan options in programming.

At the end of each TTP review period, all of the accumulated information from the status
information, new evidence and observations, team and parent discussions, and student presentations
of their TTPs is used to inform educational programming decisions. The information collected can
suggest meaningful and appropriate high-level learning experiences for the further development of
students’ talents. With support from their teachers, students reference their TTPs to make
connections between their aspirations and their accomplishments and to set goals for themselves,
both inside school and out. Through this process, students better understand themselves as learners.

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Total Talent Portfolio Management

TTPs are meant to be easily portable and conveniently stored, therefore, they must be made as compact
as possible. Responsibility is shared between the student and the school for TTP upkeep and storage.
School responsibilities:
• develop and maintain a procedure for TTP review
• secure suitable storage areas for completed TTPs and TTPs in progress
• develop and maintain procedures for the transition of TTPs (e.g., next grade level, new school)
Student responsibilities:
• date every piece of work at the time it is done to show progress over time
• develop and maintain a procedure for keeping all work—evidence of work/accomplishments and
“works in progress” for possible inclusion in the TTP
• follow school/teacher guidelines for portfolio format and storage
• use photos, sketches, CD-Roms, floppy disks, videotapes, or audio cassettes of large products or
presentations

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 TOTAL TALENT PORTFOLIO: DVD COMPANION GUIDE

The Total Talent Portfolio in the Context of the Public

School Program
The Total Talent Portfolio is designed to assist schools with informing instructional practices and
programming specific to student strengths. Students who are developing a total talent portfolio will
continue to do so throughout their school careers.
Beginning at the grade seven level and continuing through secondary school, all students will develop
a LifeWork Portfolio. The LifeWork Portfolio is not intended to replace the TTP. The LifeWork
Portfolio is meant to provide students the opportunity to gather a chronological record of
information and student work that focuses on career and life choices.
While it is intended that the TTP will complement the LifeWork Portfolio, the TTP gives a picture
of who the student is and the impact of understanding a student’s ability, interests, and learning style
preferences when planning curriculum delivery.

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References
Education Act, S.N.S. 1995–96, c.1.
Nova Scotia. Department of Education. Student Services. Challenge for Excellence: Enrichment and Gifted
Education Resource Guide. Halifax: The Department, 1999.
____. Challenge for Excellence: Enrichment Clusters. VHS. Produced by Learning Resources and Technology.
Halifax: The Department, 2004.
____. Nova Scotia Public School Programs. Halifax: The Department, 2003.
Nova Scotia. Department of Education and Culture. Special Education Policy Manual. Halifax:
The Department, 1996.
Purcell, J. H., & Renzulli, J. S. Total Talent Portfolio: A Systematic Plan to Identify and Nuture Gifts and Talents.
Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, 1998.
Renzulli, J. S., Gentry, M., & Reis, S. M. Enrichment Clusters: A Practical Plan for Real-World, Student-Driven
Learning. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, 2003.

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Renzulli, J. S. Enriching Curriculum for all Students. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning
Press, 2001.
Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S. M. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A How-to Guide for Educational Excellence.
Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, 1997.

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Acknowledgments
Don Glover, Student Services, Department of Education
Meredith Greene, Aonnapolis Valley Regional School Board
David MacNeil, Strait Regional School Board
Ann Power, Student Services, Department of Education
Julie Ramey, South Shore Regional School Board
Cindy Tully, Halifax Regional School Board

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For more information about
enrichment, please contact
School: School Principal
School Board: Student
Services Co-ordinator
Department of Education:
Student Services Division