Impact of Professional Development on Ancillary Staff’s Knowledge and Confidence in Supporting Twice-Exceptional Students

In a large, urban US public school district that began a new identification system for gifted education focused on the equity and inclusion of twice-exceptional (2e) students, a need for the further training of educators involved with assessment, services, and planning with this unique group of students was warranted. After attending a professional learning (PL) event, 243 ancillary staff members (school psychologists, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, and speech/language pathologists) completed a survey with both closed- and open-ended responses. This study was guided by the research question: How does professional development on twice-exceptional (2e) students affect ancillary staff’s knowledge and confidence for supporting 2e students? The survey results provided valuable insights (themes) into participants’ perceptions of their understanding and ability to support 2e students after the PL session.