Many gifted programs rely on more than one assessment when identifying eligible students. However, multiple criteria for identification can be a double-edged sword. Although it may sound like more criteria should automatically lead to more students being identified as gifted, this is not … [Read more...] about And, Or, and Mean: What Multiple Criteria Means and How it can be Implemented
identification
Many Students Perform Above Grade Level
In the United States, the default education strategy is to group students by age. This assumes that students who are the same age have similar learning needs as each other and will learn best when grouped in the same classroom together. However, a group of researchers recently assessed how many students perform above grade level. In other words, they looked at how many fourth grade students could, on the first day of fourth grade, demonstrate performance at the fifth grade level. … [Read more...] about Many Students Perform Above Grade Level
Are Giftedness and Intelligence One and the Same?
Do you believe your academic abilities are fixed and cannot be changed? Or do you believe that with effort and appropriate support you can improve them? What you think about these questions shows your “mindset,” and for many people, the answer changes depending on the ability in question. Understanding these mindsets is especially important for the education of academically talented students. … [Read more...] about Are Giftedness and Intelligence One and the Same?
Myriad Myths about Giftedness
Upon hearing the word "myth," one may think of Zeus on Mount Olympus or King Arthur at Camelot. However, not all myths come from history; modern myths exist as well. Some of the most prevalent modern myths in education surround giftedness and gifted and talented programs. Numerous lists of such myths have been published. In this article, we provide three such lists published by giftedness researchers. … [Read more...] about Myriad Myths about Giftedness
English Language Learner Students and Gifted Identification
Among all the subgroups of students whose performance in school is commonly studied, English language learners (ELLs) are the least represented in gifted education programs. A variety of related reasons may account for this state of affairs, but the nature of gifted identification procedures is probably one of the more important causes. … [Read more...] about English Language Learner Students and Gifted Identification
Gifted Program Administration: Mission Impossible?
As a district coordinator of gifted education for over two decades, I was continually surprised by the frequent exclamation, "I sure wouldn't want your job!" Although the reasons given for this utterance varied, the underlying sentiment reflected the perception of the difficulty of the many demands that confront an administrator of a gifted program. … [Read more...] about Gifted Program Administration: Mission Impossible?
What Does It Mean to Be Gifted?
Successful intelligence is being able to take advantage of one’s strengths, compensate for one’s weaknesses. Successfully intelligent people can adapt, shape, and select their environment to best suit their needs and goals. This perspective may be a useful reference when considering what can be done for gifted kids beyond their school curriculum. … [Read more...] about What Does It Mean to Be Gifted?
Civil Rights for Gifted Students with Disabilities
Stephanie Monroe, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, has issued an open letter to public schools regarding students with disabilities who want to enroll in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other accelerated programs in high school. … [Read more...] about Civil Rights for Gifted Students with Disabilities
Excellence versus Equity: Political Forces in the Education of Gifted Students
Egalitarianism versus Elitism Do gifted students warrant special attention in the public schools in the United States? Rhetoric and heated political discourse surround the question of identification and education of gifted students with the philosophical positions of egalitarianism and elitism at odds. Critics of appropriately differentiated academic experiences for highly able children contend that these services are somehow unfair to other children. While, diverse special interest groups … [Read more...] about Excellence versus Equity: Political Forces in the Education of Gifted Students
Teaching Gifted Children: National Guidelines and State Requirements
Just as educational programs and curricula for gifted children differ widely from state to state, so too do the requirements for teachers of gifted children. Since no national degree or certification requirements for gifted educators exist, all policy and funding mandates come from the state and local levels. As a result, requirements for teacher training and ongoing professional development vary widely from state to state and in many cases from district to district within a given state. … [Read more...] about Teaching Gifted Children: National Guidelines and State Requirements