Information and resources for students who are academically gifted and talented
How is giftedness defined and classified?
The document below lists the definition for giftedness by state.
The document below lists the definition for giftedness by state.
What are the primary behavioral characteristics of students with gifts and talents?
According to Rosenberg, Westling, and McLeskey (2011), the typical characteristics of students who are academically gifted and talented are:
How prevalent are students with gifts and talents, and what causal factors are associated with these characteristics?
The number of school-age-children who are gifted varies widely according to different sources and different criteria. According to some estimates, approximately 5% of school-age-children are gifted. Other estimates show that 15-20% of school age children are gifted. An IQ between 130-150 is considered gifted. An IQ between 145-160 is considered highly gifted, and an IQ above 160 is considered profoundly gifted. Most experts believe that giftedness is both determined by genetics and environment. Giftedness occurs equally in males and females, but there are fewer gifted students who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).
How are students with gifts and talents identified and assessed?
Though gifted and talented students are expected to achieve in the top 5% of at least one academic area, standardized tests are not always the best assessments to determine if a child is gifted and talented. Instead, it is best to use multiple criteria including:
For more information about identifying gifted and talented students, please visit: http://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/
What educational practices are used for early interventions, academic enhancements, and transitions to adult life for students with gifts and talents?
Early intervention is rare for students who are gifted and talented because schools are not required to provide services for gifted and talented students before they enter school. Once students enter school, the district will decide whether to provide the student with curriculum enrichment or whether to move the child ahead in grade level. Either way, if a student is classified as gifted and talented, the student will receive academic interventions in the classroom through:
According to Rosenberg, Westling, and McLeskey (2011), the typical characteristics of students who are academically gifted and talented are:
- Academic or creative performance that vastly exceeds that of their age mates
- Ability to understand complex and abstract ideas at ages earlier than expected
- Socially well adjusted at early ages but with concerns about later socialization
- High levels of task commitment
- Advanced language skills and development
- Advanced sense of humor
- Advanced vocabulary and sophisticated use of language (p. 401)
How prevalent are students with gifts and talents, and what causal factors are associated with these characteristics?
The number of school-age-children who are gifted varies widely according to different sources and different criteria. According to some estimates, approximately 5% of school-age-children are gifted. Other estimates show that 15-20% of school age children are gifted. An IQ between 130-150 is considered gifted. An IQ between 145-160 is considered highly gifted, and an IQ above 160 is considered profoundly gifted. Most experts believe that giftedness is both determined by genetics and environment. Giftedness occurs equally in males and females, but there are fewer gifted students who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).
How are students with gifts and talents identified and assessed?
Though gifted and talented students are expected to achieve in the top 5% of at least one academic area, standardized tests are not always the best assessments to determine if a child is gifted and talented. Instead, it is best to use multiple criteria including:
- Intelligence (IQ) tests
- Achievement tests
- Creativity tests
- Teacher nominations
- Peer nominations
- Parent nominations
- Product sampling
- Self-nominations (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011)
For more information about identifying gifted and talented students, please visit: http://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/
What educational practices are used for early interventions, academic enhancements, and transitions to adult life for students with gifts and talents?
Early intervention is rare for students who are gifted and talented because schools are not required to provide services for gifted and talented students before they enter school. Once students enter school, the district will decide whether to provide the student with curriculum enrichment or whether to move the child ahead in grade level. Either way, if a student is classified as gifted and talented, the student will receive academic interventions in the classroom through:
- Content
- Complexity
- Abstraction
- Pacing
- Documenting Achievement
- Choice and Independence (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011)
What are the major issues related to the education students with gifts and talents?
Schools must properly identify and provide effective interventions for gifted and talented students. Curriculum must meet the needs of all students by being modified to fit individual ability. Culturally and linguistically diverse students, economically disadvantaged students, and gifted students with disabilities are underrepresented as being formally classified as gifted and talented in public schools. Teachers of gifted students should evaluate instructional approaches used in the general classroom in order to ensure they are effective with gifted students as well. Instructional approaches may need to be altered to better accommodate the learning needs of gifted and talented students (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).
Schools must properly identify and provide effective interventions for gifted and talented students. Curriculum must meet the needs of all students by being modified to fit individual ability. Culturally and linguistically diverse students, economically disadvantaged students, and gifted students with disabilities are underrepresented as being formally classified as gifted and talented in public schools. Teachers of gifted students should evaluate instructional approaches used in the general classroom in order to ensure they are effective with gifted students as well. Instructional approaches may need to be altered to better accommodate the learning needs of gifted and talented students (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).
For more information about teaching gifted and talented students, please visit the following websites:
http://www.nsgt.org
http://www.iget-network.org/
http://www.worldgifted.org/
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/
http://www.cec.sped.org/
http://www.nsgt.org
http://www.iget-network.org/
http://www.worldgifted.org/
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/
http://www.cec.sped.org/