** This post is part of a larger post: Developing a Gifted and Talented Program. **
All students need to be provided the opportunity to thrive in school, so identifying gifted and talented students will help the school know what services are most appropriate for each student in order to provide them a successful education. It is important to note that just identifying the student should not be where the process ends. After identifying the students, the school needs to follow through and provide those services to each student.
Domains of Giftedness
There are five main domains of giftedness. They are:
- Intellectual: Students who are gifted intellectually have exceptional ability with memory, reasoning, solving problems, manipulating abstract ideas, and making connections. They also learn at a faster rate than their peers.
- Creative: Students who fall in this category demonstrate creative problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as original, unique thinking.
- Artistic: Artistically gifted students may be talented in visual arts, performance arts, music, dance, psychomotor abilities, etc.
- Leadership: Students who are gifted in leadership have an exceptional ability to influence people, along with good communication skills.
- Academic: Gifted and talented students who fall under this domain demonstrate exceptional ability in academic contents.
Traits of Gifted and Talented Students
There are many traits and characteristics that gifted and talented students exhibit. It is important to note that gifted students may not demonstrate all of these characteristics. Also, just because some students have these traits, it does not mean they are necessarily gifted.
Some of the traits of gifted and talented students include:
- Inquiring mind (always asking questions; very curious)
- Strong reasoning skills
- Ability to approach tasks in unique, original ways
- Advanced vocabulary
- Learn at a faster rate; only needs 1 to 2 repetitions for mastery of a skill
- Able to draw inferences
- Thrives on complexity
- Keenly observant
- Can process information in complex, abstract ways
- Advanced comprehension
- High academic success
- Creative
- Gets bored easily in school
- Perfectionist; fears failure
- Unique problem solving skills
- Takes risks
- Avid reader
- Able to work independently on tasks
- Demonstrates flexible thinking and originality in ideas and work
- Has a sense of humor
Check out Growing Up Gifted by Barbara Clark for a longer list of characteristics of giftedness.
Identification
When identifying students as gifted, it is important to use multiple sources, including different time periods and locations. Below are common identification tools that are used in most schools for identifying gifted students.
Referrals/Nominations
- Referrals/nominations can come from parents, teachers, counselors, etc. They can even be from the student themselves. The referrals should include sufficient evidence demonstrating why the student would benefit from the gifted program, as well as state the student’s area(s) of strength.
- For teacher nominations, teachers should nominate students who display characteristics that cannot be seen through test scores (i.e., creativity, interests, talents, superior performance in certain areas, etc.). They would benefit from being trained on what to look for in their students, as well as having a nomination form and rating scale that they fill out for each individual student.
Questionnaires and Interviews
- Similar to nominations/referrals, questionnaires and interviews with the student, their parents, and their classroom teacher can also be helpful.
- When interviewing the student’s parents, it will be helpful to gain information about the child’s history in development, health, and education.
- The questionnaire from the teacher should be objective – removing personal views and feelings, and instead focusing on the student’s skills and effort.
Testing
- In order to establish a group of students who may qualify for gifted services, some schools conduct universal screenings. This is an ongoing assessment where either all students in the school or students within a certain grade level are looked at (testing, observations, teacher and parent referrals, etc.). If a student is recognized as needing services, they are then moved on to the next phase in the identification process to see if they qualify as gifted and talented. By using standardized test scores, districts are able to see which students perform at exceptionally higher levels on achievement tests.
- Some of the different types of tests districts use in the identification process are cognitive, creativity, and achievement tests. Cognitive tests are used to measure one’s intellectual ability. It includes analogies, pattern arrangements, block designs, vocabulary, math problems, reading comprehension, etc. Examples of cognitive tests include the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and IQ tests such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).
- Creativity tests demonstrate how a student thinks when it comes to creative tasks. Examples of these tests include Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and Profile of Creative Abilities (PCA).
- Achievement tests are standardized, criterion and norm-referenced tests that are used to see what academic areas a student excels in. The Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and the School Aptitude Test (SAT) are all examples of achievement tests.
Performance, Observations, Checklists, and Anecdotal Records
- Lastly, schools may look at a student’s performance in the classroom, their academic success, and their portfolios. Informal reading assessments can also be used as a piece of evidence for a student’s academic performance.
- Behavior observation scales can help to identify outstanding talent in students. It is important that they are completed in more than one setting, and at different times of the day. When completing behavior observation scales, look for things such as leadership, motivation, creativity, sense of humor, reasoning, and memory. Examples of these scales include:
