Identification

Identification

The identification process is perhaps the biggest problem in gifted education. In the United States, it is estimated that 47,846,000 children are enrolled in K-12 public schools. Of these students, approximately 2,393,000, or five percent, are considered gifted (Genius Denied, 2005). Developing procedures to identify these exceptional students can be an arduous task. However, Coleman has stated that, “Identification remains critical to ensuring that children receive the services they need to thrive in school” (2003, 1). There are several problems educators deal with when identifying gifted students. First, students from economically disadvantaged families or from culturally diverse backgrounds are considerably underrepresented in gifted programs. Also, gifted children with other noted disabilities are not represented. These students, also called twice-exceptional students, are especially hard to identify and instruct, as they may require advanced learning in certain areas as well as remedial education in other areas (Winebrenner, 2003).

Second, many educators are not trained to deal with such drastic above average intelligence, and they tend to rely on only one aspect of intelligence, such as an IQ score or a result from a standardized test, to identify intelligent students. These educators need to realize that intelligence is more complex, and may be evident more in portfolios, group projects, performance-based assessments, or a summation of work displayed over time. And finally, there is often a disparity between identification and the services involved. For example, a student identified as advanced in mathematics alone would probably not benefit from grade skipping, as he/she may fall behind in...

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Willard, P. (2002). Catering to the needs of gifted children. Dodge City Daily Globe. Retrieved 24 February 2005 from http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/092702/lif_gifted.shtml.

This article tells the story of Erich Steubgen, a gifted student. The article then goes on to evaluate the emotional aspects of gifted and talented children – how they feel in a normal classroom, and warning signs for teachers who might be thrown off by adverse behaviors.

Hagy, J. (2004). Hidden Genius. Teacher Magazine, 15(6), pp. 51-52. Retrieved 20 February 2005 from www.edweek.org.

This resource provided information about the frustrations involved in identification from a parent’s perspective.

Winner, E. (1996). The miseducation of our gifted children. Retrieved 21 April 2005 from www.edweek.org.

This article mainly reviews several points I made in my paper.