Identifying Gifted Students

This study found that definitions of what constitute students who are gifted and talented as well as policies and procedures to identify these high-ability students play a critical role in determining which individuals actually receive gifted services. Results indicate substantial changes in definitions and categories of giftedness over the past decade. Results also reveal variability in identification methods. It should be noted that at present, no state advocates use a single-score decision-making model for gifted classification. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for school psychology.

McClain, M. & Pfeiffer, S. (2012). Identification of gifted students in the United States today: A look at state definitions, policies, and practices. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 28, 59–88. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2012.643757

Longitudinal Study of Gifted Students

The Fullerton Longitudinal Study examines the course of development for intellectually and motivationally gifted children across a breadth of developmental domains including academic, cognitive, self-perceptions, temperament, behavioral, social, family/environmental processes, and adult educational achievement. Major findings regarding these two distinct dimensions of giftedness are presented, with some implications for practice and directions for future research.

Gottfried, A. W., Gottfried, A. E., & Guerin, D. W. (2006). The Fullerton longitudinal study: A long-term investigation of intellectual and motivational giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 29(4), 430-450. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ746291.pdf

Identifying Gifted Students – Nomination Stage

This study evaluated the effect of the nomination stage on the overall efficacy of a gifted identification system. Results showed that in nearly all conditions, identification systems that require a nomination before testing result in a large proportion of gifted students being missed. The researchers suggest that changes to identification practices are urgently needed in order to ensure that larger numbers of gifted students receive appropriate educational placement and to maintain the integrity of gifted education services.

McBee, M. T., Peters, S. J., & Miller, E. M. (2016). The impact of the nomination stage on gifted program identification – a comprehensive psychometric analysis. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(4), 1-21. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0016986216656256