Chapter 13
Gifted and Talented: The Quick Course
Defining Giftedness and Talent
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Federal Definition: Compared to children of their own age the child:
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Exhibits high performance capability
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Demonstrates outstanding intellectual, creative,
leadership, and/or artistic
achievement
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Excels in a specific academic field
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Needs services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school to fully
develop those capabilities
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National Association for Gifted Children
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Individuals who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in
one or more domains
Characteristics
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The ability to rapidly acquire, retain, and use large amounts of information
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The ability to relate one idea to another
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The ability to make sound judgments
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Appreciate more than one and opposing points of view
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The ability to perceive the operation of larger systems of knowledge that may not be
recognized by the typical person
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The ability to acquire and manipulate abstract symbol systems
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The ability to solve problems by reframing the question and creating novel solutions
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Characteristics for the highly gifted-those with IQ scores 3 standard deviations or greater
above the mean (IQ>145); typically 130-135 though
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Intense intellectual curiosity
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Fascination with words and ideas
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Perfectionism
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Need for precision
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Learning in great intuitive leaps
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Intense need for mental stimulation
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Difficulty conforming to the thinking of others
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Early moral and existential concern
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Tendency toward introversion
Individual Differences and Creativity
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Dimensions of Creativity
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Fluency
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Flexibility
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Novelty/originality
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Elaboration
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Synthesizing ability
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Analyzing ability
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Ability to reorganize or redefine existing ideas
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Complexity
Prevalence and Historical Background
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Gifted and talented children
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are found across gender, cultural, linguistic, and disability groups
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comprise about 3-5% of the student population
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Historical Background
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Binet and Simon-developed means of separating groups of slow learners;
Terman-translated these scales into English and refined them
Identification and Assessment
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Comprehensive and equitable assessment include:
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Group and individual IQ tests and achievement tests
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Portfolios
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Teacher, parent, self, and peer nomination
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Extracurricular or leisure activities
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Proficiency/state tests
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Authentic performances and/or products
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Never only one form of assessment
Educational Approaches
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The overall educational goal for gifted and talented students is the fullest possible
development of every child’s demonstrated and potential abilities.
