Since there are so many descriptions of what it means to be gifted, it is important to note the similarities and differences in each.
One of the issues facing proponents of gifted education these days is that there are so many different definitions of what giftedness means; it might be difficult to even begin a discussion on what the best course of action would be. This is one of the concerns that makes the topic of gifted education so arguable in the education world today. Even teachers and administrators who are personally and professionally dedicated to supporting gifted education can find it difficult to agree completely on the definitions of giftedness, which makes the notion of reforming GATE programs even more problematic.
In some cases, the opinions on reform are polar opposites. Some educators believe that leaving gifted children in the regular classrooms and using cooperative learning methods is the best approach. Others feel that gifted children need to be physically removed from the traditional classroom and put into special programs. Some feel that advancing or accelerating a gifted child is the solution, while others fear that the socialization issues involved in moving ahead outweigh the intellectual benefits that are gained.
What’s a Parent or Educator to Do?
The first step in any discussion is to frame the issues, so that everyone can agree on the terms and definitions of the topic. As noted above, however, in the area of gifted education this is not always an easy thing to do.
The modern thinking about gifted education began in 1916 when Lewis Terman created the Stanford-Binet IQ test, which was based on Alfred Binet’s earlier work. A few years later, he began long term studies into how gifted children learned. Much of his findings based on his “Termites” children are still in use today.
Terman’s work continued as the benchmark for defining gifted education until 1972, when the Marland Report to Congress gave schools a working definition of giftedness in school children. The Marland definition spoke about children who demonstrated notable abilities and high performance along with higher intellectual strengths and aptitudes. The Report also advised schools to both identify gifted students and to provide special differentiated learning programs for these children.
While many states and schools adopted the Terman definition and still use it to this day, newer definitions of giftedness include characteristics beyond IQ tests. These definitions include other facets of being gifted, as Joseph S. Renzulli, Ed.D. defined in 1986. It was Renzulli’s opinion that gifted children exhibited three major criteria: intelligence and above average abilities, creativity, and task commitment. In general, this would refer to children who stick with projects and are able to perform advanced tasks in a creative manner.
Based on the Marland definition, National Excellence: The Case for Developing America's Talent was drafted in 1994. The premise behind this report was that before you could support a gifted child, you first had to find him or her.
Up to that point, many schools relied heavily on the IQ tests to identify gifted children. National Excellence suggested that schools use more dynamic and flexible methods for broadening their efforts to find their gifted students. Also, the report noted that more care must be given in discovering talent in all groups of children, regardless of cultural and economic considerations.
What Kind of Tests Identify Gifted Students?
There are several cognitive ability tests used in schools and in private educational professionals’ offices. In general, these tests measure the child’s mathematical and verbal, and sometimes perceptual abilities. Many of these are pencil and paper thinking skills kinds of tests, while some are non-verbal for use with younger students. These students may have not developed sufficient verbal skills, yet, they could also be gifted. An example would be the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test.
Many of the tests measure forms of cognitive strength and intelligence. The most common instruments are the Wechsler WISC, the Otis-Lennon OLSAT-8, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales SB5. The Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Processes is a very popular instrument for testing the cognitive thinking abilities in children around five years old. One of the most powerful tests, however, is the Cognitive Abilities Test, Form 6, or CogAT, for assessing cognitive growth.
