Like any business or science, educators have built up their own vocabularies over the years. Here is a short list of some of the more common terms used.
For parents and grandparents trying to understand the world of gifted education, this is a concise list of some of the Eduspeak you might encounter:
2e, or Twice Exceptional
2e is a title that means a student is both gifted and learning disabled. Many famous leaders in the fields of sports, science, politics, literature, and art have been described as being 2e, or twice exceptional, meaning that they are both gifted and have learning issues. Often times one condition masks the other.
Acceleration
While there are many forms of acceleration such as advancing a grade level or studying materials advanced for the grade level, it is a way to modify or differentiate the learning to best meet the needs of a gifted student.
Achievement Test
This is a test that measures how well certain competencies have been learned. These are generally not used alone as indicators of cognitive ability as they tend to measure what has been taught at the school, and not mental strength and intelligence.
Asynchronous Development
When a gifted child develops at different levels among his or her socio-emotional, physical and intellectual ages. An example would be if a ten year-old gifted child were intellectually fifteen years old, but only nine emotionally.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD
A condition in which children have a difficult time controlling their impulses to act out or in staying focused (usually in the classroom). This label can also be placed on gifted students who are bored in class.
Compacting
The elimination of most of the normal activities that teachers use to prepare the students for learning to save time that gifted students can use for enrichment.
Cognitive Ability Tests
These tests are used in schools and in private educational professionals’ offices. In general, these tests measure the child’s mathematical and verbal, and sometimes perceptual abilities.
Constructivism
The presumption that all new learning is based on previous learning.
Chronological Age
The actual age in years of a student.
Gifted And Talented Education
Also known as GATE. Another name for gifted classes.
Higher-Order Thinking Skills
The ability to think in the abstract and think critically.
Intelligence Quotient, or IQ
A student’s mental age divided by the chronological age, times 100. Different kinds of statistical scales are used more often today.
IQ Test
A test that attempts to measure a student’s capacity to learn. The most common instruments are the Wechsler WISC, the Otis-Lennon OLSAT-8, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales SB5.
Mental Age
An indication of how developed a student’s brain has become that is determined by various intelligence tests.
Multiple Intelligence Theory
A theory that indicates that children can be intelligent in ways other than what can be measured on IQ tests.
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
The umbrella organization for all of the groups that support gifted children and their parents. The NAGC’s basic mission is to, "support and develop policies and practices that encourage and respond to the diverse expressions of gifts and talents in children and youth from all cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic groups."
Peer Mediation
This is a process that children who have visibly displayed they have a conflict between them, or if one student has an "issue" with another, can come together in a controlled, confidential, non-judgmental setting with a neutral moderator for the purpose of stating their concerns, listening to concerns, and coming to some kind of a concrete agreement for resolving the issues between them.
Pullout
When gifted students are taken from the regular classroom once or several times a week for enriched activities.
Role Playing
A way of telling a story in which students play a character other than themselves.
Telescoping
Completing a course in a shorter period of time than normal.
