Gifted & Talented

March 11, 2012

Kennan Cammack

Definitions:
Giftedness is defined as high
performance in intellectual and
artistic abilities. Gifted students
need educational services beyond
what is provided in the general
classroom. However, not all
gifted students are able to
demonstrate their abilities on
assessments and academic
achievement. For example, many
students are creative, inquisitive,
and motivated, which are traits
not recognized by an assessment.
Therefore, students can be
considered gifted and talented
without being proficient in the
instruction language. Other
attributes of giftedness include:
communication skills, problem-
solving strategies, curiosity,
expansive memory, insight,
reasoning, humor, inquiry,
imagination, and intense hobbies
or interests.

Key Considerations:
Standardized tests are often used to recognize gifted/talented students, making diverse groups
unequally represented.
Culturally diverse students must be identified as gifted/talented within the context of their own
culture.
The percentage of ELL students in gifted/talented programs should be equal to the percentage
of native speakers involved.
Focus needs to be put on students strengths rather than their weaknesses.
Low teacher expectations of minority students.

Issue
#: [Date]
March
11, 2012

Sit Amet
Kennan Dolor
Cammack

Suggestions:

Referral programs should be inclusive of

cultural based characteristics of giftedness.
Some traits that are considered as gifted in
America may hold different value in other
cultures.

Communicated between the GT and ESL

teachers. When collaborating, teachers will
do a better job in identifying students in need
of services.

Administrators need to study and adjust the

identification process of gifted/talented
students in order to accommodate for ELL
students.

Educators need more tools in identifying GT

students: multiple intelligence assessments,
native-language assessments, and non-verbal
tests.

Educators should also use multiple sources of

data in identifying students: art pieces, music
ability, referral by friends/family and other
observations.

Professional development: Training

educators and administrators in identifying
GT students.

Hold all students to the same high

expectations. When students have low
expectations from teachers, they tend to
perform lower.

https://giftedandtalented.com - Stanford
Universitys website containing information and
advice for educators.

Include multiple GT programming ideas at

the school: bilingual classes, hands on
projects, student choice, co-teaching with ESL
and GT teachers.

http://www.nsgt.org/educational-resources/ Articles and resources for both educators and

parents.

Mentor programs: Allow older students to

mentor new GT/ELL students to help
transition them into the program.

Family involvement: workshop for

parents/family members that focus on how
to help their students succeed.

Resources:
Esquierdo, J. J., Arreguin-Anderson, M. (2012).
The Invisible Gifted and Talented Bilingual Students:
A Current Report on Enrollment in GT Programs.
Journal for the Education of the Gifted.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: Theory In
Practice. New York, NY: Basic Books
Harris, B., Plucker J., Rapp, K., Martinez, R.
(2009). Identifying Gifted and Talented English
Language Learners: A Case Study. Journal for the
Education of the Gifted.
(2008). Identifying Gifted and Talented English
Language Learners. Iowa Department of Education
Renzulli, J. S. (1978). What Makes Giftedness?
Reexamining A Definition. Phi Delta Kappan.
Stein, J. C., Hezel, J., Beck, R. (2012). Twice
Exceptional? The Plight of the Gifted English Learner.
The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin.

http://www.nagc.org/resourcespublications/resources/national-standards-giftedand-talented-education - National Standards