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GIFTEDNESS AND GIFTED EDUCATION

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There are various definitions of giftedness. Some people identify it as a a high IQ score, usually above 130. Most organisations, such as Mensa, identify giftedness as an intelligence that's within a certain percentile, eg. the highest 2% of the population.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) defines gifted or talanted students as students who have exceptional ability or potential in general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking, leadership ability, visual and performance arts and/or psychomotor ability.

The tracking of gifted students started in the 1870s in Elizabeth (New Jersey) and St. Louis (Missouri), and was expanded to other cities in the 1920's. The first widely-used test for identifying giftedness was created by Alfred Binet and modified by Lewis Terman in 1916. This test measured various abilities, such as reasoning, reaction time, comprehension and ability to pay attention, some of which corresponded with teachers' judgements of gifted students.

Nowadays, giftedness is usually described as more than a simple number or score: it is seen multidisciplinarily. Howard Gardner believed in the MI (Multiple Intelligences) theory, describing several areas in which one can be gifted.

Some examples of characteristics of giftedness are: good problem solving skills, rapid learning ability, excessive vocabulary, excellent memory, long attention span, unusual curiosity, sensitivity, perseverance when interested in something, preference of older companions, perfectionism, moral sensitivity, creativity, great ability with numbers, and early or avid reading abilities.

In some districts there are district-wide screenings to assess characteristics of giftedness. In other districts, other data - such as report cards, parent questionaires etc. - will be gathered for assessment. After this, an individual test will be performed to ensure a student is gifted.

It is important - when assuming giftedness occurs in all cultures to count a person's cultural background in assessment. Also, there are nonverbal tests assessing giftedness in people who for some reason have limited language.

There are various models for teaching the gifted, including self contained classrooms, resource rooms and even special schools. A student's curriculum is adapted to meet his/her needs. For instance, busywork may be reduced.

References:
Gifted Education: A Primer
Characteristics of Giftedness Scale
Identifying and Serving Recent Immigrant Children who Are Gifted