Gifted & Talented
Academics, testing, services, and Accommodations
Definition and Academic Characteristics
A "gifted and talented" student means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who exhibits high performance capability.
- learns rapidly and quickly grasps new concepts
- has an excellent memory
- is creative or imaginative, e.g. produces many ideas or is highly original
- is independent - may prefer to work alone
- has a keen sense of humour
- may be highly motivated, particularly in self-selected tasks
- has unusual or advanced interests
- demonstrates exceptional critical thinking skills or problem-solving ability
- may have superior leadership and interpersonal skills
- frequently asks in-depth, probing questions
- may demonstrate a high degree of social responsibility or moral reasoning
- possesses a large, advanced vocabulary
- has superior insight and the ability to draw inferences or is intuitive
- is an advanced reader either in English or in the home language.
Testing
Achievement Tests - Achievement tests determine what the students already have learned and if they are more advanced than their grade level peers.
Ability Tests - Intelligence quotient (IQ) or cognitive abilities test scores are also used to identify gifted and talented students.
Gifted and Talented Services
Acceleration
Accelerating the gifted student to a level that is a closer match to his or her abilities. Grade Acceleration -- Sometimes referred to as "grade-skipping. Subject-Matter Acceleration -- Students also can be accelerated in one or more subjects to provide intellectual challenge in areas where they are particularly advanced.
Credit by Examination
Some school districts offer examinations whereby students can skip one or more courses by performing well on a test of the material that is covered in those courses.
Compacting
Compacting is a variation on the credit-by-examination approach. Students are pre-tested for knowledge and proficiency. Rather than testing out of an entire course, this option allows students to skip those units in which he or she can demonstrate mastery through pre-testing.
Accommodations
Curriculum Compacting by allowing students to show mastery of subjects before it is taught.
Differentiation gives Gifted students more challenging versions of class projects and assignments.
In-depth Learning allows students to study problems from different angles and points of view.
Distance Learning allows students to take other subjects not offered at their school.
Project-Based Learning allows gifted students to capitalize on their abilities to understand “cause and effect relationships” in order to solve real-world problems, with authentic final products.
National Association for Gifted Children
Email: lkraus@cde.ca.gov
Website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/gt/re/
Phone: 916-323-5252