Identification of Gifted and Talented Students
The identification of a potentially gifted student is usually initiated by a teacher or parent.
“Children who are gifted often have exceptional learning needs at school, in the community, and at home. Children who may be gifted are assessed in order to gain a better understanding of their learning, and social and emotional needs. Schools require evidence of a child’s special needs (either learning difficulties or exceptional learning abilities) in order to provide appropriate programming. Assessment provides such evidence and information to assist in planning for programming.”
The Journey, A Handbook for Parents of Children who are Gifted and Talented, is an excellent resource for more information on identification and characteristics of gifted. The Journey also contains checklists for parents to help you decide when to complete a formalized assessment of your child’s gifts and talents.
This handbook may be downloaded here.
Did you know?
Research has shown that parents are more likely to identify a need for testing than teachers. This is because giftedness is part of the child from birth and parents experience both the intellectual and social/ emotional development and needs of the child.