In most school districts, the criterion for giftedness does not include parent observations. Although parents may be included in the final outcome conference, their input is viewed as not valid. If parents are to assume the role of a facilitator or guide, they must be aware of the identification process in their school district!
According to researchers, in order to adequately identify children as gifted or having potential for future high level creative and intellectual contributions a four part procedure is recommended: nomination, screening, selection, and validation.
Teachers, principals, counselors, psychologists and others nominate potentially gifted students by filling out forms. Teacher nominations are usually based on student performance. The PACE identification procedure is widely accepted. The steps in the procedure are nomination, data gathering, data synthesis and validation. Very rarely are parent, peer, and/or self-nominations considered. They were rejected in order to maximize administrative acceptance. According to Ehrlich, an educational researcher, criteria, other than background information, which parents observe in potentially gifted children is viewed by the experts as too vague, too elusive, or even too unimportant to be of real concern.
Past performance, grades, nominations, etc. is gathered and charted. Diagnostic testing is performed. Achievement tests, aptitude tests, tests of creative abilities, and other performance tests may be administered. The selection team then reviews the data. This identification process may differ from school to school depending on the school’s individual gifted program.
Although formal identification usually begins in elementary school experts are supporting research that contends that early identification of gifted children is essential and should begin at the preschool age or before. Some educational researchers contend that parents should know of their child’s emerging abilities and begin to interact with them accordingly. Parents are becoming early identifiers. According to a Wright University study, 83% of parents suspected their child to be gifted before formal identification.
Early identifiers are keen observation and curiosity. A young gifted child may play with toys and the replace them exactly where he found them. Periods of intense concentration and early use of advanced vocabulary are others. Learning to read early (2.5 years) and the ability to understand how things work (i.e. clocks, CD players, thermometers, etc.) are still others. Early identifiers can be categorized into three areas: language and learning, psychomotor development and motivation, and personal – social characteristics. Research has proven that 67% of parents who provided a list of early identifiers were accurate.
Go To Page: 1 2
