Gifted Education Programs and Procedures

Abstract

Olszewski‐Kubilius reviews work focused on defining characteristics of gifted children as well as on demonstrating important implications for education. Key research is presented to support the striking capabilities of gifted children and the increasing evidence of the stability of exceptional abilities. Considerable evidence is presented on inter‐ and intra‐individual variance, asynchronous development, and distinct ability profiles. Difficulties associated with current definitions of giftedness and the overall limitations of traditional and standardized intelligence measures for the early identification of giftedness are discussed. The chapter ends with an analysis of programs and practices currently employed across the country to address the needs of these students.

Enhancing Gifted Education for Underrepresented Students

“…Problems with the identification and recruitment methods used to solicit students for gifted education are frequently cited as major contributing factors to the underrepresentation of low-income and minority students (Olszewski-Kubilius & Thomson, 2003). Research has found that traditional intelligence tests, such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003), have yielded lower scores for minority children (Naglieri & Ford, 2003).…”

“…In addition to the measures specifically designed as nonverbal assessments, practitioners have the option to choose from nonverbal indices built into traditional cognitive assessments, such as the mental processing index or the nonverbal index found on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004) or the nonverbal index found on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V; Wechsler, 2014). These nonverbal tests have been deemed more culturally sensitive because they place greater emphasis on fluid reasoning ability, which relies less on language and academically acquired knowledge (Naglieri & Ford, 2003; Olszewski-Kubilius & Thomson, 2003).…”

“…This concern was recently highlighted in a 2014 special issue of Gifted Child Today , which showcased the unique challenges that racially, ethnically, and linguistically different (RELD) students encounter and their underrepresentation in gifted education. One cause of this disproportionate representation is that RELD students are being recruited into gifted programs and advanced-level courses at significantly lower rates than White children (Donovan & Cross, 2002; Ford, Coleman, & Davis, 2014; McBee, 2006; Olszewski-Kubilius & Thomson, 2003). The problem is further perpetuated once these students enter gifted programs.…”

Acceleration, Enrichment, or Internal Differentiation – Consequences of Measures to Promote Gifted Students Anticipated by German Secondary School Teachers

“…In spite of enhanced scientific and public efforts to improve gifted education in the last decades -numerous measures and programs to promote gifted students have been developed and documented worldwide since the 1980s (Heller & Perleth, 2007;Olszewski-Kubilius, 2003;Preckel & Vock, 2013;Shavinina, 2009) -there evidently are still a lot of difficulties to implement some of these measures in the daily routine of German schools. Even the intensified discussion on inclusion recently led in German educational policy mostly ignores gifted children and efforts to implement inclusion in German classrooms are mostly restricted to children with handicaps or learning disabilities (Boban & Hinz, 2013;Heimlich & Kahlert, 2014; see also Vogt & Krenig, 2014).…”

“…Many of the successful programs in gifted education that have been developed in the last years combine elements of acceleration and enrichment, the two basic principles of differentiation frequently applied in programs for gifted students as well as in measures for individualized differentiation (Olszewski-Kubilius, 2003). Acceleration means that students pass the normal curriculum faster than their peers.…”