The History and Identification of the Gifted

The History of Gifted and TalentedEarly 1900’s

• 1925- Lewis Terman founded gifted education

• The emergence of cognitive science– Alfred Binet: IQ Test– William Stern: IQ Formula

• 1926- Leta Hollingworth wrote Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture, the first textbook on gifted education

The History of Gifted and Talented1950 -1970’s

• 1954-National Association for Gifted Children

• 1961-Virgil Ward, differential education• 1967-Guilford wrote The Nature of Human

Intelligence, multiple intelligences• 1972-Marland Report, assessment• 1975-Education for All Handicapped

Children Act (PL 94-142), awareness of differences

The History of Gifted and Talented1980’s

• 1983- Howard Gardner, seven intelligences– Linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-

kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal

• 1983- A Nation at Risk, report– 50% of school-aged gifted not performing to potential

in mathematics and science

• 1985- Robert Sternberg, triarchic view– Practical, creative, and executive

• 1988- Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act (P: 100-297)

The History of Gifted and Talented 1990’s- 2000

• Office of Gifted and Talented Education, national research center

• 1993- National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent , second national report

• National Association for Gifted Children, standards

• National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, standards

• No Child Left Behind (PL 107-110), reading at grade level may be a limiting factor

What Teachers Want to Know

• Can all children become gifted?• What social/behavioral problems might arise for

the child who is gifted? • Should I recommend an acceleration or an

enrichment program? • What is the difference between differentiation

and individualization? • How will I fit them into my regular education

classroom and still maximize their potential?

Issues Surrounding Definition

• IDEA does not included a category for talented and gifted

• Each state establishes its own definition

• In states where gifted children constitute a a category of exceptionality, laws governing exceptional children also apply to children and young people who are gifted and talented

Prevalence

• Identification depends upon state criteria

• U.S. Department of Education (2000)– 2.96 million, close to 6% of school-aged

population– Possibly one of the largest groups of

students with exceptionalities

NM State Definition

“Gifted child” means a school aged person whose intellectual ability paired with – Subject matter aptitude / Achievement– Creativity / Divergent thinking– Problem solving / Critical thinking

is so outstanding that a properly constituted IEP team decides special education services are required to meet the child’s educational needs.

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1

3

Source: Unknown

Representational Characteristics

Creative

Thinker

Learns

Rapidly

Abstract

Thinker

Exceptional

Talent

Intrinsically

Motivated

Intellectual

Curiosity

Thinks Out of the Box

Early Reader

Excellent

Memory

Highly

Verbal

Synthesis & Analysis

Easily Bored

Dislikes Routines &

Rules

Mature & Relates to Adults

Leadership

Qualities

Exhibits Sustained

Attention

Bright Child/Gifted Child

Knows the answers

Is interested

Is attentive

Has good ideas

Works hard

Answers the questions

Top group

Listens with interest

Asks the questions

Is highly curious

Is mentally and physically involved

Has wild, silly ideas

Plays around, yet tests well

Discusses in detail, elaborates

Beyond the group

Shows strong feeling and opinions

Bright Child/Gifted Child

Learns with ease

6-8 repetitions for masters

Understands ideas

Enjoys peers

Grasps the meaning

Completes assignments

Is receptive

Copies accurately

Enjoys school

Already knows

1-2 repetitions for mastery

Constructs abstractions

Prefers adults

Draws inferences

Initiates projects

Is intense

Creates a new design

Enjoys learning

Bright Child/Gifted Child

Absorbs information

Technician

Good memorizer

Enjoys straight forward sequential presentation

Is alert

Is pleased with own learning

Manipulates information

Inventor

Good guesser

Thrives on complexity

Is keenly observant

Is highly self-critical

Emotional Dimensions of Giftedness

• Extra Perception- being highly perceptive to stimuli (sounds,sights,touches,tastes).

• High Involvement- unusual preoccupation with interests, tasks, materials, and questions.

• Super Sensitivity- super sensitive to ethical issues and concerns. Highly moralistic and quick to judge others.

Emotional Dimensions of Giftedness (continued)

• Perfectionism- feeling that nothing is ever “good enough” (so they may not hand it in).

• Asynchronous Development –when intellectual and verbal development are ahead of physical and emotional development.

• Multipotentiality – having many abilities makes choosing a major or career path difficult.

• Low self-esteem or depression – susceptibility to depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

Social Dimensions of Giftedness

“Eight Great Gripes.”1. No one explains what being gifted is all

about.2. Parents, teachers and friends

expect perfection all the time.3. School is not challenging.4. Friends who understand us are

hard to find.

“Eight Great Gripes.” (continued)

5. Kids tease us for being who we are.6. We feel overwhelmed.7. We feel different and alienated.8. We worry and feel helpless about world

problems.

*Adapted from When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers; Jim Delisle & Judy Galbraith.

Dabrowski’s Overexcitablities

• Psychomotor – An unusual need for

physical activity and movement.

(ex. Rapid talk, pacing, hand gestures).• Sensual – Greater than normal perceptiveness

of sensory experiences; unusual awareness and enjoyment of sensation.

• Imagination- Inventiveness, the ability to visualize clearly, metaphorical speech, dreaming, fantasy and magical thinking.

Dabrowski’s Overexcitablities (continued)

• Intellectual- The desire to question, to analyze; the ability to delight in the abstract and theoretical, in logical thinking, puzzles and problem solving.

• Emotional- An intensity of feeling and of relationships; preference for few close friends rather than many acquaintances; natural empathy and compassion.

The Good News and The Not So Good News of Being Gifted

ADMIRED TRAITS vs.

Good verbal skills

Long attention span

Retains information easily

Creative

Independent

Critical thinker

Sensitive

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS

Talks too muchTunnel visionImpatient with othersRejects norms or is disruptiveInability to accept help from

othersPerfectionism or critical of

othersExtremely hurt by comments

or criticism

Assessing Giftedness and TalentIn NM

• Traditional

• F-TAP

• Discover

Best Practices in Assessment(Landrum, Callahan, & Shaklee, 2001)

• Adheres to consistent procedures for nomination and identification

• Involves an ongoing nomination process that can occur at any time of the school year

• Uses instruments free from cultural bias

• Incorporates multiple methods of assessment

Traditional Assessment

How To Measure Intelligence?

Figure 9.4 A Theoretical Distribution of Intelligence

Intelligence

• “Intellectual ability” means a score two standard deviations above the mean as defined by the test author on a properly administered intelligence measure. The test administrator must also consider the standard error of measure (SEM) in the determination of whether or not criteria have been met in this area.

WISC-IV Full Scale IQWISC-IV Full Scale IQ

Verbal ComprehensionVerbal ComprehensionIndexIndex

Working MemoryWorking MemoryIndexIndex

Processing SpeedProcessing SpeedIndexIndex

Perceptual Reasoning Perceptual Reasoning IndexIndex

BDBDSISI VCVC COCO PCnPCn MRMR DSDS LNLN CDCD SSSS

The structure of the WISC-IV

Each of the four Index scores is derived from a number of subtest scores. There are five supplemental subtests which can be substituted for a specified

number of core subtests if needed.

© Text, format, graphics and data Copyright Dr John Worthington all rights reserved 2004 © www.jweducation.com

• SIMILARITIES (SI)Individuals are presented with two words that represent common objects or concepts and asked to say how they are similar.

• VOCABULARY (VC)Younger individuals are shown pictures and asked to name them. Thenindividuals are asked to give definitions for words presented orally and visually.

• COMPREHENSION (CO)Individuals are asked to respond to questions requiring an understanding of social situations, reflecting common sense, social judgment, behaviour and conventional standards.

• INFORMATION (IN) (Supplemental subtest)Individuals answer questions that address a broad range of general knowledge topics.

• WORD REASONING (WR) (Supplemental subtest)Individuals are asked to identify the common concept described in a series of clues.

Verbal Comprehension SubtestsVerbal Comprehension Subtests

© Text, format, graphics and data Copyright Dr John Worthington all rights reserved 2004 © www.jweducation.com

• BLOCK DESIGN (BD)Individuals use up to nine red and white blocks to re-create a model or a picture of a design within a specific time limit.

• PICTURE CONCEPTS (PCn)The individual is presented with two or three rows of pictures and choose one picture from each row with common characteristics.

• MATRIX REASONING (MR)Individuals look at an incomplete matrix (made up of pictures or designs)and selects the missing item from five options.

• PICTURE COMPLETION (PCm) (Supplemental subtest)Individuals have to point to or name an important part missing from a picture within a specific time.

Perceptual Reasoning SubtestsPerceptual Reasoning Subtests

© Text, format, graphics and data Copyright Dr John Worthington all rights reserved 2004 © www.jweducation.com

• DIGIT SPAN (DS)Digit Span requires the individual to do two distinct tasks, the firstrepeat orally numbers presented in the same order. Then the individual is asked to repeat orally presented numbers in reverse order.

• LETTER-NUMBERING SEQUENCING (LN)Individuals are read a sequence of numbers and letters and are asked to recall the numbers in ascending order and the letters in alphabetical order.

• ARITHMETIC (AR) (Supplemental subtest)Individuals solve a series of orally presented arithmetic problems within a specific time limit.

Working Memory SubtestsWorking Memory Subtests

© Text, format, graphics and data Copyright Dr John Worthington all rights reserved 2004 © www.jweducation.com

• CODING (CD)Individuals copy symbols that are paired with simplegeometric shapes or numbers within a specific time limit.

• SYMBOL SEARCH (SS)Individuals scan a search group (of abstract symbols) andindicate if a target symbol/s matches any of the symbols inthe search group within a specific time limit.

• CANCELLATION (CA) (Supplemental subtest)Individuals scan both a random and structured arrangement ofpictures and marks target pictures within a specific time limit.

Processing Speed SubtestsProcessing Speed Subtests

© Text, format, graphics and data Copyright Dr John Worthington all rights reserved 2004 © www.jweducation.com

VCI Index Description

• Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI)– Similarities, Comprehension, and Vocabulary

subtests– Requires verbal conceptualization, stored knowledge

access and oral expression– Child must answer orally presented questions that

assess common-sense reasoning, reasoning out or retrieving word associations, and the ability to describe the nature or meaning of words.

– Verbal expression required (length of response varies)

PRI Index Description

• Perceptual Reasoning Index– Matrix Reasoning, Picture Concepts, and Block

Design subtests– Requires visual perception and organization and

reasoning with visually presented, nonverbal material to solve the kinds of problems that are NOT school taught

– BD also requires visual-motor coordination and the ability to apply all skills in a quick, efficient manner. The highest scores reflect both accurate and very quick responses.

WMI Index Description

• Working Memory Index– Composed of Letter-Number Sequencing and Digit

Span– Requires working memory processes applied to the

manipulation of orally presented verbal sequences– Note that Digits Forward only requires initial encoding

and a verbal response as do the initial items on LNS

PSI Index Description

• Processing Speed Index– Coding and Symbol Search– Requires visual perception and organization, visual

scanning, and the efficient production of multiple motor responses

– These tasks require executive control of attention and sustained effort for a 2-minute period of time while working with visual material as quickly as possible

– Performance on Coding is also dependent on paired-associative learning

Stanford Binet 5

• The SB5 is appropriate for a broad range of 2 to 85+ years, providing one assessment for all ages. It provides comprehensive coverage of five factors of cognitive ability:

• Fluid Reasoning • Knowledge • Quantitative Processing • Visual-Spatial Processing • Working Memory

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, 5th Edition

(SB5)Author: Gale H. Roid

Publisher: Riverside Publishing

Description of SB5:

• Appropriate for ages 2-85+ years of age• The 5th edition incorporates features of earlier

editions of Stanford-Binet• Specific improvements in psychometric design• Contains many of the same subtests and items

from previous editions• 5th edition has 5 factors

1. Fluid Reasoning2. Knowledge3. Quantitative Reasoning4. Visual-Spatial Pro5. Working Memory

http://assess.nelson.com/test-ind/stan-b5.html & http://www.cps.nova.edu/~cpphelp/SB5.html

Subtest Information and Description:

FACTORS NONVERBAL (NV) VERBAL (V)

Fluid Reasoning(FR)

Nonverbal Fluid ReasoningActivities: Object Series/Matrices (Routing)

Verbal Fluid ReasoningActivities: Early Reasoning (2-3), Verbal Absurdities (4), Verbal Analogies (5-6)

Knowledge(KN)

Nonverbal KnowledgeActivities: Procedural Knowledge (2-3), Picture Absurdities (4-6)

Verbal KnowledgeActivities: Vocabulary (Routing)

Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

Nonverbal Quantitative ReasoningActivities: Quantitative Reasoning (2-6)

Verbal Quantitative ReasoningActivities: Quantitative Reasoning (2-6)

Visual-Spatial Processing (VS)

Nonverbal Visual-Spatial ProcessingActivities: Form Board (1-2), Form Patterns (3-6)

Verbal Visual-Spatial ProcessingActivities: Position and Direction (2-6)

Working Memory(WM)

Nonverbal Working MemoryActivities: Delayed Response (1), Block Span (2-6)

Verbal Working MemoryActivities: Memory for Sentences (2-3), Last Word (4-6)

http://assess.nelson.com/test-ind/stan-b5.html

Nonverbal Subtests• Fluid Reasoning - Object Series/Matrices (a point scale used for

routing). Includes new sequential reasoning items and classic matrices.

• Knowledge - Procedural Knowledge (a new type of item involving gestures), followed by Picture Absurdities (a classic subtest in the Stanford-Binet tradition).

• Quantitative Reasoning - Nonverbal Quantitative Reasoning items, tapping number concepts, problem solving, and figural-geometric /measurement-estimation problems.

• Visual Spatial Reasoning - Form Board (classic items for the lower levels), followed by the new Form Patterns (making designs from an expanded set of form-board pieces).

• Working Memory - Delayed Response (e.g., hiding an object under a cup) at the low levels followed by Block Span (the new blocktapping procedure).

Verbal Subtests• Fluid Reasoning – Early Reasoning items (e.g., picture reasoning)

followed by classic Verbal Absurdities and Verbal Analogies.• Knowledge – Vocabulary (a point scale used for routing). Includes

toys, identification of body parts, Child Card, and classic word definitions.

• Quantitative Reasoning – Verbal Quantitative Reasoning items, tapping number concepts, problem solving, and figural-geometric/measurement estimation problems.

• Visual Spatial Reasoning – Innovative new Position and Direction (verbal-spatial problems requiring explanation of directions, identifying spatial relations in pictures, understanding complex statements of spatial orientation).

• Working Memory -Classic Memory for Sentences followed by an innovative Last Word procedure (requiring memory of the last word

• of series of questions).

Achievement

• “Subject matter aptitude/achievement” means superior academic performance on a total subject area score on a standardized measure.

The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery - (WJ-III®)

• Tests of Achievement

Reading• 1. Letter-Word Identification - naming letters and reading words aloud

from a list.

2. Reading Fluency - speed of reading sentences and answering "yes" or "no" to each.

9. Passage Comprehension - orally supplying the missing word removed from each sentence or very brief paragraph.  (e.g., "Woof," said the _____, biting the hand that fed it.").

13. Word Attack - reading nonsense words (e.g., plurp, fronkett) aloud to test phonetic word attack skills.

17. Reading Vocabulary - orally stating synonyms and antonyms for printed words and orally completing written analogies (e.g., elephant : big :: mouse : ____ ).

• ( To cover all areas of reading, as outline by NCLB, Reading First, suggests that Phonemic Awareness is also included:

21. Sound Awareness - rhyming, deletion, substitution, and reversing of spoken sounds

Written Language• 7. Spelling - writing letters and words from dictation.

8. Writing Fluency - writing simple sentences, using three given words for each item and describing a picture, as quickly as possible for seven minutes.

11. Writing Samples - writing sentences according to directions; many items include pictures; spelling does not count on most items.

16. Editing - orally correcting deliberate errors in typed sentences.

18. Spelling of Sounds - written spelling of dictated nonsense words.

22. Punctuation and Capitalization - formal writing test of these skills.

Math

• 5. Calculation - involves arithmetic computation with paper and pencil.

6. Math Fluency - speed of performing simple calculations for 3 minutes.

10. Applied Problems - are oral, math "word problems," solved with paper and pencil.

18. Quantitative Concepts - oral questions about mathematical factual information, operations signs, etc.

WIAT-II

• Oral Language • Listening Comprehension • Written Expression • Spelling • Pseudoword Decoding • Word Reading • Reading Comprehension • Numerical Operations • Mathematical Reasoning

Creativity

• “Creativity/divergent thinking” means outstanding performance on a test of creativity/ divergent thinking, or in creativity/divergent thinking .

Critical Thinking

• “Problem-solving/critical thinking” means outstanding performance on a test of problem-solving/critical thinking.

Frasier Talent Assessment Profile (F-TAP)

Under-representation of Culturally Diverse Learner

• Test bias

• Faulty referral policies

• Deleterious effects of poverty

• Conflicting social values

• Teacher attitudes and expectations

• Rigid definition of giftedness

(Davis& Rim, 1998, Ford, 1998, Plummer, 1995)

Core Attributes of Children who are Cultural Diverse and Gifted

• Communication skills• Imagination/creativity• Humor• Inquiry• Insight• Interest• Memory• Motivation• Problem solving• Reasoning (Frazier, 1995)

IDENTIFICATION OF HISPANIC STUDENTS

1. Classroom Behaviors

• Achievement• Interests• Self-Confidence• Expression• Social Interaction• Attitude towards school

2. Inquisitiveness• Curiosity• Motivation to Learn

3. Non-academic Characteristics • Achievement in sports, art, & music• Leadership qualities

4. Originality • Humor• Independence• Problem-solving skills• Risk-taking

5. Foci of Interest • Attention span• Area of interest

6. Creative Expression • Artistic & musical skills• Language skills

7. Demeanor • Personality traits• Social preference

Bernal cites the following CHARACTERISTICS OF GIFTED

HISPANIC CHILDREN:

1. Rapidly acquires English language skills once exposed to the language and given an opportunity to use it expressively.

2. Exhibits leadership ability, be it open or unobtrusive, with heavy emphasis on interpersonal skills.

3. Has older playmates and easily engages adults in lively conversation.

4. Enjoys intelligent (or effective) risk taking behavior, often accompanied by a sense of drama.

5. Is able to keep busy and entertained, especially by imaginative games and ingenious applications, such as getting the most out of a few simple toys and objects. 

6. Accepts responsibilities at home normally reserved for older children, such as the supervision of younger siblings or helping others do their homework.

7. Is “street wise” and is recognized by others as a youngster who has the ability to “make it” in the Anglo dominated society.

E. Paul Torrance cites the following CHARACTERISTICS OF GIFTED

MINORITY CHILDREN:

1. Ability to express feeling and emotions. 

2. Ability to improvise with commonplace materials and objects (e.g., makes toys from household items; invents).

3. Articulate in role-playing, sociodrama, and story telling.

4. Enjoyment of and ability in visual arts, such as drawing, painting.

5. Enjoyment of and ability in creative movement, dance, dramatics. 

6. Enjoyment of and ability in music and rhythm. 

7. Use of expressive speech: colorful, powerful analogies, vivid descriptions combined with movement and sound.

8. Fluency and flexibility in figural media.

9. Enjoyment of and skill in group activities.

F-TAP

• Intellectual Ability

• Academic Achievement

• Creativity

• Critical Thinking

Triarchic Intelligence

F-TAP Protocol

• Use at least three measures in each category and no more than 16 total.

• At least one subjective and one objective measure must be used in each category.

• Teacher Rating Scales include The Frasier Traits, Aptitudes and Behaviors or the NM Gifted Rating Scale

Traits, Aptitudes, and BehaviorsFrasier and Passow

Discover

Components

• Spatial Artistic

• Spatial Analytical

• Oral Linguistic

• Mathematical Computation

• Linguistic Intelligence

Spatial Artistic

• Designed to assess a student’s spatial ability.– Students are given colorful, heavy cardboard

Pablo pieces to make a variety of constructions.

Spatial Analytical

• Designed to assess logical, mathematical, and spatial abilities.– Students are given 21 piece Tangram sets to

use in completing complex figures

Oral Linguistic

• Designed to assess a student’s oral linguistic ability in his/her language of choice.– Students are asked to group and orally

describe a set of toys and then to tell a story using some or all of the pieces.

Mathematical Computation

• Designed to assess a student’s logical-mathematical abilities.– Students are asked to calculate, quantify, and

carry out complex operations.

Linguistic Intelligence

• Designed to assess a student’s written linguistic ability in his/her language of choice.– Students are asked to write a story in

response to an open-ended prompt.

Unique Talents, Unique Needs

• One student may have an intelligence level of 13O and be amazingly talented in music; another student may have an intelligence level of 165 and be 5 grade levels ahead of peers in mathematics

• Modification and programming needs to address both the degree and area of giftedness

Point to Ponder

Research suggests that most classroom teachers make no or only minor modifications to meet the unique needs of learners who are gifted.(Archambault, Westberg, Brown, Hallmark, Zhang,& Emmons1993)

What do you think?

Famous IQs

• Leonardo da Vinci 220

• William Shakespeare 190 

• Albert Einstein 190  

• Plato 180

• Napoleon 180

• Pablo Picasso 175 

• Bill Gates 173

Famous IQs

• Confucius 170 

• Norman Schwarzkopf 170 

• Marilyn Monroe 163 

• Mahatma Gandhi 160 

• Richard Nixon 143 

• Charlie Chaplin 140 

• Bill Clinton 140 

Famous IQs

• Paul Hogan 140 • Madonna 140 • Shakira 140 • Arnold Schwarzenegger 135 • Nicole Kidman  132+ • Walt Disney 123 • Average person 90 to 110• Koko the trained gorilla 90 • George Bush 91