An 18-month-old correctly labels the colors. A 3-year-old reads kindergarten-level sight words. An elementary school-aged child consistently earns the highest score on academic tests. Do these accomplishments make a child gifted? By its very nature, defining giftedness is a moving target, especially in a changing demographic landscape.
Different Definitions of Gifted Reflect That One Size Does Not Fit All
Giftedness refers to a wide range of meanings and beliefs. For example, the federal government defines gifted as “students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academics fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.” According to the National Association for Gifted Children, characteristics of a gifted student includes “achievement in top 10 percent or rarer in one or more domains,” such as language, music or math. Even each state differs in defining giftedness.
The Unique Qualities of Giftedness in Diverse Student Populations
The definition of giftedness is expanding in light of a shifting student population landscape. The National Association for Gifted Children notes that while a gifted individual demonstrates a high aptitude of learning, the same student “may not demonstrate outstanding levels of achievement due to environmental circumstances,” such as cultural barriers, discrimination and physical or learning disabilities. Schools with gifted programs may need to consider other educational testing formats that are able to better meet the needs of the student population, especially when students are culturally and linguistically diverse. An assessment test optimized for a mobile tablet or available in languages other than English are some of the ways to make testing more accessible to students with cultural or language barriers. While the definition of gifted broadly means a high level of aptitude, it is also important to be mindful that even within giftedness, there is not a one-size-fits-all and the qualities of giftedness are fluid in nature.
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