A 21st-Century Model for Identifying Students for Gifted and Talented Programs in Light of National Conditions: An Emphasis on Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

S chools began providing services for gifted and talented (GT) students in the 1860s (DeLeon & VandenBox, 1985). However, GT programs in public schools did not become common in the United States (U.S.) until about 100 years later. Terman’s (1925) scholarship helped establish standards for GT programs when he identified intelligence as an important, perhaps the most important, marker of gifted students, and he suggested they should score among the top 2% on nationally standardized intelligence tests. These standards for identification continue in many locations. For example, 73% of school districts rely on standardized measures of cognitive abilities when identifying GT students (Heward, 2000). GT programs are intended for students who display exceptional qualities, whose needs are not sufficiently served in regular education programs, and are likely to benefit from special education and related services. Although GT programs presumably are intended to meet students’ needs, support for the programs is highly dependent on whether they meet local, state, and national needs. The federal government highlighted the importance of educating GT children following the Soviet Union’s launch of its first satellite in 1957. Congress passed and the President implemented the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) in an effort to educate exceptional students for the purpose of closing the gap between the Soviet Union and U.S. in science and technology. Prior to the Act’s ratification, only six states had legislation addressing the needs of GT students. With NDEA funding, services for GT students reached an all time high and were found in all states (DeLeon & VandenBox, 1985).