Identification of Gifted Children and Testing

Jonathan A. Plucker and Carolyn M. Callahan. Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says. Prufrock Press, 2007.

This is a large volume, 785 pages, about the research base for 50 practices (e.g., identification, special schools, talent search programs, differentiated instruction) and/or issues (e.g. gifted girls, motivation, prodigies, professional developed) within the field of gifted education. This book is most useful for researchers and graduate students.

Francis A. Karnes and Kristen R. Stephens. Achieving Excellence. Educating the Gifted and Talented. Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson

This text is a comprehensive presentation of the major issues in gifted education including theoretical stances on giftedness, creativity and talent, identification of gifted and talented learners, special populations including twice exceptional, culturally and linguistically diverse students, curriculum for gifted learners, program models, parenting issues, program evaluation and assessment and teachers of the gifted. Many of the chapters are written by leading researchers and practitioners in the field and because of that they deal with issue at a complex level, but present material in a very readable style appropriate for those new to the field of gifted education. Some chapters that are not typically seen in textbooks of this nature include ones on theories of intelligence, legal issues in the field, program evaluation, teachers of the gifted and talented and parenting.

Joan Franklin Smutney, Sally Y. Walker, and Elizabeth A. Meckstroth. Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K-5. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2007.

This book is a very practical guide to the topic of acceleration for teachers and school personnel who work with children of elementary school age. The authors share their expertise in early childhood development, gifted programming, and the social-emotional development of gifted children through the anecdotes and examples sprinkled throughout the text. The book broadens one's notions of the types of acceleration available to teachers and schools and how to effectively implement acceleration within the classroom via differentiated content, thinking strategies, products, and policy. An entire section of the book deals with the gifted child's personality and the social-emotional aspects of acceleration. This book is best for teachers and administrators but also appropriate for parents.

Talent Children and Adults. Third Edition., Jane Piirto , Prufrock Press, 2007.

This is a very comprehensive look at the field of gifted education and creativity. The book is 730 pages long and contains 12 chapters. Perspectives on definitions of intelligence and theories of giftedness and creativity are covered as well as common practice in identifying giftedness and creativity. Piirto then proceeds to deal with each stage of development, young gifted children, giftedness during the elementary and middle school years, high school and college aged gifted students and adult giftedness. In the discussion of each phase, she organizes the presentation of material by domains or areas of giftedness including music, visual arts, writing and leadership.Two chapters deal with curriculum for the gifted and differentiation and there are chapters devoted to social emotional issues and special populations of gifted learners. This book emphasizes breadth of topics covered rather than depth and is an excellent resource for beginning students in the field.

Robert J Sternberg and Janet E. Davidson (Eds). Conceptions of Giftedness . Second Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

The is the second edition of this book and it is wonderful expansion of the first edition. The book reviews many well known known theories of giftedness and creativity including those of GAne, Renzulli, and Sternberg. It also includes chapters by authors that offer new and interesting perspectives on giftedness and talent. The first chapter by Borland from Teachers College, Columbia University, argues " that the concept of the gifted child is logically, pragmatically, and-with respect to the consequences of is application in American education-morally untenable... (pg 1). Other chapters examine giftedness from the perspectives of society and school. This book is written for those with some background in the field of gifted education and those who want to think and reflect from a "bird's eye view" on the field.

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students. Templeton National Report on Acceleration. Eds. Colangelo, Nicholas; Assouline, Susan; Gross, Miraca U.M., Belin-Blank Center for Gifteddcaon & Talent Development, 2004.
More than just grade skipping, “acceleration means matching the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the student.” Endorsed by the National Association for Gifted Children, this two-part report on acceleration is an impressive achievement. The report provides accurate, research-based information about acceleration to those who most need it-parents, teachers, school administrators, and public policy-makers. It draws on the expertise of many of today's top experts in gifted education, pointing out that accelerating gifted students is strongly supported by those who have studied the practice. American educators, on the other hand, commonly are reluctant to consider acceleration as an option. Attempting to bridge the divide between these two positions, the authors outline some reasons why bright students in this country are “held back,” or not allowed to move through the curriculum at a rate that is appropriate for them, including:

• Philosophy that children must be kept with their age group
  
• Belief that acceleration hurries children out of childhood
  
• Fear that acceleration hurts children socially
  
• Political concerns about equity
  

For further information, to give your own opinion on the report, or to download the entire report for free, visit www.nationdeceived.org.

Identifying Gifted Students. A Practical Guide. Edited by Susan K. Johnsen, Prufrock Press, 2004

This is a wonderful, concise, yet thorough guide to appropriate identification procedures for gifted children. And, the book lives up to its name--it is practical and sensible and written for school administrators. There are chapters in the book on qualitative and quantitative assessment, culture-fair and nonbiased assessment, technical properties of tests and measurements, selection decisions. Especially helpful is chapter on how to use test scores and other data to appropriately place students into programs and services. The authors present 5 guidelines that address weighting of assessments, comparability of scores, errors in measurement, and variability in performance.This book is recommended for district administrators, gifted coordinators and teachers.

The Handbook of Gifted Education. Colangelo, N., and Davis, G. A. (2002).. Third Edition. Boston; Allyn and Bacon.
While all chapters from previous editions are updated with recent research, this review focuses on new chapters. This comprehensive book, a classic and widely read text in the field, is recommended for all educators working with gifted students. A highlight is “The Science and Politics of Intelligence in Gifted Education,” where respected researcher Linda Gottfredson expertly examines age-old questions: Are there multiple kinds of giftedness? …intelligence? Does intellectual giftedness result mostly from nature or nurture? What abilities does an IQ score represent? Can all students develop high abilities with proper instruction and sufficient practice? (p. 25) Gottfredson identifies popular beliefs regarding these issues and points out misconceptions. Some findings indicate that a ubiquitous general ability factor underlies all mental abilities, that IQ predicts valued life outcomes, and that heritability of IQ increases over one’s lifespan. Gottfredson’s implications may cause readers to re-evaluate their beliefs and practices in gifted education. In another chapter, Canadian researcher Francoys Gagné explains his Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. According to Gagné’s theory, “giftedness” refers to raw natural abilities that place an individual in the top 10% of age peers. “Talent” is the systematically developed abilities, skills, or knowledge that place an individual in the top 10% of age peers. The potentially useful model attractively quantifies levels of giftedness from “mildly gifted” to “extremely gifted.” Authors Ellen Winner and Gail Martino explode the myth that artistic talent is demonstrated through one’s ability to draw realistically. They contest that the defining characteristic of young artistic talent is the “ability to master one or more of the culture’s norms of artistry at a very early age” (p. 347). The authors mention a young girl whose drawings mimic Picasso and Miro’s works. Sidney Moon adds to the counseling and psychological issues section, describing two categories of family counseling—family guidance and family therapy—as particularly useful with gifted children. Arthur Costa contributed a chapter on skillful thinking habits, listing 16 ways of “behaving intelligently.” Ken Seely opens discussion on high-risk gifted learners—gifted students who are truant, disruptive, violent, or participating in crime or substance abuse. Seely addresses risk and protective factors, and the roles of intelligence, learning style, competence and motivation in maladaptive behavior while offering guidelines for assessment and intervention. David Lubinske’s chapter on spatial giftedness argues that identification procedures ignore students who have spatial visualization ability and could experience vocational achievement. Other new chapters examine teachers, rural schools, and technology.

Being Gifted in School by Tracy L. Cross and Larry J. Coleman. Prufrock Press, Waco, TX, 2000.
This is a very comprehensive book about research, theory and practices in gifted education. While it is a general text, it is probably not for newcomers to the field. The book is very rich in research and resources. Chapters cover theories of giftedness, identification, the gifted child's families, counseling issues, curriculum, instructional theory, teaching methods, etc. The authors give not just the research about each issue or practice they present, but the assumptions underlying them. The chapters on the family, the lives of gifted individuals, creativity and theories of giftedness are especially thought provoking. This book would be most appropriate for educators who have some experience in the field and have done some reading of literature and research in gifted education.

Content-Based Curriculum for High Ability Learners by Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Catherine A. Little. Prufrock Press: Waco, TX 1-800-240-0333
Written by recognized gifted curriculum leader VanTassel-Baska and her associates at the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary, this service publication of the National Association for Gifted Children illustrates award-winning curriculum units in language arts, social studies and science. It begins with a presentation of the Integrated Curriculum Model, which consists of an advanced content dimension, a process/product dimension, and an issues/themes dimension. Subsequent chapters cover acceleration, incorporating higher order process skills into content, concept development, and developing creative student products. The second section contains chapters on curricula for high ability learners in language arts, science, mathematics and social studies. Each chapter shows how the integrated curriculum model relates to curricular standards advanced by national organizations such as the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Research Council. The emphasis is on adaptation of existing curricula, with examples drawn from the William and Mary curriculum units. The book’s final chapters feature criteria to select appropriate content, resources and instructional strategies. A chapter on assessment deals with test reliability, validity, and authentic assessment concerns. A final chapter assists educators with aligning curricula with state standards. Because the book is very readable, it is particularly useful for educators relatively new to the field while also appropriate for experienced educators. While it does not recommend resources for curriculum decisions, the book provides solid guidelines for educators attempting to differentiate curricula for gifted learners within a diverse body of learners or within a special homogeneous classroom of gifted students.

The following books are general "textbooks" on giftedness and have chapters devoted to identification and testing. These are written for newcomers to the field.

Planning and Implementing Programs for the Gifted by James H. Borland. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University, 1989.

Conceptions of Giftedness, edited by Robert J. Sternberg and Janet E. Davidson. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1986.
This is a very comprehensive review of the major theories of giftedness including Rezulli's Triad Enrichment Model, Sternberg's triarchic theory of giftedness, and chapters by other major researchers in the field of gifted education. This book presumes some familiarity with the field and is recommended for those who really want to immerse themselves in the theoretical issues involved in identifying giftedness.