Identification of Underrepresented Populations for Gifted Programs

Abstract

Gifted education typically refers to programs designed to meet the needs of learners who have demonstrated a need for accelerated and enriched academic instruction. There has been a documented divergence between the proportion of underrepresented populations, including people of low socioeconomic status, certain races, and the very young, attending a given school district and the proportion of the same populations identified for the district’s gifted programs. This literature review analyzes the effectiveness of current assessment procedures in identifying underrepresented populations for gifted programs used by public school systems in the United States, and Washington State in particular. In addition, it reviews the multitude of alternative assessment procedures to identify students’ strengths and talents, including performance-based assessments and professional development for teachers. Implications of these findings, recommendations for revised practices, and areas for future investigation will be discussed.