The Identification of Students Who Are Gifted

ERIC EC Digest #E644
Author: Mary Ruth Coleman
June 2003

     Few areas in the education of children with exceptionalities are
as controversial and critical as appropriate identification of children
who are gifted. The controversies involve all the pros and cons of
labeling children as well as a variety of political issues. Yet,
identification remains critical to ensuring that children receive the
services they need to thrive in school. This digest discusses the
identification of students who are gifted, the difficulties in the
identification process, appropriate identification practices, and
procedures that can help with identification.

Identification: A Means Not an End

     School systems often face difficult decisions when developing
procedures for identification. The amount of money allotted to gifted
education must include both identification and programming, while
providing a balance between the two. School system administrators run
the risk of using more energy, resources, and precision planning in the
identification process than in the services provided once a student is
identified. Some states even require identification but do not require
the provision of services (Coleman & Gallagher, 1995). With limited
funding, schools must make tradeoffs between using individual
assessments of children and using good group measures. Ideally,
information gleaned during identification would be used to guide
curriculum and instruction for each child. In any case, identification
must be the means to securing appropriate services to meet the needs of
the student, not an end in itself.

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