Academically gifted students or high potential learners don't feel challenged in regular classrooms. Teachers in schools are also not quipped with pedagogical interventions to meet the advanced learning needs of gifted students. Mentoring is considered an effective method to guide, motivate and optimize learning abilities of gifted students. The…

In the Cultivating Diverse Talent in STEM project, funded by the National Science Foundation in the United States, new assessments were developed, field tested, used to identify students with exceptional talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and compared with existing methods (grade point average [GPA], letters of…

Visual-spatial ability is a multifaceted component of intelligence that has predictive validity for future achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Although identification and development of STEM talent is a national priority, visual-spatial ability is rarely measured and relatively neglected in gifted…

To explore possible reasons for low self-identification rates among undergraduates with learning disabilities (LD), we asked students (38 with LD, 100 without LD) attending two large, public, research-intensive universities to respond to a questionnaire designed to assess stereotypes about individuals with LD and conceptions of ability. Responses…

All-too-often, well-meaning individuals urge parents to seek referrals for psychological evaluation without considering or understanding the typical characteristics of gifted children or the impact of intellectual ability on behavior and relationships. In turn, clinicians receiving such referrals also may fail to assess the implications of…

This brief article reviews the literature on the relative importance of genetic or environmental influences on intelligence. It concludes that: (1) giftedness has various expressions; (2) intelligence encompasses a wide range of human abilities; (3) both subjective and objective assessment techniques should be used; and (4) all ethnicities have…

This study examined the development of reading and phonological processing abilities of 209 first graders assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. The discriminant analysis, based on reading and intelligence data, correctly identified later group membership (students with and without reading disabilities and "garden variety" poor…

In a study involving 59 gifted fifth- and sixth-grade students, Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test was a more significant predictor of intelligence than Meeker's Structure of Intellect screening form for gifted. The use of either measure in screening or identification was questioned. (CL)

This packet contains a set of assessment activities to identify gifted and talented children at the kindergarten level, based on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The six assessments measure linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, and interpersonal/intrapersonal intelligence. For each assessment,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of DISCOVER, a performance- based assessment in identifying gifted Lebanese students. The sample consisted of 248 students (121 boys, 127 girls) from Grades 3-5 at two private schools in Beirut, Lebanon. Students were administered DISCOVER and the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices…

This study examined the scores obtained by 21 elementary-level gifted students on 4 different intellectual measures--Stanford-Binet (LM), Stanford-Binet (Fourth Edition), Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test, and the Cognitive Abilities Test. Results showed that the population of gifted students identified will vary greatly depending upon which test…

The renewal, modification, and ratification of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA; 2004) produced a number of changes in legislation, particularly in the identification for children with specific learning disabilities (SLDs). In particular, the requirement that a child must evidence a severe discrepancy…

Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences offers educators a comprehensive framework for identifying giftedness in diverse student populations. A definition of problem types is presented that, when combined with varied intelligences, forms a problem-solving matrix for designing assessment procedures and developing curriculum. (JDD)

The third edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) is reviewed. A comparison of the WISC-III with the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) is included. Discusses shortcomings of the WISC-III while noting that overall, there are substantial improvements in the WISC-III over the WISC-R. (KW)