Contemporary thinking challenges the view that giftedness and high IQ are synonymous. Contemporary thinking also challenges the view that being gifted is something real. A number of authorities in the gifted field advocate a paradigm shift; moving away from emphasizing categorical definitions of giftedness and adopting a talent development…

The practice for identification in the area of specific learning disability has historically included IQ testing and comparing the sub-tests for a discrepancy. Unfortunately, this discounted students whose IQ was too high for the MR (mental retardation) category but did not have high discrepancies among sub-tests. These "flat-liners" could not be…

This paper presents a theoretical model illustrating L. Siegel's revisionist conceptualization of learning disabilities and then presents an alternative underachievement model. The paper argues that the alternative model applies standard regression procedures which would lead to a more appropriate definition of learning disabilities and applies…

The aim of this paper was to develop a simplification of Sattler's technique (in the form of a table) to make it easier to use and to apply to the Binet profile of any child tested. An illustration is included. (Author)

The Regression Discrepancy Model, intended to increase accuracy in assessing severe discrepancy between IQ and achievement scores in students with learning disabilities, is examined. The model's initial equation is shown to produce results which bias the detection of severe discrepancy at lower IQ levels. Methods to minimize or remove this bias…

Due to the significant over-representation of minority students identified as learning disabled, this study investigated the effects of modifying the discrepancy formula between intelligence and achievement commonly used to identify and place school age students in learning disabled programs. Three modifications were applied to the discrepancy…

This article examines implicit social and political assumptions underlying "The Bell Curve." The book's suggestion that there is increasing stratification between the "IQ haves" and the "IQ have-nots" is critiqued, noting that the social construction of reality is obscured in the book's schema. Sociologists and gifted…

This paper discusses applications of intelligence tests in schools, considering Binet's original warnings that his tests were primarily useful for identifying students needing intervention and inappropriate for classifying normal students. American applications of Binet's work for ranking are seen as stages of shifting from remedial to custodial…

A number of models are proposed of the effects of demographic and environmental factors on IQ and its pattern of change over time. The proposed models are concerned with the determinants of an individual's true (but unobserved) IQ and the relationship between measured and true IQ's. (Author/RC)

There has been a considerable expansion in the uses and definitions of giftedness constructs since 1958, when constructs were typically defined in very narrow cognitive terms (such as intelligence test scores). Currently, gifted constructs have a wide variety of definitions which reflect closely-linked processes used for identifying and selecting…

Genetic and environmental correlations among 11 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtests were estimated from a sample of 143 twin pairs using the methodology of multivariate behavioral genetics. Correlations due to within-pair environmental influences were generally small, whereas those due to shared environmental…

A conceptual overview of the Regression Discrepancy Model (RDM) for assessing discrepancy between intelligence quotient and achievement scores is offered. Six RDM goals are identified, and figures from a RDM computer output show basic outcomes. Strengths and weaknesses of the RDM are discussed, without the use of complex mathematical descriptions.…

Reform and accountability are imperative for programmatic changes in general and special education. Understandably, any form of reform matters to students, parents, and other educational stakeholders. However, the question is not whether special education is a necessity; the questions continue to be, How "special" is special education for African…

Considers approaches to assessing writing disabilities that use theory-based process measures to explain discrepancies between intelligence quotient (IQ) and achievement; may define learning disabilities independent of IQ; and employ branching diagnosis based on selected tests rather than all tests in standard battery. Outlines model for using…

This essay presents arguments in favor of continuing individualized intelligence testing in schools. Issues discussed include questions of validity in the concept of intelligence and its testing, ethical issues, legal issues, racial/minority and cultural issues, poor correlation between test results and teaching, and alternatives proposed by…