Data of item responses to the Impossible Figures Task (IFT) from 492 Chinese primary, secondary, and university students were analyzed using the dichotomous Rasch measurement model. Item difficulty estimates and person ability estimates located on the same logit scale revealed that the pooled sample of Chinese students, who were relatively highly…

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the academic subscales of Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire III and Neeman and Harter's Self-Perception Profile for College Students for use with high-ability college students. Participants included 100 high-ability college students and 196 average-ability college students enrolled in a…

The myth equating high-stakes testing with rigor and difficulty is one that can be debunked given the empirical work that has been conducted in this area. To completely debunk this myth in gifted education, the field must centralize efforts. Educators need to consider alternatives to the current system of assessment and the delivery of…

Nondiscriminatory assessment practices have been proposed as a model of assessment for individuals of diverse cultures who are suspected as having a disability. This paper presents the use of nondiscriminatory assessment practices in evaluating students of diverse cultures who may be identified as gifted. Principles and guidelines for…

Typical standardized achievement tests cannot provide accurate information about gifted students' abilities because they are not challenging enough for such students. Talent searches solve this problem through above-level testing--using tests designed for older students to raise the ceiling for younger, gifted students. Currently, talent search…

This study tracks the profile data of identification for gifted students in South Carolina, where a new performance-based dimension of identification has been employed, during a 3-year period. Targeted to identify more low-income and minority students, the identification protocol demonstrates efficacy in doing so. The study also tracks comparative…

Protocol analysis techniques, in which subjects are taught to think aloud, can provide information on the mental operations used by gifted learners. Concerns over the use of such data are described and new directions for the technique are proposed. (CL)

The article introduces an ongoing process of evaluating the reading and writing of gifted students. The assessment tool presented enables the teacher to determine the specific functional level for each aspect of literacy of the gifted child. A model of goal setting and educational planning for all advanced readers is offered. (DLS)

This article reviews recent research on assessment techniques for divergent thinking and examines their predictive validity. Techniques include those using either lenient or stringent solution standards, those assessing total idea output, and those involving qualitative aspects of ideation. Special considerations for the creativity of gifted…

This article highlights the Talent Profile, a cumulative record that describes and visually synthesizes students' outstanding achievements from K-12 in any valued field of human activity in which children and adolescents are active. The profile highlights individual differences and offers a range of expectations/benchmarks for the high-end…

This paper describes procedures developed by Project Synergy, a federally funded project at Columbia University (New York) to identify economically disadvantaged, potentially gifted kindergarten students in urban schools. The procedures emphasize site-appropriate methods, observation, dynamic assessment, and the concept of best performance. It…

The study involving 298 third through sixth graders examined a combination of the teacher rating/product evaluation methods for identifying gifted Mexican American children and determined its relative merits over the method now in predominant use (measurement of students' IQ scores). (SBH)

This research focuses on problems involved in identifying children who are both gifted and learning disabled (GLD). The state of the art is demonstrated by surveying procedures in use in Texas by special education and gifted programs. Results yield characteristics of GLD children that are consistent with observations in the literature. (Author/PB)

This interview with Howard Spicker discusses his early leadership in the Head Start programs of the mid-1960s, his establishment of the Indiana University College for Gifted and Talented Youth, and his development of alternative procedures, instrumentation, and programs for gifted students from special populations. His work on Project SPRING is…

A study explored whether the 95th percentile qualifying score cutoff in use by the Elementary Student Talent Search was appropriate for 2,926 third to sixth graders who took the EXPLORE test. Results indicated participants earn EXLORE scores that are approximately normally distributed and that they compare favorably to eighth-grade norms.…