This book provides an opportunity for researchers, professionals, and practitioners working directly with gifted individuals to engage with and examine the concept of underachievement of highly capable and talented individuals from different perspectives. Chapters written by experts in gifted education from diverse backgrounds explore…

Gagne's (1985, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2013) Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) has evolved in response to findings from the research in cognitive and developmental psychology and neuroscience. As the DMGT is commonly used in Australia, it is important that the model reflects our understanding of intelligence, what high potential is…

This article focuses on the underrepresentation of African American males in gifted and talented programs, and offers a number of key recommendations to practitioners and researchers who seek viable strategies to circumvent this problem. Beyond the focus on underrepresentation, several additional topics for discussion are excogitated to provide a…

This monograph presents extensive abstracts of 49 papers on developmental approaches to identifying exceptional ability. Sample topics include: the gifted population in prison; identification of gifted rural children; use of the Stanford-Binet for identification; student characteristics and placement into special programs for the highly gifted;…

Evidence is presented for the reliability and validity of the Talent Identification Instrument, an observation process in music and dance in which multiple judges rate students throughout a multisession audition. Strong agreement among raters and adequate stability estimates were found. Factor analysis and construct validity procedures provided…

The Clark's Drawing Abilities Test was administered to 177 secondary-level students and found to effectively identify gifted/talented visual arts students. Students draw a house, a person running, friends playing, and a fantasy drawing, and these drawings are scored on sensory, formal, expressive, and technical properties. (JDD)

The paper describes methods of identifying giftedness, instruments for assessing creativity, and the need for a single measure of many different kinds of talent. Development of the Khatena-Morse Multitalent Perception Inventory, which identifies talent in the areas of art, music, leadership, and creativity, is discussed. (JDD)

Strategies are discussed that provide a theoretically sound, valid, and practical framework for evaluating the processes used in identifying gifted/talented students. The strategies stress assessing the relevance of instruments used, their reliability and validity, their limitations, and using a variety of evaluation techniques. (JDD)

This article summarizes Renzulli's Revolving Door Identification Model, an approach to the identification of gifted and talented students. It then investigates reasons for its popularity, addresses criticisms leveled against the model, and assesses its validity and utility for identifying and serving gifted students. (Author/JDD)

A culture-specific approach to identifying artistic talent in African-American students is presented, called Tactuality. Tactuality identifies four characteristics: emotional intensity, flexibility and open-endedness, holistic perception, and tactile sensitivity. A pilot test with 63 fourth graders resulted in statistical problems with validation.…

The debate between Renzulli and Jarrel and Borland concerning the nature of giftedness is addressed. Three criteria are proposed for evaluating any definition: (1) its actual reflection of how the construct is perceived; (2) its ability to generate empirical research; and (3) its practical usefulness. Multiple kinds of giftedness as well as…

Analysis of elementary and junior high student and teacher ratings of highly talented peers found that 60% of the 42 items had a significant overrepresentation of either boys or girls, with boys judged more talented in physical and technical aptitudes and girls more talented in arts and socioaffective aptitudes. (Author/DB)

In 2007, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation launched a new teaching fellowship designed to recruit and prepare a new generation of top teacher talent for the nation's schools. Aimed at both traditional-age "and" midcareer candidates, the initiative offers $30,000 Fellowships to individuals with strong records of academic…

Forty prototypical descriptions representing 4 aptitude domains and 4 talent fields were rated by 2,343 intermediate-level pupils and their teachers, and indices of interpeer agreement were computed. A majority of the prototypes maintained acceptable interpeer agreement levels. Interpeer agreement depended primarily on the specific aptitude or…

Six studies are presented which investigate factors in implementing the Revolving Door Identification Model (RDIM) and the Enrichment Triad Model in gifted education for children in grades 1-8. In "An Analysis of the Productivity of Gifted Students Participating in Programs Using the Revolving Door Identification Model," S. Reis reports,…