The digest addresses issues related to preschool gifted and talented children. Such a child is defined as one who functions significantly above average age level in language development, thinking skills, creative thinking skills, physical adaptability, social skills, and/or leadership. Early identification is viewed as important, and the use of…

The report presents findings from a study of gifted programs in six elementary schools in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In each school, the principal, vice principal, school counselor and many teachers were interviewed. A questionnaire was developed and administered to examine degree of agreement with views ordinarily expressed by experts in gifted…

The five year plan for gifted education in Illinois includes an historical overview, a brief statement of program philosophy, and summary of the plan's components, which include student identification, local program development, intermediate level services, and planning and development. The major portion of the document consists of a chart…

A model for identifying gifted and talented students (grades K-12) is described. Characteristics of giftedness are seen to fall into three major clusters: cognitive and psychomotor capacities for acquiring fundamental skills and knowledge, creative problem-finding solving skills, and personal characteristics. Nineteen steps in implementing an…

Intended for parents, the booklet (part of a 10 booklet series on talented and gifted education) discusses the identification of gifted and talented children and offers general information on their development. Giftendess and talent are defined, and some guidelines for parents' identification of giftedness and talent are presented, focusing on…

The paper delineates elements important in the development of ideal programs for the gifted/talented preschool child. The author emphasizes the following components of an exemplary program: (1) program advocates, (2) staff with expertise in the gifted and early childhood, (3) flexible administrative procedures, (4) well defined program goals and…

THE GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE WERE TO AROUSE THE INTEREST OF COMMUNITIES IN TENNESSEE AND THE MID-SOUTH IN THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, TO INFORM BOTH PROFESSIONAL AND LAY PEOPLE ABOUT CURRENT THEORY AND PRACTICES IN THIS AREA OF EDUCATION, TO SUGGEST SPECIFIC PILOT PROJECTS FOR LAY GROUPS SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THEIR BOARDS OF EDUCATION, AND TO…

The report, based on a conference presentation on the exceptional Black child, includes two papers on potentially gifted and talented Black students. The first, "The Identification and Assessment of Black Gifted/Talented Children in Washington, D.C. Public Schools," (P. Blackshear), traces the evolution of the identification effort over a three…

Personalized instructional programs for all students should be our most immediate objective. We cannot tolerate a politically based polarization of financial or human resources. The educational needs of all students overlap; so must their instructional programs. (Author)

The Special Program Responding to Intellectual Needs of Gifted designed an assessment and intervention process similar to special education programs. Individual objectives and activities were written based on present functioning. Three years of implementation produced change in excess of chance and maturational projection in 22 of the 26…

Stratification within organizations as produced by the distribution of functional importance among positions is investigated. According to Stinchcombe's hypothesis from the functional theory of stratification, the rewards given to various positions are expected to be less equal when talent is complementary rather than additive. Actual differences…

Describes how disadvantaged children can be given a chance at academic success through development of their creative talents. (SP)

The editor introduces a special issue on myths in gifted education. He suggests that myths deal with three major topics: definitions of the gifted and talented, identification, and programs. He concludes with a list of 14 questions concerning alternative approaches. (CL)

Among findings were standardized testing and other inappropriate practices, apparent confusion over the definition of giftedness, and lack of understanding regarding identification measures under each of the federal definition's categories. (Author/SB)

The article describes the Teachers of the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program in Fremont, Nebraska, in which two itinerant TAG teachers visit each first- and second-grade classroom once a week for eight weeks to improve gifted identification in the primary grades and to demonstrate creative activities that can be useful to all students. (DLS)