Protocols for Identification

Abstract

The equitable identification of youth from all cultural, linguistic, and economic groups for gifted programming is a longstanding and tragic problem in gifted education. Many factors contribute to fallible, discriminatory identification practices, including identification based on manifest gifted behaviors alone (as opposed to gifted potential), on high cut-off scores on nationally normed instruments that yield differential results, and on exclusionary procedures where students must meet several criteria for identification or pass through a nomination gate for consideration. This chapter provides guidance for addressing access, equity, and missingness of underserved students in gifted education. Emphasis is placed on talent development, substantial changes to identification and programming, policy, and urgency to address systemic racism as steps critical to developing equitable, inclusive, socially just, and effective gifted education programming.