Guidance and Counseling

A Brief History of Giftedness
Although people with exceptional ability have been celebrated across the ages, the use of the word "gifted"
in an educational sense is relatively recent. In the late 1800s, Dr. William T. Harris, Superintendent of
Schools in St. Louis, discussed a plan for the acceleration of gifted students so they would have more
challenging work and not fall under the spell of laziness.
By the early part of the 20th century publications such as "Classes For Gifted Children: An experimental
study of method and instruction" (Whipple, G. M., 1919) and "Classroom Problems in the Education of
Gifted Children" (Henry, T.S., 1920) used the term "gifted" to describe students who are able to work
through the curriculum faster, and whose work is measurably different from that of average students. Then,
in 1921, Lewis Terman began his famous study of genius. He believed that nurturing academically
exceptional children was essential for our country's future. He used the term "genius" in the title of his book,
but later referred to the subjects in his study as "gifted," which established that label in our educational
vocabulary.
The current federal definition of gifted students was originally developed in the 1972 Marland Report to
Congress, and has been modified several times since then. The current definition, which is located in the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is
Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual,
creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities
not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
A gifted person is someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of
performance in one or more areas of expression.
Some of these abilities are very general and can affect a broad spectrum of the person's life, such as
leadership skills or the ability to think creatively. Some are very specific talents and are only evident in
particular circumstances, such as a special aptitude in mathematics, science, or music. The term giftedness
provides a general reference to this spectrum of abilities without being specific or dependent on a single
measure or index. It is generally recognized that approximately five percent of the student population, or
three million children, in the United States are considered gifted.
A person's giftedness should not be confused with the means by which giftedness is observed or assessed.
Parent, teacher, or student recommendations, a high mark on an examination, or a high IQ score are not
giftedness; they may be a signal that giftedness exists. Some of these indices of giftedness are more sensitive
than others to differences in the person's environment.
This definition is taken from the Javits Act, which provides grants for education programs serving bright children
from low-income families:
"The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who give evidence of higher performance
capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and
who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully."A
Gifted Learner
Behavioral Checklists
Parents need to be aware of the criterion that their school is using and ask for how their child was evaluated
for selection in the gifted program. Some schools first select a group of students who will be evaluated to see
if they will qualify. That first round of selection is critical and often is quite subjective. Parents can learn
after the fact that their child was not even selected for the first group, when the parents know that their child
has unusual abilities.
Characteristics/Signs of Gifted Children

Here are some characteristics of Gifted Students that parents should use to see if they think their child is
gifted:
1. Gifted students are often perfectionist and idealistic.
2. Gifted students may experience heightened sensitivity to their own expectations and those of
others.
3. Gifted students are asynchronous
4. Some gifted students are "mappers" (sequential learners), while others are "leapers" spatial
learners.
5. Gifted students may be so far ahead of their chronological age mates that they know half the
curriculum before the school year begins!
6. Gifted children are problem solvers.
7. Gifted students often think abstractly and with such complexity that they may need help with
concrete study and test-taking skills.
8. Gifted students who do well in school may define success as getting an "A" and failure as any
grade less than an "A".
Gifted students usually have unusual talent in one or occasionally two areas. Below are six areas where we
will find giftedness. No child will be gifted in all six, but some may be in more than one area. Within
specific academic ability, students again usually have one or two subjects that they are best in and passionate
about.

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A Brief History of Giftedness

Characteristics/Signs of Gifted Children

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