Educators in gifted education struggle to identify effective strategies for identifying gifted students from under-served populations who would benefit from gifted education services. Using data from a longitudinal study and drawing from an initial student sample in 12 low-income rural districts, we examined an alternative identification process for gifted services. Data analysis validated the process in yielding a new pool of students and confirmed that rural gifts may manifest in ways "missed" by traditional identification processes. Results also demonstrate that while students varied on pretests (alternatively identified students scored lower), there were no differences in the post-tests among the two groups, invalidating claims that alternative assessment leads to the inclusion of students less capable of high levels of achievement.