The Minigrant Program for the Academically Gifted was established to provide the necessary support and instructional challenges to disadvantaged minority students capable of superior academic performance. During the 1979-1980 school year, 500 gifted or talented elementary and junior high school students were served. Additional program components…

In the fall of 1975, students scoring at the 77th percentile and above on the ITBS were brought together with selected teachers in two magnet schools and four vanguard schools. The present report presents a comparison of the fall-to-spring achievement of the groups and the opinions of principals, teachers, and parents. Also provided is the…

A study to identify special programs for academically gifted students developed by community colleges in the 19-state North Central region is described. Barriers to program development, program characteristics, program management, faculty, student admission and maintenance requirements, program size and services, marketing and recruitment, and…

The Johns Hopkins University program to identify prodigies in mathematics is reviewed. The Advanced Placement Program of the College Board is seen as a means for intellectually highly able youths to move ahead fast in a greatly enriched fashion and earn college credit. (MLW)

Compares two types of multiple criteria models used to select children for gifted classes. Breadth models, depth models, and a more traditional Intelligence Test Model were applied to fourth graders (N=159). Results indicated depth models included more students with unusually high IQ scores and more promising underachievers. (Author)

A legal framework for resolving disputes in gifted education is slowly evolving. The major components of the framework include legislation, court cases, due process hearings, administrative regulations, Letters of Findings issued by the Office for Civil Rights, negotiation, and mediation. The paper provides suggestions for navigating the existing…

Examines the development of the procedure and methods of identifying gifted students. Demonstrates the differences between gifted and ordinary students with respect to indicators of motivation for learning achievements; the gifted students had higher indicators of hope for success and lower indicators of fear of failure. (CMK)

Educators, policy makers, and civic leaders are baffled and frustrated over the stubborn achievement gaps that exist between white students and students of color. On a consistent basis, African American students do not fair as well as white students on school-related measures such as proficiency examinations and standardized tests (e.g.,…

When an Idaho school district initiated computerized adaptive testing, it discovered that all the growth occurring in the district was limited to the lowest-achieving students. The more proficient students, which included both gifted and above-average learners, showed little or no growth. The assessment data showed a weak curriculum that tended to…

In a recent article in this journal, Naglieri and Ford (2003) claimed that Black and Hispanic students are as likely to earn high scores on the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT; Naglieri, 1997a) as White students. However, the sample that Naglieri and Ford used was not representative of the U.S. school population as a whole and was quite…

This article summarizes findings from a 3-year study of 35 economically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse, academically talented high school students who either achieved or underachieved in their urban high school. In particular, the resilience of these two groups of high ability students is explored. Comparative case study and ethnographic…

Possessing high intellectual ability is no guarantee of academic success. In fact, the relevant literature often reports problems of delays in academic progress, as well as hyperactivity and attention problems in students of high ability. It is therefore relevant to design programs which help toward attainment of academic success. In this paper we…

This study investigated the different characteristics of nine fourth-grade boys, three boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), three boys with giftedness, and three boys with ADHD and giftedness. Information reported by teachers, parents, and the children were analyzed using an embedded, multiple-case design, with constant…

This review of the literature summarizes findings on instructional grouping issues and academic achievement of gifted elementary students. The review addresses problems of using standardized tests to evaluate instructional effectiveness of grouping arrangements, distinctions between providing the same curriculum and a differentiated curriculum to…

Findings of a study that examined the situation in which minority students in an advanced arts and sciences high school program received low or failing grades are presented in this paper. Students who had been good students in their home schools received low or failing grades in the mathematics and science program at the Center for the Arts and…