Resources for Students Who Are Highly or Profoundly Gifted

Highly and profoundly gifted students are children whose needs are so far beyond "typical" gifted that they require extraordinary resources. When tested with a Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), their scores range from 145 to 159 for highly gifted and above 160 for profoundly gifted. In those ranges, these children are as different in intellectual abilities from gifted children (usually 130 to 144) as gifted are from a typical regular education population. IQ scores do not tell the whole story; however, they are a useful indicator of individual differences, particularly when used to inform instruction.

The following resources may be useful for all bright children but are likely to be essential for highly or profoundly gifted children.

1. Distance Education

Regional talent searches are conducted annually to identify gifted students throughout the nation. Each location provides academic courses during summers as well as online during the school year for middle and high school students, and most centers provide courses for younger students as well. Most programs require students to take an above-grade-level entrance test to qualify for the program. Check each location for online course availability and deadlines.

Virtual schools for homeschooling families

Virtual School for the Gifted www.vsg.edu.au 

Westbridge School - A college preparatory virtual school for academically advanced homeschoolers www.flash.net/~wx3o/westbridge/

2. Early entrance programs that combine high school and college

ericec.org/faq/gt-early.html

3. Helping Your Highly Gifted Child, 

a digest that addresses highly gifted students ericec.org/gifted/gt-diges.html

4. Periodicals that address highly gifted issues

Understanding Our Gifted, published by Open Space Communications. Columnists include Dr. Miraca Gross, the author of Exceptionally Gifted Children. For more information visit the website (www.openspacecomm.com) or call 800.494.6178

Imagine, a periodical for students published by the Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University. For more information, call 800.548.1784. http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine

5. Books and Book Chapters

Assouline, S.; Colangelo, N.; Lupkowski-Shoplik, A.; & Lipscomb, J. (1999). The Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS). AZ: Gifted Psychology Press (giftedbooks.com) Provides guidance to educators in making important decisions regarding whether particular students are good candidates for whole-grade acceleration (grade-skip).