FAQ Sheet About Students with Gifts and Talents

FAQ Sheet: Students With Gifts and Talents

Who are they?

• Children and youth in some states who meet a threshold in IQ or achievement
• Children in some states who far exceed peers in learning pace or attainment
• Children who have demonstrated performance abilities at high levels in visual or performing arts, creativity, or leadership

What are typical characteristics?

• Academic or creative performance that vastly exceeds that of their age mates
• Ability to understand complex and abstract ideas at ages earlier than expected
• Socially well adjusted at early ages but with concerns about later socialization
• High levels of task commitment
• Advanced language skills and development
• Advanced sense of humor
• Advanced vocabulary and sophisticated use of language

What are the demographics?

• Between 5 and 20% of the population
• Roughly equivalent numbers of males and females
• Nonproportional lower representation of African American, Hispanic, and Native American students
• Lower-than-proportional representation of economically disadvantaged students

Where are students educated?

• Most are educated in inclusive settings with smaller numbers educated in resource room pullouts, self-contained classrooms, and special schools for the gifted.

What are the outcomes?

• Most are successful in school, though evidence indicates that many underachieve.
• Identified gifted students graduate from college and achieve advanced degrees in greater percentages than do nongifted peers.