Gifted and talented students are high achievers. By the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, students who fall in the categories of intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership are gifted and talented. Also, they achieve in various academic fields.
Additionally, many schools do not provide services and activities that help these students develop their potential. The reason for this is states and districts are not required to use the federal definition. However, many states follow the federal definition. Thus, there is about 6 to 10 percent of the children in public schools are in gifted and talented classes.
Gifted and Talented Available Services
Schools offer various services for high achievers. Classroom accommodations include:
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- Tiered assignments
- Open-ended assignments
- Enrichment activities such as independent study/research and projects.
- Acceleration through ability grouping.
Many activities are fun for students with high intelligence. Even so, too much pressure and no downtime deteriorates the fun, and students become stressed. High achievers also have a difficult time socializing. Many times they are more mature than their peers. Accordingly, they are not able to find friends with similar interests.
Some high academic students do not contain the skill of organization. This is because they are abstract thinking. They have difficulty in breaking down a large project into smaller pieces.
Attributes of the Gifted and Talented
High achievers learn at a faster pace than regular students. Furthermore, they are quick to complete basic classroom assignments. They crave assignments that challenge the mind and make them think.
- Students can comprehend material above their grade level.
- They are overly sensitive and emotional.
- Curiosity and questions are part of their learning.
- A topic of interest encourages them to investigate.
- Students have a sense of humor that is odd at times.
- High achievers are imaginative and creative in solving problems.
- Students absorb information quickly.
- They are self and socially aware of societal issues.
Student giftedness is not a one-size-fits-all. It’s important to identify their gift or talent. They need to be identified as soon as possible.
All students have the right to learn something new every day. It is a benefit to society as students reach their full potential. They must have the chance to reach beyond the school’s curriculum.
