Ability Grouping When students of a similar ability or achievement level are placed in a class or group based on observed behavior or performance. Ability grouping is not the same as tracking. Read the NAGC position on ability grouping. Acceleration A strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages younger than the norm. This can occur through grade skipping or subject acceleration (e.g., a fifth-grade student taking sixth-grade math). View the report A Nation Deceived from the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration. Discover guidelines for building an acceleration policy. Accountability Holding students, teachers, administrators, and other school personnel responsible for instructional outcomes. Read NAGC's position statement on accountability for gifted student learning. Achievement Tests Tests designed to measure what students have already learned, mostly in specific content areas. An example of an achievement test is the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Advanced Placement (AP) A program developed by the College Board where high schools offer courses that meet criteria established by institutions of higher education. In many instances, college credit may be earned with the successful completion of an AP exam in specific content areas (as this credit varies between colleges and universities, it is suggested that questions about this process be forwarded to the college or university of the student’s choice). The Pre-AP program is offered to younger students as preparation for the upper-level courses. Offering AP courses is not equivalent to offering a gifted program. Affective Curriculum Curriculum that focuses on person/social awareness and adjustment, and includes the study of values, attitudes, and self. Sometimes referred to as social-emotional curriculum. Visit Supporting Emotional Needs for the Gifted. Aptitude
An inclination to excel in the performance of a certain skill.
Aptitude TestA test predicting a student’s future performance in a particular domain. One such test is the SAT Test. View more information on testing.
AsynchronyA term used to describe disparate rates of intellectual, emotional, and physical rates of growth or development often displayed by gifted children. Find more information here.
Brainstorming is an activity used to generate many creative ideas that have no right or wrong answers and are accepted without criticism. Effective brainstorming is characterized by fluency and flexibility of thought.
Cluster Grouping A grouping assignment for gifted students in the regular heterogeneous classroom. Typically, five or six gifted students with similar needs, abilities, or interests are “clustered” in the same classroom, which allows the teacher to more efficiently differentiate assignments for a group of advanced learners rather than just one or two students. View more information. Common Core State Standards (CCSS)A set of academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA) proposed in 2013 that outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards place emphasis on helping students obtain skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college and careers.View the NAGC position statement on the CCSS. View a list of FAQs about the Common Core State Standards and gifted education.
Concurrent or Dual Enrollment Most often refers to high school students taking college courses, often for college credit. Dual enrollment is viewed as providing high school students benefits such as greater access to a wider range of rigorous academic and technical courses, savings in time and money on a college degree, promoting efficiency of learning, and enhancing admission to and retention in college. The terms may also be used to refer to middle grade students taking high school courses and earning credit toward graduation. CreativityThe process of developing new, uncommon, or unique ideas. The federal definition of giftedness identifies creativity as a specific component of giftedness.
Grouping students by need, ability, or interest. Although variations between students exist in a homogeneous classroom, the intent of this grouping pattern is to restrict the range of student readiness or needs that a teacher must address.
Identification The process of determining students qualified for gifted or advanced programming, identification most commonly occurs through the use of intelligence or other testing. Many researchers place emphasis on using multiple pathways for identification, adding teacher, parent, or peer nominations or authentic assessments such as portfolios of student work to the process. Find more information here. Inclusion/Inclusive Classroom An inclusive classroom contains students of varying ability levels. See heterogenous grouping (above) for more information. Independent Study A self-directed learning strategy where the teacher acts as guide or facilitator and the student plays a more active role in designing and managing his or her own learning, often on a topic of special interest to the student. Individual Education Plan (IEP) An IEP is a document that delineates special education services for special-needs students. The IEP includes any modifications that are required in the regular classroom and any additional special programs or services. Federal law and the majority of states do not require IEPs for gifted learners. Intelligence The ability to learn, reason, and problem solve. Debate revolves around the nature of intelligence as to whether it is an innate quality or something that is developed as a result of interacting with the environment. Many researchers believe that it is a combination of the two. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) A numerical representation of intelligence. IQ is derived from dividing mental age (result from an intelligence test) by the chronological age times 100. Traditionally, an average IQ is considered to be 100. International Baccalaureate (IB) Program A demanding pre-university program that students can complete to earn college credit. IB emphasizes critical thinking and understanding of other cultures or points of view. A diploma is awarded at the completion of the IB program, which allows graduates access to universities worldwide. The IB program now includes Middle Years and Primary Years programs. View article here from the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development Learning Styles/Learning Preferences Preferred way(s) in which individuals interact or process new information across the three domains of learning identified in the taxonomy of education objectives: cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (attitude). An individual’s learning preference/learning style is how he or she learns best. Magnet Schools A public school program that focuses on a specific learning area such as math, science, technology, or the performing arts. Magnet schools have been established to meet the specific learning needs of the gifted. Mentor A community member who shares his or her expertise with a student of similar career or field of study aspirations. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) A set of academic standards in science proposed in 2013 that outlines what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards place emphasis on helping students obtain skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college and careers. Click here for an NAGC position statement on the NGSS. View a list of FAQs about standards and gifted education. Norm-Referenced Testing An assessment that compares an individual’s results with a large group of individuals who have taken the same assessment (who are referred to as the “norming group”). Examples include the SAT and Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Overexcitability A theory proposed by Kazimierz Dąbrowski, a Polish psychologist, psychiatrist, and physician, that suggests that some individuals have heightened sensitivities, awareness, and intensity in one or more of five areas: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. PortfoliosAn alternative or supplement to traditional measures of giftedness, portfolios offer a collection of student work over time that can help to determine achievement and progress. Many of the elements found in portfolios cannot be captured by a standardized test. Find more info here.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)A curriculum and instruction model that asks students to solve real-world, complex, or open-ended problems by using research, decision-making, creative and critical thinking, and other 21st-century skills. Learn more in this article in the Center for Talent Development newsletter.
A special program that uses out-of-level testing (commonly the SAT or ACT) to identify high-potential students and allow them to participate in a variety of out-of-school activities. These may occur in the form of Saturday or summer courses or distance learning programs. There are four major talent searches in the U.S.: Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP), Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD), Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY), and the Center for Bright Kids (formerly Rocky Mountain Talent Search) in Denver, CO.
Telescope To cover the same amount of materials or activities in less time, thereby allowing more time for enrichment activities and projects that better suit the interests, needs, and readiness levels of gifted students. Twice-Exceptional A term used to describe a student who is both gifted and disabled. These students may also be referred to as having dual exceptionalities or as being gifted with learning disabilities (GT/LD). This also applies to students who are gifted with ADHD or gifted with autism. View the NAGC position paper. Underachieving/Underachievement A term used to describe the discrepancy between a student’s performance and his or her potential or ability to perform at a much higher level.