Identification at the Local School District Level and the Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act

Prepared in collaboration with the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Advisory Committee.The identification process is used to understand how we can best support students.

The purpose of identification is to provide programming and services in which students’ specific learning needs and potential are appropriately addressed and met. In every New Jersey school district, there are students who require modifications to the general education curriculum if they are to achieve in accordance with their abilities. By identifying a student’s general intellectual ability, creativity, or specific academic area aptitudes, we are acknowledging that they need programming and services outside of the general education/grade level curriculum to advance their learning.

The table below is intended to provide guidance to districts in applying aspects of N.J.S. § 18A:35-34 when implementing local gifted and talented identification processes.

From the law:	Application to identification in the local school:
Gifted and talented students possess or demonstrate a high level of ability in comparison to chronological peers in the local school district	Consider potential vs. performance (e.g., underachievement, twice exceptionality, low income, or other factors that may impact performance) Use of local norms (compare students to grade level peers in the same school district or building)
Implement an ongoing kindergarten through grade 12 identification process	Provide a flexible, continuous identification process across all grade levels Establish multiple entry points
Include multiple measures to identify student strengths	Students may have strengths in different areas (e.g., intellectually, a specific academic area, visual and performing arts, spatial abilities, creativity) Use a variety of assessment tools from different categories such as objective and subjective measures (e.g., ability, achievement, creativity, parent/peer/teacher input, portfolios, other) Provide multiple pathways that lead to services Students do not need to excel on every measure to demonstrate a need for service
Include measures to identify intellectual ability	Cognitive ability (e.g., aptitude or intelligence tests) Reasoning, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills, spatial ability
Include measures to identify creativity	Divergent thinking, problem-solving abilities, openness to new experiences, tolerance of ambiguity, intellectual risk-taking, for example May be expressed across content areas
Include measures to identify strengths in a specific academic area	Consider students who possess or demonstrate outstanding potential, aptitude, competence, performance, or achievement in one or more content areas Provide students the opportunity to show what they know by using above-grade level, domain-specific measures with high ceilings
Ensure equal access and consider all students	Address underrepresented populations: MLs, Indigenous students, students of color, low SE status, students with IEPs and 504s, migrant and homeless students, students with interrupted education Employ universal screening to cast the widest net and utilize local norms Avoid strict cut-off scores and seek to be inclusive, not exclusive, when making identification decisions
Multilingual learners (MLs)	Consider native language in all aspects of screening and communications Use nonverbal assessments Implement culturally sensitive tools and measures
Students with Individualized Education Plans or 504 Plans	Include modifications and accommodations in the identification process and procedures Look for students’ strengths and potential—a disability should not preclude a student from consideration Twice exceptional students are those who possess high ability and a learning disability
Match a student’s needs to services	Identification leads to program design Provide services based on a student’s strengths, areas of talent, and needs Services are not a one-size-fits-all approach
Transparency of posted on the school district’s website	District policies and procedures Criteria for eligibility Applicable timelines
Consideration of National Association for Gifted Children resources	Gifted Programming Standard 2: Assessment Identification and Assessment Position Statements (see Appendix)

Baum, S. M., Schader, R.M., & Owen, S.V. (2017). To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students With LD, ADHD, ASD, and More. Prufrock Press.

Davis, J. L. (2010). Bright, Talented, & Black: A Guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners. Anodyne, Inc. DBA Great Potential Press, Inc.

Dixson, D. D., Peters, S. J., Makel, M. C., Jolly, J. L., Matthews, M. S., Miller, E. M., Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., Rinn, A. N., Robins, J. H., & Wilson, H. E. (2020). A call to reframe gifted education as maximizing learning. Kappan. 102(4), 22-25.

Gubbins, E. J., Siegle, D., Hamilton, R., Peters, P., Carpenter, A. Y., O’Rourke, P., Puryear, J., McCoach, D. B., Long, D., Bloomfield, E., Cross, K., Mun, R. U., Amspaugh, C., Langley, S. D., Roberts, A., & Estepar-Garcia, W. (2018). Exploratory study on the identification of English learners for gifted and talented programs. Storrs: University of Connecticut, National Center for Research on Gifted Education.

Johnsen, S. K. (Ed.). (2018). Identifying Gifted Students: A Practical Guide. Prufrock Press.

Kaufman J. C., Plucker, J. A., & Baer, J. (2008). Essentials of Creativity Assessment. Wiley. Lakin, J. M., & Wai, J. (2020). Making space for spatial talent. Kappan, 102(4), 36-39.

Milligan, J. L. (2019). Assessment of Giftedness: A Concise and Practical Guide. YBK Publishers, Inc.

Peters, S. J., Carter, J., & Plucker, J. A. (2020). Rethinking how we identify “gifted” students.Kappan, 102(4), 8-13.

Peters, S. J., Rambo-Hernandez, K., Makel, M. C., Matthews, M. S., & Plucker, J. A. (2019). Effect of local norms on racial and ethnic representation in gifted education. AERA Open, 5(2), 1-18.

Plucker, J. A. (Ed.). (2016). Creativity & Innovation: Theory, Research, and Practice. Prufrock Press.

Plucker, J. A., & Callahan, C. M. (Ed.). (2020). Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: A Survey of Current Research on Giftedness and Talent Development. Prufrock Press.

Plucker, J. A., & Peters, S. J. (2016). Excellence Gaps In Education: Expanding Opportunities for Talented Students. Harvard Education Press.

Wai, J., & Lakin, J. M. (2020). Finding the missing Einsteins: Expanding the breadth of cognitive and noncognitive measures used in academic services. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 63, 101920.

Wai, J., & Worrell, F. C. (2020). How talented low-income kids are left behind. Kappan. 102(4), 26-29.

Official Site of The State of New Jersey

New Jersey Student Learning Standards