Addressing Opportunity and Inequity in Gifted Education

“The Naglieri General Ability Tests has allowed us to identify students who were previously overlooked. When comparing data using previous screeners [and identification tools], we noted an increase in the number of Hispanic and Black students discovered. Now, we can provide support through our talent development program and attempt to overcome barriers to formal identification.”

– Advanced Academics Program Coordinator from a school district in the Southeastern United States

In this piece, we’ll explore the real-world impact of the Naglieri General Ability Tests™ and how they address some of the most pressing issues facing gifted educators and their students. The Naglieri General Ability Tests are three separate measures that can be used individually or in any combination and can be used for screening or identification. For this piece, we’ll refer to the Naglieri General Ability Tests–Verbal, Naglieri General Ability Tests–Nonverbal, and Naglieri General Ability Tests–Quantitative, together as the Naglieri General Ability Tests.

Improving access to identification

The field of gifted education is crucial in nurturing exceptional talent and potential among students. However, significant disparities exist in the identification and support of gifted students. These disparities affect students based on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and geography. To address these issues, a multifaceted approach is required, including enhancing legislative frameworks, improving access to identification, addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities, and reforming identification processes. This blog explores these strategies and introduces some appropriate tools to mitigate some of these challenges.

A study conducted by Purdue University reveals significant variability in state laws regarding gifted education¹. Advocating for uniform, comprehensive legislation across states to address these disparities is essential. Moreover, securing consistent funding for these programs is crucial. States with fully funded mandates exemplify how strong legislative frameworks can enhance access and equity. We can work toward a more equitable system for all students by modeling policies after these examples and ensuring consistent funding.

The study also highlights a decline in access to gifted education programs, particularly in Title I and rural schools. Nationally, in 2015–2016, 67.38% of students had such access, and these students attended 55.58% of schools in the country¹. While access to identification does not guarantee equity, it is crucial, as it directly impacts students’ opportunities to be recognized and nurtured for their talents.

Addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities

Racial and socioeconomic disparities in the identification of gifted students are persistent issues. Students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, such as Black, Latinx, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, are significantly underrepresented in gifted programs compared to their White and Asian peers. This inequity is exacerbated in Title I schools and rural areas¹.

To address these disparities, gifted education programs must adopt culturally responsive practices. This includes using a range of assessment tools that capture diverse forms of giftedness and eliminating biases in testing. Implementing culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments is critical to ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. Teacher training on cultural competence and implicit bias is also essential for recognizing and supporting diverse talents.

Introducing the Naglieri General Ability Tests

The Naglieri General Ability Tests represent a significant advancement in addressing the challenge of inequity in gifted education. Developed by Jack A. Naglieri, Ph.D., Kimberly Lansdowne, Ph.D., and Dina M. Brulles, Ph.D., these tests are designed to measure general intellectual ability across different content areas and are particularly valuable for reducing cultural and linguistic biases in identification.

The Naglieri General Ability Tests’ use of language-free, animated instructions and culturally neutral content helps ensure that students from diverse backgrounds can demonstrate their abilities fairly. Research on the Naglieri General Ability Tests yield minimal differences in scores and measure the underlying skills in an unbiased way when comparing racial, ethnic, and linguistically diverse groups, indicating the tests can suit a wide audience and provide an equitable measure of general ability.

What educators are saying about the Naglieri General Ability Tests?

MHS surveyed gifted educators from across the U.S. to obtain first-hand accounts of the Naglieri General Ability Tests in action. A gifted and talented education teacher from a school district in Texas had this to say:

“Our campus houses several different Specially Designed Instructional programs, which serve students identified with Dyslexia. A fourth-grade student here who has been a part of both of these programs had been overlooked for the first five years of his educational journey. After administering the Naglieri General Ability Tests as screening assessments in the fourth-grade classes, he scored in the 99th percentile for our entire district on the Nonverbal test. He has since been qualified to receive services from our Gifted and Talented program, something that may not have been possible without the use of the [Naglieri General Ability Tests]. Upon hearing about the results, his parents personally reached out to tell me how many medical professionals from their past had said their child would not succeed in the academic world. This student is breaking down the walls built around him.”

Impact on Equity:

The Naglieri General Ability Tests help mitigate inequities by addressing several key challenges in gifted education:

• Reducing Cultural Bias: By minimizing the impact of prior knowledge and language proficiency, the Naglieri General Ability Tests offer a more equitable assessment of students’ abilities.
• Improving Identification Rates: By providing an unbiased measure of ability, the Naglieri General Ability Tests can help identify gifted students who might be overlooked by traditional tests.
• Enhancing Fairness: The design of the tests helps ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their potential.

On the importance of equity in gifted education, another teacher from a school district in California had this to say:

“I am the G.A.T.E. teacher at a rural Title 1 elementary school where the population has grown rapidly and become more transient. Seventy percent of the student population qualify for free and reduced meals. ELL services support seven different languages. It is very important to capture all of the students who require gifted services. Traditional assessments often miss students’ true potential, but the Naglieri General Ability Tests have been invaluable in identifying gifted students by focusing on nonverbal reasoning and problem-solving skills. This approach has allowed us to include more students in the gifted and talented program, providing them with advanced opportunities and tailored support, and has highlighted the importance of using diverse assessment tools to recognize and nurture all students’ abilities.”

Racial and Ethnic Disparities:

A primary goal of the Naglieri General Ability Tests is to target and mitigate the underrepresentation of specific racial and ethnic backgrounds. An Advanced Academics Program Coordinator from a school district in the Southeastern United States noticed a remarkable difference following their implementation:

“The Naglieri General Ability Tests has allowed us to identify students who were previously overlooked. When comparing data using previous screeners, we noted an increase in the number of Hispanic and Black students discovered. Now, we can provide support through our talent development program and attempt to overcome barriers to formal identification.”

Better identification of gifted and talented students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds is largely possible with the Naglieri General Ability Tests due to a lesser emphasis on language proficiency, and a greater emphasis on the way students think. A Gifted and Talented Facilitator from a school district in Texas had this to say:

“What we love about the Naglieri General Ability Tests is that they’re free from language barriers, which really levels the playing field for all students. This feature ensures that every student, regardless of their language background, has an equal opportunity to be identified for Gifted and Talented (G/T) services.”

Bringing Out a Spark:

Sometimes, a teacher may intuitively feel that a particular student is gifted, but because of barriers in existing assessments and standardized testing, they have difficulty proving it or pinpointing exactly where that feeling is coming from. A district Gifted Coordinator from a large school district in the Southwestern United States mentions this experience in their response:

“Identification of culturally diverse learners has always been a struggle in our district. We recognize the need to provide a better means of finding these learners. Using the Naglieri General Ability Tests we have greatly enhanced our ability in this realm. It is great to hear a teacher say, “I knew that child had a spark!” and now we are able to confirm what the teacher was seeing.”

In other cases, teachers can be blind to potential due to preconceived notions of what constitutes giftedness and/or biases that have been subconsciously developed over the course of a life being exposed to cultural norms and ideas. This phenomenon was noted by a gifted coordinator from a school district on the East Coast of the U.S.:

“Through the use of the Naglieri General Ability Tests, we have been able to screen and go on to identify several students who don’t fit the perceived, “gifted mold.” Teachers have been surprised by some of the students that we found. That’s the purpose of this screening!”

The field of gifted education must address systemic inequities and improve access to ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Enhancing legislative frameworks, improving access to identification, addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities, and reforming identification processes are crucial steps in this effort. The introduction of tools like the Naglieri General Ability Tests offers a promising approach to mitigating biases and providing a fairer assessment of giftedness. By adopting these strategies and tools, we can work toward a more inclusive and equitable system that recognizes and nurtures the talents of all students.

Learn more about the Naglieri General Ability Tests.

Have questions? Get in touch with a member of our team.

References

¹ Gentry, Marcia, et al. System Failure: Access Denied, Purdue University, 2019.