Four years later: performance of primary students identified for gifted program services through an alternative procedure

Through a mixed-methods study, I compared the performance of two groups of students that the end of 5 grade who had been identified for gifted program services in the first grade. One group was identified by traditional state guidelines and the other group was identified by an augmented procedure which included their performance in a thinking skills curriculum designed for primary students. Results garnered from fifth grade GPA reports, achievement test data, student attitude surveys, and teacher interviews demonstrated that there were no significant differences between the two groups of students on their GPAs, total reading achievement scores, attitudes toward school, and the teacher interviews. Significant differences were found on the students total math scores and total battery scores, both basic and complete. Implications from these results include the efficacy of using performance during planned activities requiring cognitively complex, higher levels of thinking as a criterion for eligibility for gifted program placement. Further research is indicated to clarify the benefits of early identification of giftedness especially for minority and lower socioeconomic status students and the need to collect as much information as possible when determining eligibility for gifted program services. In addition, the re were several other implications for further research which were not posed by this study. They included the need for better curriculum planning in order to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of our gifted children. No longer could teachers assume that all gifted students had even skills development. All teachers need to reflect on their attitudes toward and expectations of giftedness in students. They also need help in recognizing the need for challenge and differentiation in the regular educational program for gifted students. Finally, there is a need to help teachers clarify any confusion they may have about the characteristics that describe a good student versus those that describe a gifted student.