In fact, they are not required to define giftedness-as well as identify and/or serve gifted students-at all. States and local districts are not required to use the federal definition of giftedness. 'The term 'gifted and talented,' when used with respect to students, children or youth, means students, children or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.' (Marland, 1971) The federal definition of giftedness, originally developed in 1971 and called the Marland report, revolves around “high achievement capability”: Most people understand that giftedness entails being bright and having high potential, and existing definitions of giftedness typically focus on capability and achievement as identifiers of giftedness. So let’s dig in and discover something new about giftedness! How is giftedness defined? It seems logical that our first blog post should unravel what giftedness really means, as a deep understanding of giftedness is necessary to best relate to our children as well as advocate for them throughout their educational career. Welcome to the Michigan State University GATE program’s blog! Offering insight into the nature of giftedness and suggestions for parenting gifted youth, this blog complements GATE’s mission: to support gifted students as they develop intellectually, cultivate social relationships, and expand their understanding of the world.Īs a former teacher of gifted students and a current Michigan Association of Gifted Children board member, gifted education consultant/speaker, and parent of two young children, I am excited to serve as your regular blogger and share what I have learned over the last 20 years of working with gifted youth, their teachers, and their parents.

The views expressed in this post are that of the author and their resources and do not necessarily reflect the views of Michigan State University and the Gifted and Talented Education Office.

Highly gifted meaning