Ohio has taken one step by mandating whole grade screenings twice in each academic student's career- once in the K-2 grade band and again in the 3-6 grade band. We know that universal screening can help find gifted students who might be otherwise overlooked.
But whole-grade screening alone is not enough. Ability tests don’t really measure potential; they measure how potential has been nurtured and developed so far. These tests are good at identifying students whose families have the resources to make sure the child is developing his or her potential. Schools need to make sure all students have those advantages.
Teachers and administrators need training in understanding the characteristics of gifted students and how they might manifest in different cultural contexts. What might look like disruptive or disengaged behavior to a teacher may actually be an expression of that student’s academic talents in a mismatched setting.
Simply identifying more gifted students from diverse backgrounds is not enough. We have to follow up with higher level academic programs to develop their gifts and talents. Ultimately we need to make sure that all of our academic programming is rigorous for high-achieving students, gifted or not.
