What is giftedness?
The state of Texas defines gifted and talented students as a child or youth who perform at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who:
- Exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
- Possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
- Excels in a specific academic field.
How do I know a student is gifted?
It is important to note that there are not one or two characteristics that an educator can point to in order to say that a student is gifted. It is a combination of characteristics. Some signs that a student might be gifted include, but are not limited to:
- Extraordinary memory compared to peers
- Highly curious
- Highly creative
- Exhibits abstract reasoning and problem solving skills
- Draws inferences, grasps underlying principles
- Initiates projects
- Discusses things in detail, elaborates
