Fundamental assumptions concerning the cognitive characteristics of gifted students in special education were presented. Prerequisites for operationalising them were extrapolated. The importance of clear parallels between identification and programming in gifted education, and of the role of informal and formal indicators was discussed. Guilford's Structure of Intellect model (1967) was examined in relation to the identification of cognitive ability. Achievement, measured by the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS), and aptitude, as measured by the Structure of Intellect (SOI) Learning Abilities Test, identified differences between students who had been nominated to participate in an enrichment program. There were some who were also identified by the resource teachers as being gifted. Subjects were 100 students from grades three, five and, eight previously nominated for the program. Sixty were selected to participate in the program, and nineteen were identified as being gifted. The groups were age and gender balanced. The students were given the CTBS as part of the district's annual testing program. The SOI was given at the start of the enrichment program, at the end of the twelve-week program and at the end of the academic year. Analysis of variance and multiple regression analyses suggested significant relationships existed between various dimensions of achievement and aptitude, and that the treatment group differed significantly from the control group in aptitude. The gifted differed from the non-gifted in achievement (CTBS). Transformational ability on the SOI distinguished giftedness which supported Guilford's hypothesis of gifted ability. Teacher ratings of the objectives of the enrichment program were not predicted by either aptitude or achievement scores. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated that lower-level abilities were enhanced the most in the treatment group. Age contributed significantly to aptitude dimensions indicating non-school, or developmental factors were intertwined in the relationships. Findings were discussed and implications for subsequent research with the SOI in examining cognitive style in learning, and for both instruments use in special education identification programs were drawn. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Education reform in the United States has shifted from all students reaching proficiency to all students progressing academically regardless of their ability levels. Response to Intervention (RtI) is a three-tiered delivery model for students with exceptional needs not being met in the general classroom setting. The components of universal screening, continuous progress monitoring, implementation of interventions with fidelity, and decision making are currently implemented in many public schools throughout the nation. Implications for Gifted and Talented (GT) services are positive as the tiered structure of RtI is revised and incorporated into state policies to serve high ability students. Instead of solely focusing on behavior and remediation in academic areas, alternative methods are being developed to service students who exhibit high academic and creative abilities. The successes of RtI, its widespread implementation, and the lack of research regarding proposed GT/RtI models, revealed the need for research examining the RtI model in relation to gifted education. Through qualitative research methods, the study was conducted in a Western Kentucky school district using a descriptive research design. Data was collected, analyzed, and evaluated to gain insight into the viability of the GT/RtI model: identification of gifted students through universal screenings, decision making regarding placement of gifted students, and service options implemented to challenge and meet the intellectual, academic, and creative needs of gifted learners.

The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate the relationships between academic aptitude and academic achievement in reading and arithmetic at the seventh and the eighth grade levels in the city schools of Modesto, California, (2) to discuss the discovered relationships in terms of policies developed by the school system to meet the particular needs of mentally superior children, and (3) to suggest some possible means of modification of the curriculum in view of the discovered relationships between academic aptitude and academic achievement in reading and arithmetic.

The diploma thesis Options of Selection and Development of Gifted Children at Primary School is devided into theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part contains processed information about giftedness based on professional literature. I paid attention to introduction of definitions of giftedness according to various authors, but I preferred those definitions that giftedness are understood as a reason for special eduction. It also includes chapters on the basic types of giftedness, possibly specific manifestations of gifted children and options of developing gifted children at primary school. The practical part of the diploma thesis consists of empirical materiál that at first describes the options of education and development of gifted children at Primar school V Rybníčkách. Subsequently I devoted myself to the analysis of the acquired empirical materiál that i get for my praxtical pedagogical work at the primary school. In the practical part of the thesis I also included a chapter where I presented tips for activities that provede to by suiteble in practice for the development of the potential of gifted children during classes and in leisure time activities. At the end of the diploma thesis I see our activities as stiulating but not entirely ideal.

Card and Giuliano’s National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper on universal screening is discussed. This commentary provides a brief summary and critique of the article, proposes an explanation of the results in light of the author’s research on the role of nominations or screening tests in the gifted identification process, and discusses the methodological implications of this work for the field.

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