The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) believes it is essential to define giftedness in a way that both reflects best thinking in the field and moves beyond a focus on identification criteria to a deeper understanding of the complex nature of giftedness and the multi-faceted approach to services required to appropriately serve…

Students with gifts and talents perform--or have the capability to perform--at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains. They require modification(s) to their educational experience(s) to learn and realize their potential. Student with gifts and talents: (1) Come from all racial, ethnic,…

Comprehensive, individual intelligence tests can be invaluable when used as part of a multi-faceted approach to identify gifted and twice exceptional children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is a popular cognitive assessment for this purpose. This statement addresses guidelines for use of the WISC-V in the assessment of gifted…

The National Association for Gifted Children's Whole Gifted Child (WGC) Task Force was the Presidential initiative of Dr. George Betts (NAGC President 2015-2017). The WGC Task Force reflects a collective of expertise related to gifted children, gifted education, counseling the gifted, and talent development. Dr. Betts charged the Task Force…

What's not often well-known or well-understood is that students who are gifted may also have a special need or disability--just as students with disabilities may also be gifted. The term "twice-exceptional," also referred to as "2e," is used to describe gifted children who, according to the Joint Commission on Twice-Exceptional…

Summer vacation is right around the corner! However, just as quickly as summer approaches, it also passes in the blink of an eye. This time of year, both parents and teachers face the same dilemma: Should high-ability kids stay busy with summer projects, courses, sports, camps, and travel...or should they be allowed to completely unplug with no…

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, a major objective of federal and state education policy has been to narrow K-12 achievement gaps. This position statement notes that the available data suggest that the singular focus on the most struggling learners has resulted in meaningful progress in closing minimum-competency…

In February 2015 the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Board of Directors voted unanimously to create a task force on talent development for the purpose of researching, discussing, and assessing where NAGC is and where it should be going relative to its talent development emphasis. A diverse group of experienced leaders agreed to…

As our country's need for highly skilled professionals in every field continues to grow, the "2014-2015 State of the States in Gifted Education" report provides a glimpse into a system where many high ability and high-achieving learners must fend for themselves, leaving success to chance. While there are individual areas of progress, the…

"Connecting for High Potential" sheds light on questions from teachers and parents on many subject matters, however, rarely is there an opportunity to explore how the "other side" might be facing the issue. An ongoing goal of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is for teachers and parents to develop a broader…

The role of pre-service education programs in preparing educators to work effectively with a wide range of learners is critical to student success. In addition to meeting the challenge of an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse student population, general education classroom teachers are expected to be primary service providers for…

Giftedness is a complex phenomenon impacting the development of the whole child. Many specialists must work together to address the diverse academic, social and emotional aspects of the development of children with gifts and talents. It is imperative that educators in gifted, general, special education programs, and related professional services…

The arts are essential to a balanced education, with specific benefits for the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development of all students, with special benefits for gifted and talented learners. Yet frequently, when school resources are limited, arts education funding is reduced or eliminated. The National Association for Gifted Children…

The adoption of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K-12 students by a large majority of states is having a profound influence on curriculum, instruction, and assessment in classrooms across the country. The content standards are intended to promote higher…

Nationally, results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP; NCES, 2013) exams in mathematics and reading indicate no significant improvement over time in the percentage of students scoring at advanced levels in any age group. While progress is being made in raising the achievement of students in the lowest 10%, the achievement of…