What Makes Giftedness? Reexamining a Definition.

IDENTIFICATION of gifted children; OPERATIONAL definitions; UNITED States. Office of Education; ABILITY; CREATIVE ability; GIFTED & talented education; ABILITY testing; EDUCATION of gifted children

The article examines the definition of giftedness as used in education and proposes a new, operational definition which the author suggests will be more useful to school personnel and will reflect research findings. The author is critical of the definition put forth by the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) and of the way it has been inconsistently applied in schools. According to the author, giftedness is characterized by three simultaneously occurring traits: above-average ability, task commitment, and creativity. It is suggested that these traits should be weighted equally, and that many gifted education programs put too much emphasis on high ability test scores, at the expense of creative and focused individuals who may not be among the top scorers.