The Relationship Between School Mobility and Gifted Identification

• In Event: Underrepresented Groups in Gifted Education

Abstract

Educators and policy makers are interested in understanding the impact of school mobility, which is associated with declining academic achievement, increases in behavioral and discipline problems, and risk of unrecognized and unmet academic needs. For gifted students, school changes may introduce barriers that limit access to gifted identification, contributing to the underrepresentation of homeless and highly mobile (HHM) students in gifted programs. We used a statewide administrative dataset to examine the relationship between mobility and gifted identification. Despite the risks associated with mobility, no significant differences were found between the proportions of identified gifted HHM and non-HHM students after matching on district, race/ethnicity, English language proficiency, special education status, FRL status, and reading and mathematics achievement.

Authors

• Christina M. Amspaugh, University of Virginia

• Del Siegle, University of Connecticut