Examining Potential Promises and Pitfalls of Using Local Norms for Gifted Identification

• In Event: Current and Promising Practices in the Identification of Gifted Students

Abstract

Local norms have been suggested as a way to mitigate some of the disparity in gifted services, but some of the practical implications has not been examined. Our results indicated the relationship of the proportion of students identified as gifted and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch weakened as the norming group became more proximal. Further, school locale explained additional variability in the proportion of students identified for gifted services over and above the proportion of students receiving free and reduced lunch. Additionally, a small proportion of students were identified using school norms who also did not meet state proficiency standards. Finally, there was a substantial amount of variability in school identification cut scores within districts.

Authors

• M. Sabrina Hartman, West Virginia University

• Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez, Texas A&M University - College Station