Project GIFT: The Identification and Service Gap in Gifted of Gifted Latinx Bilingual Students

• In Event: Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development Poster Session 1

Abstract

Although there is an array of factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of Latinx bilingual student in gifted programs, one dominant factor is the initial identification process. A university sponsored grant, Project GIFT (Gifted Identification for Todos (All)), aimed to provide educators, parents, and other stakeholders with necessary information concerning the gifted characteristics unique to Latinx bilingual students. This study aimed to validate a new screening scale that can be used to better identify Latinx bilingual students to gifted programs. The next steps to this study are to inform educational leaders of such a resource so that the new scale may be implemented in schools with high numbers of Latinx bilingual students.

Authors

• J. Joy Esquierdo, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• Isela Almaguer, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley