We investigated three specific aptitude measures (the Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students, the Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary and Middle School Students, and the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices) that have been promoted for the identification of students for gifted services. Using a quantitative, descriptive, correlational design, we examined the proportion of students that would be identified using each test with a sample of approximately 100 students in grades K–3 attending a public school in the southeastern United States. Kendall's Tau correlations among these assessments ranged from .16 to .37, revealing moderate positive relationships that suggest that these three measures may reflect different yet overlapping constellations of traits or aptitudes. These findings offer further support for the use of multiple pathways for identification of gifted and advanced learning abilities.
This qualitative study examines the experiences of Black males who were not formally identified for gifted services during K–12 schooling but later succeeded in medicine. Despite the persistent underrepresentation of Black males in gifted programs, less is known about how these students navigate advanced academic pathways without early identification. Guided by Critical Race Theory, this narrative inquiry explored the educational trajectories of three Black men in medicine from K–12 schooling through their educational and professional pathways into medicine. Semistructured interviews elicited reflections on school experiences, teacher perceptions, access to advanced learning opportunities, and factors contributing to persistence in a competitive STEM-M (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) field. Thematic narrative analysis revealed patterns of underrecognized advanced potential, racialized expectations, limited access to enrichment, and the influential roles of mentorship, resilience, and self-efficacy. Findings suggest instructional and relational experiences may have contributed to the underrecognition of advanced potential while illuminating strengths that supported long-term achievement.
For decades, U.S. K–12 schools have faced challenges in providing advanced learning opportunities and services to students. Professional learning (PL) can be one lever to increase educators’ capacity to supply high-quality and equitable advanced learning in classrooms and schools. In this systematic literature review, we identified 32 empirical studies, published between 1978 and 2023, that examined U.S.-based PL related to advanced education and learning. We identified seven themes related to the features identified in the Building Better PL framework and the strategies in the Excellence Gap Intervention Model (EGIM). This analysis revealed a need for advanced education PL studies that focus on practice-supportive materials, teacher–student relationships, and student outcome measurement. Furthermore, there is limited research about how EGIM strategies have been integrated into advanced education PL research, which indicates the need for more research on the effects of PL targeting excellence gaps and advanced education equity issues.
Findings on the teacher belief–practice relationship are mixed and highly context-dependent. In gifted education, direct evidence is limited and inconsistent across study designs and settings, especially in regions where gifted education is still underdeveloped. In this study, a structural equation model was applied to analyze the relationship between teachers’ general beliefs about gifted education and young gifted children and their self-reported practices for supporting them in the context of early childhood education in China, among 202 general early childhood teachers. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure (“adaptive” and “extension”) for measuring teachers’ self-reported practices. Structural model results indicated that teachers’ beliefs were positively associated with both “adaptive” ( β = .44, p < .001) and “extension” practices ( β = .38, p < .001). Stronger beliefs were associated with more frequent self-reported use of practices for supporting young gifted children. The article also discusses practical implications for professional development and policymaking.
