Gifted students should not be regarded as one homogeneous group. Just as differences between gifted and average students are recognised, differences also exist in students at each end of the gifted group. Many educational researchers and psychologists recognise different levels of giftedness. Gross (1993) traces longitudinal studies of gifted students by eminent researchers such as Hollingworth, Terman, Janos and Feldman.
The studies conclude that:
The academic and social needs of the extremely gifted are not always met by placing them in programs designed for the moderately gifted students.
Very often the experiences of these students result in demotivation, rebelliousness or poor behaviour. The consequences of selecting students only on the basis of task commitment or performance results in choosing those who already succeed to receive special services.
Research (Richert, 1982) indicates that profoundly and exceptionally gifted students are particularly at risk of not being identified.
In the early years, parents are very effective in identifying gifted children and although teachers might well recognise that a student of theirs is the brightest they have ever taught, it is still very difficult for them to recognise and estimate the level of giftedness.
Used with care, teacher, parent, peer, anecdotal records, trait lists and self-nomination may contribute significantly to the effective selection of students to be administered standardised tests of ability and achievement. These tests are objective screening measures and, when used in conjunction with subjective measures, may provide a comprehensive assessment process. This combination of measures will enable teachers to identify exceptionally gifted children who may be underachieving.
The choice of standardised tests is very important when assessing extreme giftedness, as a ceiling effect may occur if the test is too easy. Care must be taken to either select a test with a very high ceiling or a test standardised for an older age group than that of the child being tested.
Van Tassel-Baska (1989) identified five essential elements in successful programming for gifted students:
Research supports the effectiveness of ability grouping for exceptionally and profoundly gifted students. It is essential that they have the opportunity to work together to find intellectual and social companionship (Gross, 1993).
These students will need enrichment, extension, acceleration and individual education programs (see Provision).