SY22
Special Populations in Gifted Education
Directions: Complete the attached chart. Your work will be graded on thoroughness, completeness, and accuracy. Review the
expectations on the rubric. You will write a "tweet" from perspective of the student within the special population. (A tweet is limited
to 280 characters.).
General Description
Culturally Diverse Students who come from
cultures that are not among
the majority at his/her
educational setting.
Oftentimes, education focuses
on three specific populations:
African-Americans, Hispanic,
and Native American. These
students are often the
minority in their educational
setting in terms of race,
ethnicity, religion or
socioeconomic status.
According to Ting-Toomey,
there are three things that
define a culture: “First, culture
refers to a diverse pool of
knowledge, shared realities,
and clustered norms that
constitute the learned
systems of meanings in a
particular society.
Challenges/ Special Needs
of the Population
According to the article,
Providing Access For Culturally
Diverse Gifted Students: From
Deficit to Dynamic Thinking,
Ford and Grantham state that
culturally diverse students are
underrepresented in gifted
populations by as much as
50% (2003, p. 217). They
contend that this is due to
deficit thinking by educators.
Basically, educators have a
bias against culturally diverse
students and hold negative
stereotypical views of those
students, which in turn lowers
their expectations of those
students.
Additionally, the article also
indicates that identification
and selection procedures may
be ineffective and
inappropriate for the
Methods/Strategies to Tweet from the Student
Address Those Needs Perspective
Henfield, Moore, and Wood Diversity is to be celebrated
state that “teachers should not scorned. Learn how others
become sensitive to potential think! #culturallearning
racial and gender biases and
examine how such biases may
affect their teaching styles,
expectations, and general
interactions with students”
(200, p 449). Culturally
relevant training can help
teachers identify any potential
bias and help them come up
with strategies to recognize
and deal with those biases so
they do not become an
impediment to student
identification.
Cobb County and GA DoE use
a matrix that is neutrally
biased to identify giftedness in
students. However, there are
instances where the
identification goes to a panel.
SY22
Second, these learned systems
of meanings are shared and
transmitted through daily
interactions among members
of the cultural group and from
one generation to the next.
Third, culture facilitates the
capacity of members to
survive and adapt to their
external environment” (1999,
p. 9).
identification of these young
people. They state that
“teachers systematically
underrefer minority students
for gifted education services”
(Ford and Grantham, 2003, p
220).
Despite looking at
identification procedures that
remain neutral, there can still
be some test bias that can
cause underrepresentation.
Achievement and I.Q. tests
can account for nearly 50% of
the factors in determining
giftedness and there are
multiple articles that question
the bias of such tests.
One of the challenges that I
often see is that many gifted
students try to “fit in,”
especially African American
gifted students. African
American gifted students
often try to blend with their
normally developing peers as
if there is a stigma to being
smart. In my video review of
Akeelah and the Bee, Akeelah
often tried to balance being
smart with trying to blend in
with her friends.
Cobb needs to continue to
ensure that panel participants
are free from any bias, and are
aware of cultural differences
when identifying gifted
students.
Culturally diverse students
often do better on nonverbal
tests like the NNAT and the
WISC-IV. Program leads
should ensure that these
types of tests are considered
for our culturally diverse
students to help identify
gifted students.
According to Henfield, Moore ,
and Wood, “teachers should
collaborate with other
educators (e.g., school
counselors and principals) to
develop activities aimed at
increasing the opportunities
for gifted and nongifted
African American students to
interact with one another,
such as participation in
extracurricular activities, since
such opportunities were
effective in creating gifted-
nongifted African
 SY22
ELL ELL students are students who
do not have English as their
native language. Usually,
English is not the language
spoken in their homes or in
their community
Michael S. Matthews states
“there is a
tremendous degree of
diversity that often goes
unrecognized within the ELL
population. Much of this
diversity, as well as the
explanation for the need
these students have for
English instruction, can be
traced to their status as recent
immigrants to the United
States. Among a group of over
400 gifted ELL
students I studied recently,
there were more than 40
languages and countries of
origin represented, and
Ford, Grantham, and Whiting
state that there is a “cultural
mismatch or clash between
educators and students [that]
contributes to low teacher
expectations of students, poor
student-teacher relationships,
mislabeling, and
misinterpretation of behavior”
(2008, p 297). Teachers do not
adequately understand
students that are ELL.
Similar to Akeelah trying to fit
in, many of my ELL students
try to just blend in and
disappear, become
wallflowers. ELL students
often do not raise their hand
to participate and crave
anonymity.
According to Hunsaker,
linguistic minorities were the
most underrepresented
group. Just like our culturally
American friendships” (2008,
p 446).
Sternberg (2007) called for I can solve problems and think
educators to be more critically—English? Time to
proactive in understanding master you. #nobigdeal.
and making identification and
placement decisions, placing
culture at the forefront of our
thinking and decisions.
Therefore, teachers need to
be aware of how ELL students
might interact with a
classroom, and make
adjustments to make sure
their needs are being met.
As with culturally diverse
students, I have found that
creating an environment that
is conducive to participation,
where differences are
celebrated, where mistakes
are learned from and not
scorned, has provided my ELL
students with an environment
where they no longer have to
be anonymous.
SY22
this was within a single large
school district.”
Typically, many assume ELL
learners are Hispanic.
However, depending on
geography ELL learners might
be Asian (oftentimes out west
in WA and CA), European, or
African.
diverse students they are
often underrepresented when
it comes to gifted
identification and placement.
Another challenge that
educators face is
communication with family
members. When a student is
ELL, many times the family
members do not speak
English. If the parents speak
Bulgarian or Mandarin, it
might be extremely difficult to
communicate with parents.
Ketty Serouphim states that
school that successfully
increase representation
among ELL students utilized
multiple assessment criteria,
such as portfolio assessment,
behavioral observations,
checklists and rating scales,
and alternative testing.
A solution to the
communication issue is to use
Cobb County’s IWC to
communicate with parents.
Additionally, CTLS will
translate communication in
the native language of the
parent. While not necessarily
ideal, it provides a way to
bridge that gap so that
effective communication can
take place.
 SY22
Gifted Females Female students that
demonstrate a need for more
rigorous academic instruction.
Additionally, J.F. Smutney
states that gifted girls “may be
those who: achieve well but
remain blind to their
accomplishments; perform
poorly despite their high
ability and attribute their poor
performance to low
intelligence; are disinterested
in school or achievement and
excel socially, sometimes
assuming popular leadership
in negative ways” (2011).
According to Sally Reis, gifted
and talented females “face
conflicts between their own
abilities and the social
structure of their world. They
confront both external
barriers and internal barriers”
(2001).
These challenges/barriers are
(external):
lack of support from families
stereotyping
(internal):
self-doubt
self-criticism
lowered expectations
the attribution of success to
effort rather than ability
Reis asserts that teachers
have been found to believe
and reinforce one of the most
prevalent and insidious sex
stereotypes – that boys have
more innate ability and girls
must work harder.
J.F. Smutney states that while
males received more teacher
comments, the difference
favoring boys was greatest in
According to Jane Langille, Scholar, athlete, fierce, bright,
“research has established the outgoing, intelligent,
importance of parents’ compassionate.
attitudes and beliefs about the #thefutureisfemale
academic self-perceptions and
achievement of their children,
having an even greater effect
on the children than their own
previous performance.
Particularly with math self-
concept among gifted female
adolescents, research has
found consistently significant
correlations between parent
expectations and the
students’ math self-concept
(2003). It is important for
both parents and teachers of
young, gifted girls to be
positive influences on these
girls so that negative
influences do not create self-
doubt and lowered
expectations.
It is important that teachers
have the proper training to
understand that there are not
certain gender abilities and
that this thinking leads to bias.
Boys are often thought o have
better logic skills while girls
are better at creative writing.
 SY22

the more useful teacher That line of thinking

reactions of praise, criticism,
and remediation” (1999).
Additionally, evaluative
comments by teachers were
more likely given to males
than females.
predisposes teachers to
treating a gender type a
certain way. These biases
need to be removed to ensure
that both gifted girls and boys
can be successful.

It is important for teachers to

be conscious of the praise
they give out and ensure that
they are not targeting specific
groups, gender, race, etc. As a
PBIS school, it happens all the
time. The students that are
always doing what they are
supposed to do get rewarded
with the least amount of
points. However, students
that have behavioral issues
tend to get more points as this
is used as a carrot. With
gifted students, teachers need
to be mindful of ensuring that
everyone in the classroom is
given proper attention and
motivation to be successful.

Gifted Males Male students that
demonstrate a need for more
rigorous academic instruction.
According to Olenchak,
“emphasis on achievement
and competition can be just as
damaging to gifted boys as too
little support. Gifted boys can
Langille states that “family
support is critical to the
academic achievement of
gifted boys. Parents and
professionals should support
Yes I am smart. But I like to
read, and sing, and watch
movies. I don’t like sports and
that is ok. #thisisme
SY22
According to Olenchak, “gifted
boys can have low social self-
concepts, are often self-critical
and pessimistic, tend to
internalize their own
concerns, and learn to avoid
assistance” (2006).
have low social self-concepts, the giftedness of boys yet
are often self-critical and accommodate the self-
pessimistic, tend to internalizedeprecation that characterizes
their own concerns and learn their development” (2004).
to avoid assistance” (2006). Helping gifted boys
participate in extracurricular
Additionally, Langille activities, such as
commented that studies have volunteering, running a
shown that gifted males often business, or, more typically,
have “limited rights and becoming involved in musical,
capacities to express emotion” dramatic, and athletic
(2004). organizations, is one way to
ensure their healthy self-
Langille also comments that image.
another barrier that males
often face is an expectation to Teachers and parents need to
prove their masculinity by foster emotional expression
joining athletic sports. and that it is okay to express
one’s feelings. Providing
Perfectionism and the success creative outlets through
trap-putting success before writing, a parking lot for
happiness are two other questions, and a social box
barriers that gifted males (students can put concerns on
often encounter. a piece of paper in a box), will
all help males understand that
it is ok to express emotions.
Additionally, male teachers
who show emotion and
express themselves can be an
example to younger gifted
males.
It is important that both the
school and parents show
 SY22

opportunities to join extra-

curricular activities or clubs
that are not necessarily
athletic-based. This provides
boy with another outlet aside
from sports.

One of the barriers,

perfectionism, is a serious
problem in my gifted classes.
To counteract it, I deliberately
make mistakes when I am
teaching. I wait for students
to call me out because gifted
students love to prove the
teacher wrong. I always tell
them I am not perfect, and
that I make mistakes all the
time. It is learning from those
mistakes that matters.
Creating a positive
environment where mistakes
are part of the learning
process goes a long way to
help gifted males understand
that it is okay not o be perfect.

Highly and Very Young According to Pavluk, highly
Gifted and very young gifted children
often exhibit the following
traits:
advanced development,
reaching “milestones”
Pavluk states that one of the
challenges that highly and
very young gifted children
face is that they often hold
back in a simple situation,
possibly due to their fear of
Reflections on the Education
of Gifted and Talented,
Students in the Twentieth
Century: Milestones in the
Development of Talent and
Gifts in Young People notes
I may be small, but I can pack
a punch, and understand
string theory.
#sheldonismyidol
SY22
(walking, speech) earlier than
average; good memory, eager
to learn simple concepts,
exhibit a thirst for knowledge,
a need to be extremely active,
little need for sleep (2015).
failure, calculating possible
outcomes of the interaction.
Oftentimes, highly gifted and
very young children may be
gifted in a very narrow field,
or may have "all round" high
ability, but often there is a
large discrepancy between
their intellectual, physical and
emotional development. My
son faced these challenges as
a child in Cobb County,
eventually skipping fourth
grade. Even at 14 ( a
sophomore), he skews slightly
younger than his peers and
sometimes feels out of place.
Conversely, when he did skip,
he said it was the first time
that he felt like he fit.
Another challenge that highly
gifted and very young children
face is the ability to discern
reality from fantasy. Students
will often figure out the truth
about Santa Clause early on so
it takes a deft touch when
have conversations with these
students and the impact that
knowledge has on peers and
siblings.
that many school districts
have created innovative
mentorship programs which
pair a bright student with a
high school student or adult
who has an interest in the
same area as the student
(2015). This mentorship can
help highly gifted and very
young students navigate their
school environment and build
a relationship with a trusted
person.
It is important for the district
and teachers to identify highly
gifted students early in their
academic career. There are
many ways to enhance the
learning experience by
allowing students to enter
kindergarten or first grade
early, grade skipping, and
early entrance to college.
Having proper protocols in
place and training for teachers
is essential in being able to
identify these students.
Pavluk states that is important
to help highly gifted and very
young children determine
 SY22
Twice Exceptional Baum, Cooper, and Neu state
that twice exceptional
students are described as
students exhibit
characteristics of both
exceptionalities: giftedness
and learning disabilities
A fourth challenge that
students face is perfectionism.
Many times when students
realize they cannot do
something perfectly, they
refuse to do it at all. My son
has this issue. He has
bounced from sport to sport
because when he realizes he is
not great at something, he
just decides he will not do it
anymore. As a parent, I make
him follow through with his
commitments for that
particular season.
A major challenge that twice
exceptional children face is
that they often “exhibit
learning problems due to
physical, cognitive,
or behavioral deficits, [and]
these students seldom
when it is necessary to
conform and when it is okay
to be "different.” She also
states that teachers should
help students when their
physical limitations (lack of
dexterity due to age) become
an impediment and could lead
to frustration.
With my own son, Jack, I have
discovered that allowing him
to explore and create his own
way of doing things has really
helped him to “fit in.” He has
learned to become socially
adept for the most part, but as
parents, my wife and I are
constantly guiding him and
having discussions about
choices. As the youngest peer
in his friend group, it is easy
for him to be swayed by peer
pressure, so we talk about
making good choices.
Baum, Copper, and Neu say I have needs, help me fulfill
that school counseling to them, both intellectually and
address coping skills, emotionally. #misunderstood
resiliency, affective issues, etc.
through established programs
or through group and
individual activities can help
SY22
(2001). Students who have
both gifts and learning
disabilities require a dually
differentiated program: one
that nurtures their gifts and
talents while accommodating
for learning weaknesses.
achieve at the level of which
they are capable” (Baum,
Cooper, & Neu, 2001).
Additionally, gifted student
that are served under IEPs
(individualized education
plans ) for special education
services often are in settings
that do not easily provide
access to gifted services.
Cotaught settings and small
group settings for behavior
issues often do not have
teachers that have the
expertise to deliver gifted
services.
A challenge that teachers face
is dealing with the unique
qualities of a twice
exceptional student. Students
the have special needs have a
wide variety of disabilities.
Gifted students with special
needs sometimes have OHI
(ADHD), Autism, or EBD
(emotional and behavioral
difficulties). These needs are
difficult for teachers to
address with out the support
of special education teachers.
students with disabilities that
are gifted work through some
of the issues they face in the
classroom” (2001).
A good solution to some of
the challenges is for
administration to provide time
for gifted and general
education teachers to
collaborate with special
education teachers, so that
students can be adequately
supported in any
environment. This planning
time essential to develop and
work on strategies to ensure
success in the classroom.
Baum, Cooper, and Neu, point
out that a comprehensive
program will include:
provisions for the
identification and the
development of talent; a
learning environment that
values diversity and individual
talents in all domains;
educational support that
develops compensatory
strategies including the
appropriate use of
technology; and school-based
counseling to enhance
SY22

I have been a special students’ ability to cope with

education teacher for the past
8 years. I have had students
in cotaught setting that were
obviously gifted but needed
more support than a consult
basis. It is difficult to
challenge these students
while trying to meet the needs
of all the other students in the
classroom. However, not
challenging these students
leads to more behaviors and
issues. There is a definite issue
in our educational model
where we really do not have
classes for highly gifted
students that need specialized
instruction in behavior
management.
their mix of talents and
disabilities.
As a teacher it is important to
understand a student’s
perspective. All too often I
would think kids were off-task
or just did not want to work.
However, it is important to
understand that some kids
struggle to stay on task or
they need extra time to
process things. Being
empathetic will help teachers
be more gentle with twice
exceptional students. Training
teachers on how students
think and helping teachers
build relational capacity with
students will help both
teacher and student be
successful.

References:
Baum, S. M., Cooper, C. R., & Neu, T. W. (2001). Dual differentiation: An approach for meeting the curricular needs of gifted students with
learning disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 38(5), 477-490.

Ford, D. Y., Grantham, T. C., & Whiting, G. W. (2008). Culturally and linguistically diverse students in gifted education: Recruitment and retention
issues. Exceptional Children, 74(3), 289-306.

Reis, S. M. (2001). External barriers experienced by gifted and talented girls and women. Gifted Child Today, 24(4), 26-65.

Sarouphim, K. M. (2002). DISCOVER in high school: Identifying gifted Hispanic and Native American students. Journal of Secondary Gifted
Education, 14(1), 30-38.
SY22
Smutny, J. F. (2011). Finding Their Voice, Claiming Their Path: How Gifted Girls become Strong Women. Understanding Our Gifted, 23(3), 17-22.
Sternberg, R. J. (2007). Cultural concepts of giftedness. Roeper Review, 29, 160-165
General description of
the populations
Challenges/Special
needs of this group
Methods/Strategies to
Address Those Needs
Tweet from the Student
Perspective
19
Clear, understandable and
applicable descriptions of
members of each population are
provided.
19
Four or more special needs of
each group are clearly explained.
19
Four or more practical methods to
address the special needs of each
population are provided and are
plausible to implement.
18
Tweets demonstrate creativity
and in-depth thought and
consideration of characteristics
and needs of each special
population.
16
Clear and understandable
descriptions of members of each
population are provided.
16
Three special needs of each
group are clearly explained.
16
Three practical methods to
address the special needs of each
population are provided and are
plausible to implement.
15
Tweets demonstrate creativity
and establishes average thought
and consideration of
characteristics and needs of each
special population.
13
Descriptions are not clear or
understandable.
13
One to two special needs of this
group are clearly explained.
13
One to two practical methods to
address the special needs of each
population are provided and are
plausible to implement.
12
Tweets demonstrate minimal
thought and consideration of
characteristics and needs of each
special population.