The Editor's View

Federal Definition of Gifted

Volume 2 / Issue 1 / Fall 2001

Does my child qualify for gifted services?” is a question that I am asked by parents from all over the country. Often I have to reply that I do not know, since states differ in how they define giftedness.

A federal definition was first proposed in 1969, but it has undergone a number of changes. At times it has been interpreted narrowly to include only students who display outstanding intellectual or creative talent. But it has also been interpreted more broadly to include students capable of high performance in intellectual, academic, creative, leadership, visual or performing arts, vocational, and psychomotor domains.

The states have relied on the federal definition for guidance; as the federal definition has changed, so have the state definitions. Also, the states have not interpreted the federal definition uniformly. Therefore definitions vary from state to state.

For example, a student classified as gifted in Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, or South Dakota only ten years ago might not be considered gifted today in these states, because they have repealed their definitions and now leave it up to the local school districts to define giftedness. In 1995 Florida students would have qualified as gifted simply by being intellectually precocious and capable of high performance. Today they would have to demonstrate a need for a special program and evidence that they possessed a set of characteristics in addition to high intelligence and academic aptitude. Finally, Texas students are identified as gifted if they show outstanding creative artistic talent or unusual leadership ability. But if they move to Arizona, they will not be considered gifted on that basis.

Thus, where you live will determine whether your child receives gifted services, as well as the quality, type, and extent of those services. We need to advocate at the local, state, and national levels for all gifted students so that none is denied the gifted label simply because of location.
—Steven I. Pfeiffer, Ph.D.