The Rappahannock County Public School System has devoted much

The Rappahannock County Public School System has devoted much time and effort in the identification of gifted students during the 1984-85 school year. The members of the identification committees have been conscientious and thorough in their difficult tasks.

To perform their tasks properly, the committees have done a great deal of study on gifted children. The following article was compiled by the elementary school gifted committee. The purpose of the article is to provide clarification of who gifted children are.

Gifted Children-Who Are They?

Definitions of the gifted child may be as varied as the books or articles one rqads. One definition states that the gifted are those who score in the top two percent on intelligence tests. Some view the gifted in terms of their creative or productive accomplishments. The Virginia Plan for the Gifted, approved by the State Board of Education in May, 1984, states, “Gifted students are students whose abilities and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special educational programs to meet their educational needs.”

We at Rappahannock Elementary School are, naturally, drawn to the term “potential” in any definition of the gifted. The children we work with have had little time to display concrete accomplishments which cause them to stand out from their peers. In fact, many have yet to take standardized tests, which are frequently used to identify gifted individuals. We, therefore, favor definitions or identification procedures which stress observation of exceptional ability or interest.

According to the Virginia Plan for the Gifted, by which gifted programs in Virginia will be guided, a child may give evidence of high performance capability in one or more of the following six areas:

1. General Intellectual Ability. Minus the educational jargon, these