Running head: IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children: Literature Review and Individual Study

Amy Zimmermann
St. Bonaventure University

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

1. Introduction to literacy/communication issue

a. The problem
Approximately six to ten percent of students in the United States are gifted. This means
that of the approximately 3.7 million students entering public kindergarten this year (National
Center for Education Statistics, 2015) 222,000 to 370,000 will be gifted and talented. This is a
population of students that goes largely underserved. Children entering kindergarten are often
not classified as being gifted, they do not receive the services required to develop their
exceptional abilities, and as a consequence, are stunted in their growth as gifted and talented
learners.
b. The student
Kevin is a gifted four year old boy. He has just entered kindergarten this September,
2015 at Union Pleasant Elementary School in Hamburg, NY. Based on data collected from the
2013-2014 school year (New York State Education Department, 2015), Union Pleasant has 97
kindergarten students with an average of 22 students per kindergarten classroom. In 2014, the
elementary school was above the state wide average with 46% of its third grade students scoring
a 3 or 4 on the Grade Three English Language Arts State Exam.
Kevin lives in Hamburg, NY with his mother, father, and four siblings. His family is
upper-middle class, white, native English speakers. While Kevin attends kindergarten, his three
older siblings are homeschooled by his parents. He is therefore in a unique position in that his
mother and father are knowledgeable of school curriculum and they have experience teaching to
the needs of his immediate family members. He was well supported in his preschool program

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

through supplemental materials selected by his mother to enrich his curriculum. He enjoys
spending time with his family, working on jigsaw puzzles, reading, and skiing.
Kevin is currently working his way through the Nate the Great series by Marjorie
Weinman Sharmat. These books range in reading level from grade 2.1 to 2.9. He reads the
books independently and can answer a range of comprehension questions from knowledge to
evaluation with accuracy. Kevin is inquisitive of the world around him and is a quick learner.
He communicates clearly with peers and adults using vocabulary that would be expected of an
older child. His mother is concerned that if Kevin doesnt get proper support in his kindergarten
classroom, his gifts and talents will begin to deteriorate.
2. Literature Review
Identification of Gifted Young Children
Definitions of Giftedness
There are several definitions of giftedness derived from various reputable sources. The
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) defines gifted individuals as Those who
demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains. Domains
include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system and/or set of sensorimotor
skills. The federal definition of gifted and talented in regard to students, children, or youth
applies to individuals who give evidence of high achievement capability in such areas as
intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who
need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those
capabilities." Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2015) defines one who is gifted as having great
natural ability and each state (with the exception of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and South

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Dakota) has their own, unique definition of giftedness (National Association for Gifted Children,
2015). Although they do contain similar themes, one can see how classifying a gifted student
based on definition alone may be an elusive task.
The first step in helping children of the gifted and talented population is to
identify their giftedness. Once identified, teachers and parents can take appropriate steps to
match the child with a program that will support and develop his or her unique gifts.
Identification will lead to better understanding of the students strengths and weaknesses, create a
baseline to move from, provide a concrete record of student data, and bring attention to the needs
of individual gifted and talented children.
Identification of Young Gifted Children
According to McGee and Hughes (2011), teachers in the early grades only identify about
2% of the actual gifted population. In order to correct this, teachers and parents must be
educated on the definitions and characteristics of young gifted children. By looking for
asynchronous development and emphasizing potential over performance, parents and teachers
may be able to more accurately identify young gifted learners (Walsh, Hodge, Bowes, & Kemp,
2010, p. 45).
Parents should be used as a resource when indentifying young children as gifted learners.
In one study, 95% of children who were identified as being gifted by a parent through the use of
a checklist assessment were determined to be gifted in at least one area (Fraley, 2002, p.5).
Parents have intimate knowledge of their childs growth and development and with the help of a
knowledgeable source, can evaluate their child based on lists of research-based, typical
characteristics of gifted and talented young people.

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

There are several behaviors and characteristics that one can look for when attempting to
identify a child as gifted and talented. Joan Smutny (2000) created a list of these behaviors and
characteristics to act as a guideline.
The child may (1) have a long attention span for activities that interest him or her; (2)
work independently and use initiative; (3) love books and reading activities; (4) be
extremely curious about many things; (5) raise insightful questions about abstract ideas
like love and justice; (6) discuss and elaborate on ideas in complex, unusual ways; (7) be
very interested in cause-effect relationships; (8) love playing with number concepts and
figuring out how to solve math problems in unique ways; (9) learn quickly and apply
knowledge to new contexts with ease; (10) have a vivid imagination and an ability to
improvise games or toys from commonplace materials; (11) be extremely creative; (12)
have a spontaneous and whimsical sense of humor; (13) like to play with words; (14) be
often singing, moving rhythmically, or using mime in self-expression; (15) be responsive
to music and can improvise with easily memorized tunes, rhythms, or sounds; (16) be a
leader in organizing games and resolving disputes; (17) be sensitive to the feelings of
others; (18) express concern about world problems; and (19) have a high intuitive gift and
a willingness to follow "hunches."
Dr. Smutny concludes her list by saying that you can "expand, exchange, or delete any number of
items to adapt the list to the unique strengths, interests, and needs of your student population" (p.
34). Characteristic can written in checklist format for parents and educators to reference and
take notes upon in the beginning stages of identification.

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

These characteristics can be applied in the general classroom or to specific subject areas.
In this case, giftedness in literacy is the primary focus. Using the list above, teachers and parents
can study a gifted students attitude towards literacy and behaviors in a literacy environment.
When speaking of giftedness specifically in terms of academic talent, indications of
giftedness include students who achieve high grades, who score very well on tests, and who
demonstrate high ability in academic pursuits (Tuttle & Becker, 1980, p.27). According to one
definition, gifted children are those showing sustained evidence of advanced capability relative
to their peers in general academic skills and/or in more specific domains (music, art, science,
etc.) to the extent that they need differentiated educational programming (Sankar-DeLeeuw,
2002, p. 174). Therefore, it is reasonable to assess a students literacy ability and compare it to
those of their peers. A student in the top 10% or rarer, may be considered gifted (NAGC, 2015).
3. Intervention
a. Performance of the child prior to the intervention
Because Kevin is just entering kindergarten, he does not have a detailed student profile of
his literary strengths and weaknesses. He did attend a preschool program, but his parents did not
receive any helpful records indicating performance levels for this project. His parents are aware
that he is gifted, but they do not know where he falls on the spectrum of child development.
Much of his learning has been self-motivated with his mother supporting his learning through
enriching curriculum.
b. Description of the intervention
i. Narration

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

I met with Kevin in his home on September 4th, 2014. I came equipped with assessment
tools to evaluate his literacy levels. I also brought a checklist for his parents to fill out which
outlined several characteristics of gifted kindergarten students. I sat down with Kevin and
explained my expectations of him and why I was completing an assessment of his skills. He was
excited to participate. He asked a few questions for clarification and followed my directions
well. He was interested in his results, but did not act overly pleased with correct responses or
disappointed by incorrect responses. Kevin stopped a few times to make connections as we
worked. The intervention lasted about 45 minutes. Kevin wanted to keep working, but I had
exhausted the resources that I brought. I told him I would bring more next time I saw him and
that he was free to play with his siblings. He thanked me and ran from the room
I then sat down with Kevins parents to talk about the intervention and to have them
complete a characteristics checklist. They were pleased with my evaluation of him and were
quick to finish the checklist.
ii. Justification of intervention
I choose developmentally appropriate materials for a kindergarten student and did an
initial assessment for Kevin. Based on data collection from the U.S. Department of Education, I
chose to assess letter recognition, beginning sounds, ending sounds, sight words, and words in
context to see how Kevin compared to other first-time kindergarteners. I also used a
characteristic checklist for kindergarten students created by the Coordinator for the Gifted for
Dade County Public Schools.
In a 1998 study, the U.S. Department of Education created a profile of first time
kindergarteners based on a variety of behaviors and skills. Reading skills of entering

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

kindergarteners were assessed and graphed (please see Appendix A). It was found that a
majority of the students can recognize letters of the alphabet by name (66 percent). The reading
skills possessed by most first time kindergarteners stopped here. The average entering
kindergartner cannot pick out beginning or ending sounds, read basic sight words, or read more
complex words in the context of a sentence (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, 2001, p. 5).
Because it is helpful to look at other behaviors and characteristics of gifted children, I
completed a gifted checklist with the help of Kevins parents. Almost all behaviors and
characteristics on the list could be attributed to Kevin as well.
iii. Data collected
After assessing Kevin on these skills, I found that he is well above the average
kindergartener in terms of reading skills. Like most kindergarteners Kevin was able to recognize
the upper and lower case letters of the alphabet (52 letters, 100% accuracy). He isolated initial
phonemes of ten single syllabic words with 100% accuracy and isolated ending phonemes of ten
single syllabic words with 90% accuracy. Kevin read 220 sight words (levels pre-primer to third
grade) with 99% accuracy. He read an unfamiliar text (Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina,
reading level: 2.9) with 95% accuracy and scored 82% on the accompanying comprehension
quiz. From these scores, it is clear to see that Kevin has exceptional abilities in the area of
literacy.
C. Outcome of the Intervention
After completing my initial assessment with Kevin, I provided his parents with the
results. His mother felt reassured in her own assessment of Kevins gifts and talents. She sought

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

my advice on including Kevins preschool teacher in a plan to accommodate his needs. I

suggested that further assessment be conducted to for a better, broader picture of Kevins
strengths and weaknesses. Because the Hamburg School District follows Common Core, I feel it
would be best to use that curriculum to determine a baseline for Kevins academic capabilities.
It is suggested though, that a variety of assessment be used to determine giftedness in children.
Standardized tests, IQ scores, teacher recommendations, peer recommendations, behavior rating
scales, transcripts, and biographical inventories are all recommended identification procedures
(Tuttle & Becker, 1980, p. 70-71). In regards to the effect and sustainability of this intervention,
it is important that Kevins parents, teachers, and administrators communicate his needs and offer
appropriate supports for his education.
Conclusion
a. Summary
In summary, large portion of the gifted population is going through school unidentified.
Identification can and should be occurring as early as kindergarten. There are a variety of
assessments available which can be utilized by parents and teachers. Proper identification can
lead to appropriate supports for students.
Kevin is on his way to being identified as gifted. His literacy skills are far and beyond
those of his peers. With continuing assessment and participation of his school, home, and
community members, Kevin may continue to develop as a gifted learner.
b. Reflection

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

It was eye-opening for me to provide this intervention for Kevin. I knew that
identification of gifted children was a complicated process, but was not aware of the number of
ways in which one could approach the issue. Because this paper was focused on literacy, I
conducted assessments based primarily on Kevins reading skills. When attempting to identify a
child as gifted though, parents and educators must approach assessment and data collection from
a variety of angles. From this process, I am more aware of the characteristics of gifted children
and will be better able to assess and indentify young gifted learners.

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Appendix A

Figure 2 - LETTER RECOGNITION: KEVIN

Upperca
se
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O

+/-*

Lowerca

+/-

+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

se
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o

+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z

+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

100%

100%

* + indicates a correct response. - indicates an incorrect response

Figure 3 - ISOLATING PHONEMES: KEVIN

Beginning Sounds
mad
/m/
rock
/r/
pet
/p/
hot
/h/
dig
/d/
fish
/f/
kite
/k/
seal
/s/
lamp
/l/
bike
/b/

+/-*
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

Ending Sounds
pick
/k/
feet
/t/
jog
/g/
had
/d/
come
/m/
ten
/n/
off
/f/
robe
/b/
move
/v/
bus
/s/

100
%

+/+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
90%

Figure 4 -SIGHT WORDS: KEVIN

Grade Level
pre-primer
primer
first

Accuracy
100% (40/40)
98%
(51/52)
100% (41/41)

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

second
third

100%
100%

(46/46)
(41/41)

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

References

Fraley, C. (2002). Gifted and talented primary age students: reccomendations for identification
and service. Retrieved from Idaho State Dept. of Education. Special Education Section
website: http://www.ste.state.id.us/giftedtalented/docs/GT-Primary-ageBooklet1-02.pdf
Hafenstein, N. L., & Tucker, B. (1994). Performance-based assessment: an alternative
assessment process for young gifted children. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED370994.pdf
McGee, C. D., & Hughes, C. E. (2011). Identifying and supporting young gifted children.Young
Children, 66(4), 100-105. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/yc/pastissues/2011/july
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2015). Definition of gifted. Retrieved from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/gifted
National Association for Gifted Children. (2015). Definitions of giftedness. Retrieved from
http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness
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http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372
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elunch=1&attendance=1&teacherqual=1&teacherturnover=1&staffcounts=1&38ELA=1

Identification of Gifted Kindergarten Children

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Smutny, J. (2000). Characteristics of young gifted children. Gifted Child Today, 23(2), 34.
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students. National Education Association of the United States.
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barriers to catering for young gifted children in prior-to-school settings.International
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