Definitions Commonly Used with Identification for Gifted Services

Term	Definition
Norm Referenced Tests	Standardized tests designed to measure how a student’s performance compares with that of other students.
Achievement Test	A test that attempts to quantify the test-taker’s performance in a particular academic area. They measure a broad range of accomplishment and knowledge in specific academic content areas (Broderson, et al., 2018, P. 107)
Case Study	Student data across multiple sources of information representing various areas. They provide a deeper understanding of a student’s particular strengths, interests, abilities, motivation, and learner profile. (Moon, 2018, p. 124)
Construct	A working hypothesis or concept. For example, “The unconscious was a construct that came from the daily effort to understand patients.”
Continuum	Sequence of time
Domain	A sphere of knowledge.
Formative Assessment	Assessments that collect student data for the purpose of evaluating student growth and guiding future instruction to meet the needs of learners. Referred to as “low stakes” testing. (Azano, et al., 2018).
Holistic	Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.
Mean	A value that lies in the middle of a range of values.
Norming Sample	The selected group used for comparison on standardized tests. National samples are compared with students from across the country.
Percentiles	A percentage of a sample that scores at or below another student. For example, when a student earns a score of 86th percentile, 86% of the sample scored at or below that student. (Callahan, et. all, 2018, p. 91)
Portfolio	A collection of student work chosen to exemplify and document a student’s learning progress over time.
Standard Scores	Scores from standardized testing that represents a student’s relative standing. Standard scores represent how far a student’s score falls above or below the mean. (Callahan, et. all, 2018, p. 91)
Regression to the Mean	A statistical phenomenon stating that data that is extremely higher or lower than the mean will likely be closer to the mean if it is measured a second time. In terms of testing, this means if a student has a score that is exceptionally high or low on an instrument, they are not likely to earn a score at the same level on the same test or another test. (Callahan, et. all, 2018, p. 91)
Reliability	A measure of the degree to which one might expect a student’s score to vary if he or she took a test again. It is the measure of the stability of a test score. (Callahan, et. all, 2018, p. 91)
Summative Assessment	Assessments that evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. Referred to as “high stakes” testing. (Ex. Mid-term, SOL, etc.)
Standardized Tests	Tests administered and scored under uniform (standardized) conditions.
Validity	A valid test can be documented to measure what it claims to measure. The scores from the instrument have evidence that the scores serve the purpose for which they are being used. (Callahan, et. all, 2018, p. 91)

References

Azano, A., Misset, T., Tackett, M., and Callahan, C. (2018). The Clear Curriculum. In C. M. Callahan & H. L. Hertberg-Davis (Eds.), Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives. (2nd ed. pp. 279-292). Routledge.

Brodersen, A., Brunner, M., Missett, T. (2018). Traditional Identification Instruments. In C. M. Callahan & H. L. Hertberg-Davis (Eds.), Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives. (2nd ed. pp. 279-292). Routledge.

Callahan, C., Renzulli, J., Delcourt, M., Hertberg-Davis, H. (2018). Identification Of Gifted and Talented Students. In C. M. Callahan & H. L. Hertberg-Davis (Eds.), Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives. (2nd ed. pp. 279-292). Routledge.

Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construct

Moon, T. (2018). Uses and Misuses in Identifying Gifted Students: Considerations for Better Practice. In C. M. Callahan & H. L. Hertberg-Davis (Eds.), Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives. (2nd ed. pp. 279-292). Routledge.

Virginia Department of Education. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/glossaries/index.shtml