Through the use of universal screenings, schools have discovered a deeper pool of gifted students from populations like English learners, those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and those whose parents didn’t know how to advocate for them. They’ve also noted “twice exceptional” students whose challenges, such as dyslexia, might have masked other talents under a more cursory approach.
In another approach, educators instituted universal screening and moved beyond a one-time test to demarcate who was gifted, taken in 2nd grade, to a “Stretch or Support” strengths-based model to build critical thinking skills and a reevaluation in 4th grade. In one case, that shift that has roughly tripled number of students identified for advanced learning services in the past two years.
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