What is a "gifted and talented" child?

I agree with most of what has been posted here. I agree that labels are not important but, that all children should be given an opportunity to learn up to their potential. That being said, I believe, simply put, "Gifted" is potential to learn, create, etc. at a level more advanced or faster than age peers. It is also my understanding that "Talented" means, potential that has been realized, where a child demonstrates precocity in a particular area.

When it comes to testing, I believe that IQ is a useful tool, but certainly does not tell the whole story. Any assessment should encompass more than an IQ and include other factors, such as teacher input, report cards, reporting from parents on behaviors at home, interactions with other students, work samples, etc. In addition, I think true enrichment tailored to a particular child is the best way to address these kids' needs. I have read stories of GT programs where children are doing puppet shows and search a word puzzles in these classes which is a slap in the face to true GT programs. I also find it disappointing that many programs provide the same instruction to all students because not all GT children learn at the same rate or in the same way.

It is encouraging to know that your brother did well even though he didn't push himself. He still obtained mostly B's and In the end his scores helped him. I just hope my younger one sees the light! It worries me when I read the statistics concerning drop out rates for kids at this level of intelligence. They are mostly boys and my own brother dropped right before his senior year ended and joined the Marines. He received his GEd in the service but never went on to college. He owns his own business now and will turn 50 next year but he could have gone another direction if he didn't choose the crowd he hung out with. His potential and income level suffered because of his choices. He ended up marrying a woman way below his intelligence level which has caused great heartache with raising a family. She is a drinker, drug user and partier and they are now in the process of a 2 year divorce proceeding. Thankfully he gained custody of the 2 boys but it will continue to be a nightmare for him and the kids. It's really sad. Kids just don't get all the ramifications that can affect their choices. Thanks for responding.

My brother in high school mainly had B's. He did, however, score in the top 2% in the nation on his SAT's. He received a 3/4 Bright Futures Scholarship. He had higher scores on both the SAT's and ACT's than the valedictorian. He has remarked to me that he wished he had pushed himself in high school. My brother had skipped 2nd grade,but he looked everyone else's age and was very tall. I personally think that he was desperate to fit in because he never really had. In high school he just played the drums a lot with different bands. Currently, he is a senior at University of West Florida. My brother never really started trying until his sophomore year in college. I doubt my brother would ever comment on this.

Your description of your brother is exactly what my 7th grade son is doing. He is a leader and very popular, unfortunately with the trouble makers that think it's cool not to do homework. Straight A's on everything he does do but doesn't hand everything in. He thinks grades don't matter at this level so I recently had conference with 2 of his teachers with my son so they could dispel this fact. Even the honors classes are boring and the other honors kids are nerds he says. When he was in the early grades he had a special curriculum for him and one other student but at this age he doesn't want anything different from his peers that will make him stand out. I'm curious how your brother did in high school. He says he wants to do honors classes and go to college but it will be the exact same students at the high school level unfortunately. They will be the first class when the new high school opens and no other school is attending except the same junior high kids. High school is where you meet new friends and have a new beginning and he won't have that chance. If we pull him and put him in another school, I am afraid it will backfire. It would be interesting to hear your brother comment!