I received this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. Having works in gifted education for six years now I think this book is very accurate and an easy read for teachers new to teaching gifted students. It's simple language helps teachers learn those basic traits of gifted children. I also appreciate how it lays out the different tests that can identify students as gifted.

One of the more recent focuses on gifted education, and identifying gifted children, is looking at what qualities children from diverse backgrounds portray. It's not the stereotypical "smart kid" that is most commonly thought of as gifted. I really appreciate how this book looks at special populations and helps give characteristics to look at in different areas: economically disadvantaged children, children with ADHD, children from non-English speaking homes.

A good read, a great resource for teachers teaching gifted students and a great resource for those working in gifted education departments who are choosing which intelligence tests to you to identify their gifted population. ( )

I did appreciate how concise this book was written and in pretty good laymen's terms. There was one thing that wasn't especially made clear to me by the author, which was what are the names of the classes that one takes if one places as a level one, level two, or level three? If the names of the classes that are required per administration of the test and proficiency of the instrument are listed then I can do a nationwide search and find out where to take them. It was a good introduction book, but it was incomplete with the missing number of required classes and names per being able to administer each test. ( )

http://abbiereviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/identifying-gifted-students-practical.h...
This book is a little dry because of the nature of the topic. It is very information oriented and thus reads exactly that way. So if you are looking for a book that explores this topic that is worded in common phraseology this is not for you. However, if you are willing to wade through the book it is an excellent resource. I do think that all school teachers ought to have this on their required reading list.

I see the benefit in such a book because I can see where "gifted" students could be missed. Though I have at times questioned the methodology and reasoning behind creating a Gifted and Talented Program at schools. My reason being that I home school my children and though each of the four struggle in certain areas they excel beyond their age and grade level in other areas. The problem with the "gifted" tag being attached to a student is that many others sit in classrooms, overlooked, because the public school setting is not conducive to their learning style. I have one such child - the public school would have written him off as having attention or focus problems and labeling him a problem in the classroom. He lacks motivation at school work yet can build complex things and has an analytical skills that far outreach his age. Upon having him tested at a speech therapy office and later for dyslexia it was found that his IQ is higher than most adults yet getting that displayed in worksheets and standardized testing is almost impossible. His schooling is therefor structured around his particular learning style and in such brings forth great results.

I am located in a state (Texas) that follows the "No Child Left Behind" mantra and so the schools teach to pass a test not to acquire and apply knowledge. Though children master concepts and testing strategies they are ill-equipped to apply the things they are taught nor do they truly understand them. Therefor a "gifted" program serves to only place the school into a higher achievement rating based on testing scores while truly leaving behind numerous students who in fact may be "gifted" but over-looked.

This book does an excellent job at looking at cases such as these and exploring possible ways to correct them. However, I find that this may be a difficult thing to fix as schools have become in essence an impersonal way to pass of knowledge in order to score an appropriate test level. I call this teaching to the test. My children, I believe have an advantage because through individualized testing by professionals we can identify their weak spots and supplement them while also identifying their "gifted" areas and enhancing them. Each one has a school curriculum that targets their specific learning styles and preferences giving them the ability to further develop the areas they are gifted in while bringing up the areas they struggle in. Unfortunately it would be unfair to ask this of public school teachers who are in a classroom with many children from different home environments, social classes, and so forth so on. It is a sad fact that a gifted child from a poor social economic class might be overlooked as gifted because of the lack of focus at school due to the poor home environment.

The writer of this book has presented her information well. It is a useful tool for those that are seeking to better understand the testing methods used and how to more accurately test and access possibly "gifted" students to place in special programs.

Highly recommended to the public schools. Home school parents - most of us agree that all children are gifted in some way - it is just a matter of tapping into that area and exposing it and teaching the child to develop and use it while not neglecting the areas in which they struggle. (This being done by creatively tying the two areas together).

I received this free review copy from LibraryThing.com ( )

This is not a book for the parents, and probably not for regular teachers.
It's just what it says: "a practical guide" - most likely for GATE coordinators, IEP supervisors and anybody who has not an extensive training in IQ testing.
Since it describes the latest tests, it can also double as a cheat sheet for a school psychologist.

The content is as follow:
10% of wrapping text
10% of references and resources (organized by themes)
30% of check lists - for about every type of situation (you should color code them according to the specifics of your school (example: you may use all the time / or never / page 26 list for low economic status students)
10% of numerical data handling
and 40% of systematic presentation of IQ and associated testing - with handy comparative tables.

A no-nonsense small book that should be used and worn before the year is over. (only 4 stars since I don't have the necessary background to assess the perfect accuracy and content) ( )

I recommend this book for all schools. It is a very well done guide to assess students and avoid many pitfalls: it does address problems such as social bias and poverty, describes the main tests, discusses errors in measurement. It even explains how to convert raw scores to standard scores with clarity. A desire to explain and promote fairness is obvious throughout the book. The book is condensed, but it is a great guide. As such, I heartily recommend it.
The problems I have with this are not with the book, it is with the school system.
The title got on my nerves, because I think that all students are gifted. And I base this belief on stats, not on sentimentality. With a brain able to perform thousands of different tasks, there is a very high probability that each of us is very good at at least one thing. But schools have no interest in providing students with pathways to become productive in this society: schools fend for themselves. This limitation comes right in the preface of the book, saying that gifted students "might not be selected because of their lack of interest in school." The school is a snake that eats its tail.
Furthermore, an unknown proportion of gifted students who go to special schools fail miserably in life after high school. In many case, it is because they were "exceptional" ten years old kids who become average twenty years old. Mothers know that many babies develop parts of their body in a somewhat erratic fashion; they got big feet or big ears, but they end up proportionate. Same thing with the brain: some characteristics can peak and then smooth out with puberty. It is damaging to have been told you are a genius at an age when you are easily impressed and to discover later that it is not quite true. These students often develop mental problems, and nobody cares about it.
Finally, there is a fine line between letting a gifted student be bored in class and pushing her so fast that she never makes friends her age. As good as the book is, you should use it in the best possible way, using your own little gray cells. ( )