ABSTRACT
The long-held belief that giftedness was defined solely by Intelligent Quotient (IQ) was gradually replaced and even greater ideas were accepted regarding that "There is nothing inevitable about the use of the I.Q. in defining giftedness". Building on the momentum from the Marland Report and borrowing from other fields of study, scholars began to offer alternative theories as to the nature of giftedness. Additional conceptions of giftedness were introduced where developmental models were involved to incorporate greater environmental factors. Tannenbaum's Sea Star Developmental Model of Giftedness is an attempt to explain the relationship between ability and achievement. With the focus of the legislation on children reaching levels of minimum proficiency, teachers and schools concentrated their efforts on students who were struggling to attain goals of mastery. The accountability system created under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) jeopardized the educational progress of high-ability students, especially for students from low-income backgrounds, groups who lacked English language proficiency, and other underserved gifted students.
