ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces principles of assessment through a talent development lens, highlighting points of convergence with and divergence from common assessment practices used in identification for traditional gifted education programs. Pivoting from a traditional approach to gifted education to a talent development-oriented model has significant implications for how schools and organizations approach identification. D. Y. Dai and F. Chen described three competing paradigms of gifted education, including the talent development paradigm; the traditional gifted child paradigm, in which giftedness is largely general and fixed, and gifted individuals are seen as being qualitatively different from others; and the differentiation paradigm, which focuses primarily on instructional modifications within core academic domains within K–12 schools. Viewing assessment as an ongoing process, rather than as a one-time identification event, provides useful evidence for educators and school leaders to use to continuously evolve local curriculum and service models and to advocate effectively to sustain and expand talent development programming in K–12 schools.
