ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the usefulness of rating scales as one measure to identify students who need gifted and talented services. When used to make placement decisions, rating scales should be based on observations of behaviors, rather than vague descriptions of characteristics. An advantage of using rating scales is that they allow educators to combine many observations of students’ behavior in an efficient way. Further, information derived from rating scales complement achievement or aptitude measures because the information gathered is based on observations in the school or home setting, which make it possible to identify talent from multiple perspectives. Also discussed is how to combine and interpret achievement or aptitude measures with rating scales. Because using rating scales for placement purposes can prove to be challenging, including rater manipulation of responses, ways to use these tools ethically and transparently are discussed.
