ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses in detail a variety of common pitfalls in the procedures commonly used during attempts to identify students with gifts and talents. It explores five common areas for mistakes and dispel some commonly held misconceptions related to the gifted identification process. Many gifted education systems focus on five general areas: general intellectual, specific academic, creativity, leadership, and visual and performing arts. Awareness of available offerings and instructional strengths of the curriculum can also be used to inform discussions of what advanced academic programming might be most appropriate in a given setting, to build upon the resources and personnel already present in the system, this can lead to consideration and development of a locally appropriate definition of advanced academics or giftedness, which leads in turn to the selection of appropriate identification measures where such are warranted. Thus, with awareness of the potential pitfalls kept clearly in mind, an effective system of advanced academics can begin to be developed.
