ABSTRACT
Thinking about the research noted, educators and parents must be careful about throwing around the gifted and talented (GT) label. The GT policies in many school districts contribute to a fixed mindset mentality. Perhaps when a student reaches the stage of eminence or when the child is an outlier within his age peer group and his instructional needs are so far beyond what is typically available that a very different instructional setting is needed, then the gifted label may be applied. In a 2011 interview with University of California at Berkeley researcher, Frank Worrell, he described giftedness as something that is “rare or uncommon.” An adolescent would need to produce critically acclaimed poetry to be considered gifted. Similarly, a student beginning an undergraduate degree at age 13 may be considered gifted whereas an 18-year-old beginning a college degree is not considered gifted.
