Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Preferred Name
Madyson McRay
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9943-5400
Date of Graduation
5-15-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Publish
yes
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Early, Elementary and Reading Education
First Advisor
Alexa Quinn
Abstract
Gifted education has been a part of our education system for over a century, and yet there continue to be ways we can work to improve the system to benefit all students. One way education professionals can achieve this is by implementing identification systems that cater to students of all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities. This study aims to highlight and suggest solutions school districts across the nation, as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia, can implement to make the gifted identification process more inclusive to all students. A comprehensive literature review of national and state data regarding current demographics of identified gifted students includes statistics about identification rates and percentages of students in gifted education to provide background information. Interviews have been conducted to examine specific school districts in Virginia and investigate how they work to make gifted education more accessible to all students.
Information about each method learned about through these interviews is highlighted with data about the demographics of involved students as well as the different identification and instructional methods used to involve students in gifted education. With these results, more school systems may be able to identify, evaluate, and implement new strategies for gifted identification and instruction to create a more inclusive gifted education environment. These findings also aim to provide practical recommendations for school systems who may be seeking to improve their gifted education systems. Through sharing these findings, this research will contribute ideas that seek to assist with improving gifted education standards to help all students reach their full potential.
Included in
Accessibility Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Gifted Education Commons
