Comparison of the performance of gifted students identified through either the psychometric approach or the multiple criteria approach

The purpose of this project was to compare the performance of students identified for the gifted program through the psychometric approach to the performance of students identified for the gifted program through the multiple criteria approach. In addition, the researcher wanted to determine if either method, the psychometric approach or the multiple criteria approach, was more prevalent, and if there were any patterns of qualification among the students who qualified for the gifted program through the multiple criteria approach. The performance of each group of students on the various subtests of Georgia's Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) was compared. Results showed that students in the psychometrically identified group had significantly higher performance in the area of math than students in the group identified through the use of multiple criteria. Although performance differences were found in the other subtests (reading, English/language arts, science, and social studies), no other results were statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of students identified through each of the two approaches, although there were statistically significant patterns of qualification: within the multiple criteria group, significantly more students qualified using the combination of achievement, creativity, and motivation than any other possible combination.