An effective identification process for gifted African American students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the identification process for gifted African American students in three public school districts and identify components of an effective identification process based upon recommendations from field-based practitioners. This integrative study used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate and answer the three major research questions: (1) What do field-based practitioners believe the components of an effective identification process are for gifted African American students? (2) Are the current practices of the identification process for gifted African American students supported by the field-based practitioners? and (3) Do field-based practitioners believe the current identification process for gifted African American students is valid?; The procedure employed in obtaining the data included one-on-one interviews with three gifted curriculum coordinators and a three-part survey given to gifted specialists in three different school districts in the Saint Louis County area. The surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics through frequencies and means along with descriptive words. Patterns and themes were sought to examine the field-based practitioners' beliefs of what an effective identification process would be for gifted African American students and whether or not the school districts' practices of identifying giftedness in African American students was supported and/or upheld by the field-based practitioners.; Analysis of the data led to the conclusion that there are specific qualities or criteria that will help improve the identification process for gifted African American students. Also, the current practices of the identification process are upheld, but not supported by the majority of field-based practitioners.