Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Donna Graham

Abstract

The process of identifying talented and gifted (TAG) students in one local northeastern middle school was generally inconsistent with the state and local school district identification policies. The result was that qualified students were not always identified for this program, and this practice became a rationale to conduct a modified policy analysis of the TAG program placement procedures. The local school district policies on TAG are based on the gifted program standards of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Using the NAGC standards as the conceptual framework, the implementation of district policies on identification of students into the TAG program were explored in this case study of one school. The purpose was to clarify the implementation of the TAG program processes in accordance with NAGC standards and state policy. Data were collected from multiple sources through interviews with guidance counselors, teachers, the data coach, and local middle school administrators who were involved in placement of TAG students, and from review of policy documents and archived data. Data from interviews and document review were analyzed using typological analysis model in alignment with the NAGC standards from which themes formed a policy compliance/noncompliance basis for a white paper. In this white paper, recommendations were made to the local district that included screening consistency for all students, using multiple measures for qualification, and assuring certification of testing personnel. Social change implications include the potential to improve TAG identification policy for those responsible in this district and other similar districts for placement consistent with state and NAGC standards.

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