Early Identification of Gifted Minority Kindergarten Students in Newark, NJ

The overall objective of the "Minority Gifted Children" project is to promote the cognitive and educational development of kindergarten through second grade economically disadvantaged minority gifted children from Newark, New Jersey. Prior to the inception of this project, no Newark public schools provided gifted services for kindergarten students, and the programs for first and second graders were serving a disproportionately small number of children. The current report presents data on a screening and assessment procedure being developed to identify gifted inner city minority kindergarten students. Before the project began, only 0.2% of children entering first grade were identified as gifted, in contrast to the 2% found in this sample. The method of identification used in this project appears to hold promise as a relatively cost efficient method of finding young minority children who are gifted in cognitive skill areas. This work indicates that young inner city minority gifted children exist. Therefore, it is imperative that educational programs be provided to nurture potential excellence and achievement in this population.