The “Invisible” Gifted and Talented Bilingual Students

The issue of underrepresentation in gifted and talented (GT) programs has developed into a critical educational concern. At the core are ambiguous identification assessment practices, especially for bilingual students. To illustrate, this article reports data from the last decade that supports the underrepresentation of gifted Hispanic bilingual students in school GT programs. To rectify this situation, schools will need more than simple adjustments to current school policies and procedures. The restructuring of the GT program calls for a strong focus on educating and informing teachers, parents, and the community about the characteristics and identification process of gifted bilingual students.