Colorado school districts are closing the gap in programs for gifted students

Roughly a decade after Colorado schools began using universal testing to identify gifted students, white students and students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds still make up the vast majority of students in gifted programs.

That’s why educators are taking new steps to ensure that students who have long been underrepresented in gifted programs across the country, including students of color, English language learners and students from lower-income families, are better represented.

Districts and organizations are now turning to new data analysis, looking at multiple tests and training teachers to identify behaviors that might indicate high ability among students of different cultures.