Chapter One An Introduction to the Topic of Cultural Diversity - NAGC

programs, curricula, counseling, and evaluation particularly in the CLED population
(Menendez, 1995; Zamora-Duran & Artiles, 1997).
Assessments used to identify gifted and talented students may represent a clash
between cultures in which the mainstream culture is unable to recognize or
underestimates the abilities of CLED students. Some researchers believe that tests do not
measure scholastic achievement, but rather measure a student's achievement based on the
cultural standards used to develop the test (Ford, Grantham, & Harris, 1996). The
problems surrounding identification of students' gifts and talents have less to do with the
student and more with "the system." This dilemma is compounded when the students'
culture and primary language differ from the norm (Castellano & Diaz, 2001). Children
who use a dialect or non-standard English are often prejudged about their abilities,
directly affecting their instructional group assignment (Frasier et al., 1995).
The aptitude of CLED students may be underestimated by IQ tests (Callahan et
al., 1995). Standardized tests should be carefully examined and scrutinized to take into
account socioeconomic status and culture, as economic status correlates more closely
with intelligence measures than does ethnicity (Martinson, 1972). Reframing beliefs from
the use of tests providing all the answers to assessment embedded in instruction will help
educators to become talent developers (Callahan & Hiatt, 1998).
The report, National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent (Ross,
1993) broadened the definition of giftedness to include high potential and suggested the
existence of a national responsibility to meet the needs of gifted students as well as those
who display potential of giftedness. Even with this more inclusive definition, some
educators continue to hold a more traditional view of giftedness and believe a correlation
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