WIDESPREAD CONTROVERSY CURRENTLY EXISTS REGARDING METHODS USED IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF GIFTED CHILDREN.

WIDESPREAD CONTROVERSY CURRENTLY EXISTS REGARDING METHODS USED IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF GIFTED CHILDREN. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT TEACHER NOMINATIONS, THE MOST WIDELY USED METHOD, FAIL ALMOST 50% OF THE TIME TO IDENTIFY THE TRULY GIFTED.THIS PROPOSAL RECOMMENDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPERT COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES ACHIEVEMENT, APTITUDE, AND PERSONALITY TESTS ALONG WITH OTHER PERTINENT DATA FOR ASSESSING CHILDREN GIFTED IN SCIENCE. USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADAPTIVE TESTING TECHNIQUES, STUDENTS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR POTENTIAL GIFTEDNESS IN SCIENCE.THE GOAL OF THE EXPERT SYSTEM WILL BE TO MODEL A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST WHO IS AN EXPERT IN GIFTED EDUCATION. A REPORT WILL BE GENERATED FOR EACH STUDENT WHO IS EVALUATED. THE REPORT OUTLINES EACH CHILD'S PROFILE AS IT RELATES TO CURRENT MODELS FOR GIFTED CHILDREN.IN THE SECOND PHASE OF THE PROJECT, A RIGOROUS FIELD TEST OF THE PROTOTYPE SYSTEM WILL BE CONDUCTED. STUDENTS IN REGIONAL SCHOOLS WILL BE SCREENED WITH THE TESTING SYSTEM. THE RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED WITH THE JUDGMENT OF EXPERTS WHO HAVE ALSO EVALUATED THE STUDENTS.THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE IMPORTANT IMPACT ON THE USE OF EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR EDUCATIONAL