Statistical
information from Guiding the Gifted Child, 2002.
§
The mean, or average, IQ is 100. Standard deviations,
in most cases, are 15 points.
§
The majority of the population, 68.26%, falls within
one standard deviation of the mean (IQ 85-115).
This is the intellectual ability range addressed by the standard school
age/grade-based curriculum.
§
13.59% of the population is between the first and second standard
deviation below the mean (IQ 70-85), and 13.59% is between the first and second
standard deviation above the mean (IQ 115-130).
Students on both sides of the curve
require a modification to the curriculum from that provided to mainstream
students to address their needs.
§
2.14% of the population is between the second and third standard
deviation below the mean (IQ 55-70), and 2.14% is between the second and third standard
deviation above the mean (IQ 130-145).
These exceptional students on both
sides of the curve require an individualized curriculum to address their
individual needs.
§
0.13% of the population is more than three standard
deviations below the mean (IQ <55), and 0.13% of the population is more
than three standard deviations above the mean (IQ 145-160). Thus, 13 out of 10,000 individuals score above 145 and are considered profoundly gifted.
These students on both sides of the
curve are very exceptional and require individualized accommodations to
address their needs.
§
Approximately, one out of 30,000 individuals (.003%) is more than
four standard deviations above the mean (IQ >160).
These students with an IQ of 160
and above require extremely exceptional educational accommodations to meet
their needs.
Policies
& Practices
§
For students below the average range, educational
accommodations are mandated at the federal and state levels. Twenty cents
of every education dollar funds special education. See the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) http://idea.ed.gov/
and the U.S. Department of Education Budget www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/news.html?exp=0
§
For students with intellectual abilities above
the average range and into the extreme end of the intellectual continuum,
there is no federal mandate for educational accommodations and no federal
funds budgeted.
States and districts that do provide educational accommodations for gifted
students seldom recognize the wide spectrum of abilities within the various
standard deviations. See
State Gifted Education Policies:
www.DavidsonGifted.org/DB/,
click on the map and select a state. Also, the U.S. Department of Education
Budget can be found at www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/news.html?exp=0
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