What does "gifted" mean?

For over a century, researchers, scientists, and educators have been trying to define the term gifted. Historically, giftedness has been closely linked with the concept of genius. This association began around the turn of the century when psychologists developed tests that were designed to measure intelligence; people who scored low on the tests were considered retarded and those who scored high were geniuses. It is important to note that the original intelligence tests were developed to identify mentally handicapped students, not the gifted.

The use of intelligence tests as the single measure of giftedness has been greatly criticized in recent years primarily because the tests are often biased. Also, many researchers and educators have come to believe that giftedness is more than high intellectual ability; it may also include, among other things, creativity, memory, motivation, physical dexterity, leadership and sensitivity to the arts.