Imagine Knowing How to Recognize Giftedness Beyond the Stereotypes...

You can learn what to look for.

Imagine

…recognizing giftedness beyond the familiar stereotypes, including in students who may be overlooked.

…understanding what different identification measures can tell you and why no single measure tells the whole story.

…looking at student data with a better understanding of local and national norms, bias, and underrepresentation.

…using multiple measures to build a fuller, more accurate picture of a student’s abilities and potential.

…feeling more confident when you’re asked to look at the evidence and make an identification decision.

You're just two hours away from making this your reality.

Does this sound familiar?

THE “OBVIOUS” STUDENT: A student earns top grades, follows every direction, and seems like an obvious choice for gifted services. But does high achievement always mean giftedness?
THE OVERLOOKED STUDENT: Something tells you a student has exceptional ability, but their grades, behavior, language, or background make that ability harder to recognize.
THE CONFLICTING DATA: One measure says yes. Another says no. You’re left wondering which results should carry the most weight.
THE CUTOFF QUESTION: A student misses an identification score by a point or two. How much confidence should you place in a single number?
THE TOUGH DECISION: You have test scores, teacher observations, student work, and other evidence in front of you, but you’re still wondering: Does this student demonstrate genuine cognitive giftedness?

There's a course for you

What if you could feel more confident about who gets identified for gifted services and why?

Learn how to look beyond stereotypes, understand the evidence, and make more informed identification decisions.

Understand the characteristics of cognitive giftedness and recognize students whose abilities may not show up in the ways you expect.

Learn what common identification measures can tell you, how norms matter, and why multiple measures create a fuller picture.

Apply what you’ve learned to realistic student profiles and practice weighing multiple pieces of evidence to make identification decisions.

Kind words from current students.

There are so many PDs where my eyes glaze over within the first 10 minutes, but what you’re doing is the exact opposite. It is so rare that I am willing to do a PD on my own time and be excited about it. I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the amazing resources and for reminding me that there is so much out there that I can still learn. I never want to be the teacher that just does the same thing over and over again. Thank you for making my job easier and more enjoyable.

I wanted to shout out that the PD was refreshingly worthy of my time and further review…I will be implementing some practices to better serve my students. Also, I will be applying what I learned within my Science National Board Certification next school year. The workshop gave me a different focus in my lens of pedagogical practices and giving great ideas to best serve.

I am 1/4th of the way through the course, and I can honestly say that this information makes me feel as if I learned very little in four years of college. (I know that is not true, but this information is GREAT and seems incredibly applicable).

introducing...

Identification & Assessment of Gifted Learners

This Identification & Assessment course is a practical, two-hour professional development experience designed to help educators recognize genuine cognitive giftedness, understand commonly used identification measures, and make more informed decisions using multiple sources of evidence.

Here's what's included:

Group Coaching

You’ll get access to monthly livestreamed office hours where you can ask questions or get personal help.

Lifetime Access

The course is an asynchronous video course. You’ll have access to the course for the lifetime of the course! Watch again anytime!

Course Guide

You’ll get an amazing course guide full of great information and access to downloads and resources (including a case study application!).

here's your sneak peek...

Let's look inside the course!

The course includes eight focused lessons, a hands-on case study, and an assessment that leads to a certificate for two hours of professional development credit. Let’s take a look at what you’ll learn!

LESSON ONE

What is giftedness?

Start by exploring what giftedness really means and why it can be so difficult to define and recognize. You’ll examine cognitive giftedness, consider the difference between gifts and talents, and begin separating genuine indicators of giftedness from the stereotypes that can influence identification.

LESSON TWO

Recognizing Giftedness

Explore the characteristics that can signal cognitive giftedness, including some that are easy to overlook or misunderstand. You’ll learn to look beyond the familiar image of the high-achieving, compliant student and recognize the many ways giftedness can present itself.

LESSON THREE

Confounding Factors

Examine how gender, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors can influence who is referred and identified for gifted services. You’ll consider common sources of bias and ways to make the identification process more equitable.

LESSON FOUR

Understanding the Measures

Get acquainted with the tools commonly used to identify gifted learners and what different measures are designed to tell us. You’ll explore the role of ability and achievement testing and why understanding the purpose of a measure matters when interpreting results.

LESSON FIVE

Making Sense of the Scores

Dig deeper into the numbers behind identification decisions. You’ll explore local and national norms, consider what scores actually mean, and learn why a single cutoff score rarely tells the whole story.

LESSON SIX

Using Multiple Measures

Learn how multiple sources of evidence can work together to create a more complete picture of a student. You’ll consider the strengths and limitations of different measures and how to weigh evidence when the data don’t all point in the same direction.

LESSON SEVEN

Putting It All Together

Bring the pieces of the identification process together. You’ll consider how characteristics, assessment data, observations, and other evidence can inform thoughtful decisions about whether a student demonstrates genuine cognitive giftedness.

LESSON EIGHT

The Case Study

Now it’s your turn to apply what you’ve learned. You’ll examine three student profiles, compare multiple pieces of evidence, and make identification decisions using the same kinds of questions and considerations explored throughout the course.

The quality you're used to

As someone who’s spent years in the classroom, I know how challenging it can be to meet the unique social and emotional needs of gifted students.

That’s why I created this course—to give you practical, actionable strategies that really work.

And just so I'm clear...
(Because I don't believe in wasting your time)

You're in the right place if:

You want to understand what cognitive giftedness can look like and become better at recognizing students who may not fit common stereotypes.
You want to better understand identification measures, scores, and norms so you can interpret the information used in gifted identification.
You want to make more informed and equitable identification decisions by considering multiple measures, potential bias, and the whole picture of a student.

You're in the wrong place if:

You’re looking for a simple checklist that will tell you exactly who is and isn’t gifted without considering multiple sources of evidence.
You’re looking for training on administering or scoring a specific gifted assessment instrument.
You’re looking for a course that provides one universal identification formula or cutoff to use with every student.

I'm Lisa Van Gemert

I know first hand how difficult it can be to find quality professional development that is actionable.

It’s no secret that I have provided professional development to over 50,000 teachers.

What makes my PD different is that it’s real. The strategies are ones I’ve used in a real classroom with my real students.

I also have to have 150 hours of PD every 5 years to renew my own teaching certification, so I want PD to be amazing.

I’ve created my PD courses for teachers just like you who want to create great classrooms through the power of great PD.

frequently asked questions

You've got Q's? I've got A's.

Here are some of the questions I get asked a lot (and the answers!).

How long does it take to complete the course

The course is two hours. That includes the time it takes to watch the videos, complete the case study, and take the assessment.

How do I get a certificate?

After you take the assessment and score an 85% or higher, a certificate will be emailed to you.

What if I don't pass the assessment?

You can review the parts that you didn’t remember well and take it again!

Are there discounts?

Yes, if you need 5 or more licenses, there is a group discount price. There is also special pricing for school districts.

Are there refunds?

Because you have instant access to all of the material, refunds are only given for accidental duplicate purchases.

Can I use the course to present PD myself?

Special licenses are available for this. Purchasing the course allows access for one teacher’s personal use.

the course is waiting for you...

Joining the course is easy!

You get all this for just

$29

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