Equity in Access to Gifted Education for Bilingual Students: An Autoethnographic Case Study

Bilingual students often have inequitable access to gifted education programs in the United States. This situation can result from inaccurate and insufficient information among professionals who administer intelligence tests as well as those who make eligibility decisions and administer gifted education programs. The purpose of this paper is to provide information that may contribute to the reversal of this climate of exclusion. Information presented intertwines with an autoethnographic case study of a seven year-old bilingual boy on the following: (a) the intersection of psychological testing and linguistic factors that can lead to inequitable access to gifted education for bilingual students, (b) literature that supports appropriate and equitable access to gifted education for bilingual students, (c) federal laws, state regulations, and school district policies and procedures governing access and equal opportunity to gifted education for bilingual students, and (d) the need for reform.