Principles+MOE

=Principles of identification = (Moltzen, Riley & McAlpine, 2000)

Identification should begin early
Identification should begin early - during early childhood or at least during the junior classes at primary school. Because of the developing nature of young children's abilities and interests, teachers should be cautious of any 'labelling' at this stage but rather should offer interesting and challenging educational experiences through a responsive learning environment.

Need communication between parents, teachers students etc
There should be open communication between parents/caregivers, students, teachers, the principal, and the Board of Trustees over the identification process.

Identification should be on going
Identification should be a continuous process. Students' interests, abilities, and personalities are constantly changing, so teachers need to be alert to emerging abilities and talents. A responsive learning environment that offers challenging experiences is in itself a catalyst for the identification of new abilities.

Can not spend all your time on this
Identification should be a means to an end and not an end in itself. It is counterproductive to spend long periods of time trying to identify the 'right' child for a particular programme at the expense of time spent on developing appropriate programmes for a wider group of students.

Identification should be unobtrusive
 Identification should be as unobtrusive as possible and a natural part of the student's learning environment. Large 'big bang' identification programmes with a battery of tests administered by outside experts are seldom necessary or appropriate.

Collaboration is important
Using a team approach, where a number of teachers co-ordinate the identification programme on a school-wide basis, is an effective strategy. Teachers may also obtain input from others, such as parents and representatives from the child's whānau and iwi.

Need to be aware of hidden gifted and under represented groups
 Identification programmes should be alert to the hidden gifted or under-represented groups. These include:
 * minority groups
 * different ethnic group
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">those for whom English is a second language
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">underachievers
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">those with learning, sensory, and physical disabilities
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">those from lower socio-economic groups.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Multiple methods are needed
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> A multi-method approach, which co-ordinates different methods of identification for students with special abilities in a particular domain (for example, creativity) should be used. Identification should not depend on just one method alone but employ a variety of different approaches.