Keywords

Alternative Identification Criteria, Gifted Identification, Educational Policy Interpretation, Underrepresentation in Gifted Education, Lower-Socioeconomic Backgrounds, Sensemaking Theory, School Counselors, School Psychologist, Decision-making in Education

Subject Categories

Educational Leadership | Educational Psychology | Gifted Education

Abstract

Persistent underrepresentation of students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds in Gifted education reflects long-standing structural inequities embedded in identification policies and practices. In response, many Florida school districts have adopted equity-oriented identification reforms, including universal screening, local norms, and multiple-measure approaches. However, policy equity does not automatically translate into equitable outcomes; rather, it is mediated through the interpretive work of school-based practitioners. Guided by Sensemaking Theory, this convergent mixed-methods study examines how school counselors and school psychologists construct meaning around alternative Gifted identification criteria and how their beliefs, professional judgment, and organizational contexts shape implementation. The study explores how practitioners interpret policy expectations, respond to ambiguity, and exercise discretion in identification decisions. Findings reveal Gifted identification for students from lower-SES backgrounds emerges as a product of individualized yet contextually bounded sensemaking processes that, while adaptive, contribute to rater variability and the reproduction of inequitable outcomes. This study highlights critical gaps between policy intent and enactment and underscores the need for organizational structures, professional learning, and policy supports that promote more transparent, reflective, and equity-centered sensemaking in efforts to expand access to Gifted education.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Gillian Eriksson

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Download

Share

COinS
 

Accessibility Statement

This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.