ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of standards in gifted education and their importance in identifying important pedagogical knowledge and skills for gifted education teachers, serving underrepresented populations, building consensus, providing consistency across schools, accountability, and advocacy. Standards may be used in a variety of ways: assessing whether or not a teacher, school, school district, or a state is implementing best practices; identifying and assessing gifted and talented student outcomes; selecting teachers and administrators of gifted education programs; designing professional learning related to the school and teacher self-assessments; evaluating programs to monitor progress toward specific evidence-based practices; and advocating for gifted education programs. Case studies are included that discuss some of their uses at the state and local levels.
