Screening and identifying gifted/talented students in the visual arts with Clark's drawing abilities test

Abstract

There are a number of problems about identification procedures generally used in arts programs for gifted/talented students and specific problems with identification of gifted/talented students in the visual arts. Part of these problems are procedural, some are attitudinal. This article outlines several years of research conducted at Indiana University (IU) that has been designed to alleviate or circumvent these problems. The major thrust of this research has been design and testing of anew achievement‐type test in the visual arts, Clark's Drawing Abilities Test (CDAT). This research has led to development of the new instrument and of a standardized Scoring Criteria Scale used to score the instrument. The CDAT has been used in a series of field testing situations and specifically with students entering the Indiana University Summer Arts Institute. Findings from field tests and use of the instrument with IU Summer Arts Institute students are discussed and their implications for more efficient and effective identification of artistically gifted/talented students in the visual arts are reported.