Many researchers suggest the use of teacher rating scales as one way to help identify gifted and talented students. The use of reliable and valid teacher rating instruments and scales can aid teacher nomination and may result in the inclusion of more students in gifted and talented programs. Only a handful of teacher rating instruments have been developed for rating the characteristics of high-ability students, and only a few studies have investigated the technical aspects of most scales. Several researchers have investigated the effectiveness of teacher ratings of students for gifted programs and results collectively suggest that when specific rating criteria are used, teachers can and do identify gifted and talented students in their classrooms. Other studies have examined the construct validity or criterion-related validity ...