15 May 2026
San Mamés Stadium
The 1st International Congress on “Promoting the Development of High Intellectual Abilities in Inclusive Schools”, organised by the Basque Government’s Department of Education and the University of Deusto, concluded on 14 May after two days of work in which international specialists, teachers, families and researchers shared knowledge, research and experiences aimed at advancing towards a more inclusive school capable of responding to student diversity.
The closing session was attended by the Basque Government’s Deputy Minister for Educational Policy, Lucía Torrealday, and the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Sport at the University of Deusto, Isabel Rubio, who emphasised the importance of continuing to strengthen educational models capable of identifying, supporting and developing the talent of all students through educational equity and collaboration between institutions, the university and the scientific community.
High levels of early detection
The Basque Country has seen a tenfold increase in the identification of pupils with high intellectual abilities since 2019, rising from 747 identified pupils to 7,327 cases currently recorded in the Basque education system. This progress is the result of a model based on early detection, equity and a personalised educational response, and formed the focus of the opening session of the First Congress held at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao.
The event brought together some of the leading international figures in educational psychology and education, as well as families with an interest in giftedness. With 400 participants from across the country, the congress has become an internationally recognised forum for the exchange of scientific knowledge and best educational practices.
During the opening session, emphasis was placed on the educational, scientific and social value of bringing together leading international experts in this field in the Basque Country, as well as on the importance of continuing to develop an inclusive education model capable of responding to pupil diversity.
The opening ceremony was attended by Begoña Pedrosa, the Basque Government’s Minister for Education, and Javier Arellano, Vice-Rector for Research and International Relations at the University of Deusto. This was followed by the opening keynote lecture, delivered by Rena Subotnik (University of California, Berkeley).
In her address, the Minister placed this Congress within the Basque education system’s commitment to inclusive education capable of responding to pupil diversity. “For the Basque Government, supporting pupils with high intellectual abilities is an educational priority, as it forms part of every pupil’s right to receive an appropriate educational response.”
Progress in identification has helped reduce historical under-identification and provide an appropriate educational response for pupils who, in many cases, could previously have gone unnoticed. In 2019, the Basque education system had identified only 747 pupils with high intellectual abilities, just 0.2% of the school population, whereas it currently records 7,327 identified cases.
This change forms part of the Educational Support Plan for Pupils with High Intellectual Abilities, promoted since 2019 by the Education Department of the Basque Government in collaboration with the University of Deusto, with the aim of making this reality more visible, training teachers, systematising identification protocols, personalising educational responses, and building a coordinated support network between schools, families, Berritzegunes, universities and specialised services.
It was also emphasised during the opening session that there is a need to move beyond stereotypical views of high intellectual abilities and towards a broader and more diverse understanding of talent. “High intellectual abilities do not describe a single profile, nor can they be addressed through uniform responses. Behind each pupil there are different interests, motivations, ways of learning and needs,” the Minister said. The importance of research, scientific evidence and collaboration with families was also underlined as key to further progress towards a more effective model and improved support for pupils.
In this regard, the University of Deusto’s Vice-Rector for Research and International Relations, Javier Arellano, highlighted the key role of the academic institution as an agent of social transformation through research and knowledge transfer. In his address, Vice-Rector Arellano stressed that the University’s commitment to talent is not only a commitment to academic excellence, but also an ethical responsibility aimed at the full development of each individual and the building of a more inclusive and fair society.
He also highlighted the work that the Education Department of the Basque Government and the University of Deusto have been jointly developing since 2019 to improve educational provision for pupils with high intellectual abilities, as well as the professionalism and contribution of the university team dedicated to Supporting the Development of High Intellectual Abilities.
Identifying in order to respond
High intellectual abilities refer to a profile of pupils with significantly above-average potential in one or more areas, who require personalised educational support in order to fully develop their abilities. These pupils do not always fit the stereotype of high academic achievers, as they may experience frustration, lack of motivation, underachievement or socio-emotional difficulties when their needs are not adequately addressed in the school environment.
During the official opening, the importance of moving towards educational models capable of identifying these issues at an early stage was emphasised, with schools themselves providing support tailored to the needs, abilities and potential of each pupil.
Following the official opening, the conference explored the evolution of the Basque model in greater depth through the presentation “Paths taken and horizons to be reached: the education of students with high intellectual abilities”, presented by Miryam Martínez-Izaguirre, head of the Support Unit for the Development of High Intellectual Abilities at the University of Deusto, and Mikel Juaristi Izaguirre, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Basque Government’s Department of Education.
The session provided a comprehensive overview of the Basque model from a technical perspective, covering screening protocols, research findings, educational intervention models and the remaining challenges in continuing to move towards a more inclusive school capable of responding to pupil diversity.
One of the pillars of the Basque model is the SACI Strategy, a proactive system for early identification implemented in the first and sixth years of Primary Education in both state and state-subsidised schools. The model combines universal screening, scientifically validated tools and specialised teacher training, and already achieves participation rates of between 95% and 99% of pupils enrolled in the assessed year groups.
The Basque education system currently records 7,327 identified pupils with high intellectual abilities. Of these, 4,513 were identified directly through targeted screening under the SACI protocol, and a further 2,724 were identified incidentally.
The data presented during the Congress also show how the detected prevalence in the first year of Primary Education has increased from 3.11% to 4.53%, while in Secondary Education it remains at around 4%, enabling the Basque education system to gain, for the first time, a more comprehensive and accurate overview of this reality.
The strategy makes it possible to identify earlier those cases that might previously have gone unnoticed and facilitates a more tailored educational response to the needs and potential of each pupil.
Based on this identification, each school develops a personalised support plan in collaboration with Berritzegunes, the teacher support centres of the Education Department, and families.
These plans include curriculum-based provision, flexible teaching methodologies, emotional support, and personalised monitoring of pupils’ well-being and progress. The model also addresses dual exceptionality: pupils who combine high intellectual abilities with other specific educational support needs.
Another key theme highlighted during the Congress was teacher training and coordination between educational stakeholders. During the 2025–2026 academic year, more than 4,100 professionals have taken part in awareness-raising and training activities on high intellectual abilities, aimed at teachers, Berritzegune advisory services and other educational professionals.
Key future challenges include advancing early identification from Early Childhood Education, continuing to address gender and socio-economic biases, improving the identification of dual exceptionality, and ensuring coherent and sustained educational responses that prevent any talent from remaining unseen or unsupported.
The Congress also provided an opportunity to present some of the initiatives jointly promoted by the University of Deusto and the Education Department of the Basque Government, which have been collaborating since 2019 on the development of the Educational Support Plan for pupils with high intellectual abilities. One of the key initiatives is a mentoring scheme designed to support the academic, personal and emotional development of gifted secondary school pupils, as this is considered one of the most effective ways of fully developing pupils’ talents and abilities.
International figures in Bilbao
The opening keynote lecture was delivered by Rena Subotnik (University of California, Berkeley), one of the world’s most influential figures in the field of talent development. For decades, she led the Education Directorate of the American Psychological Association and is co-author of the “Talent Development Megamodel”, an internationally recognised theoretical framework in this field.
In her address, she argued that exceptional abilities can and should be developed over time through deliberate practice, guidance and appropriate opportunities. In this regard, she stated that “it is not about who you are, but about who you can become”, focusing on potential and on the importance of the educational and social environment in supporting its development.
She also highlighted the key role of families, teachers and mentoring in the development of pupils with high intellectual abilities, noting that these abilities often become more clearly evident in specific domains, such as mathematics, music or leadership, rather than as an abstract notion of general intelligence.
Another highlight of the programme was a presentation by three leading national experts: Sylvia Sastre-Riba (University of La Rioja), who contributed her expertise in the neuropsychology of high intellectual abilities; and Rosabel Rodríguez Rodríguez (University of the Balearic Islands), promoter of the identification protocol in the Balearic Islands, who presented multi-level programming models applicable in the classroom.
The international programme also included Betsy McCoach (University of Connecticut), an authority on educational psychometrics, who addressed why pupils with high intellectual abilities do not always achieve the expected levels of performance; and Eleonoor van Gerven (Slim! Educatief, Netherlands), current Vice-President of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, who explored systemic change and teacher training as drivers of educational transformation.
New perspectives on high intellectual abilities
The second day of the Congress focused on some of the main current challenges in supporting pupils with high intellectual abilities, such as dual exceptionality, socio-emotional well-being and the need to personalise educational responses.
Researcher Michelle Ronksley-Pavia, from Griffith University (Australia), addressed the potential of generative artificial intelligence to support complex learning profiles and improve provision for pupils with dual exceptionality, combining research and educational practice.
Adam Ogurlu, from Utah Valley University, explored the socio-emotional development of individuals with high intellectual abilities, focusing on the importance of emotional well-being, support and the creation of educational environments that foster pupils’ holistic development.
Personalising education
The event also included a session focused on practical experiences developed in schools, coordinated by Yolanda López Iglesias, from the International University of La Rioja, on personalised education and responses to pupils with high intellectual abilities.
In the subsequent roundtable, representatives from CEIP Lezama HLHI, CEIP Amara Berri HLHI, Carmelitas Sagrado Corazón School and IES Padre Moret-Irubide shared measures and strategies implemented in their schools to support the development of talent from an inclusive perspective and tailored to the needs of each pupil.
Conclusions and future challenges
Before the institutional closing session, Miryam Martínez-Izaguirre, head of the Support Unit for the Development of High Intellectual Abilities at the University of Deusto, and Mikel Juaristi, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Education Department of the Basque Government, presented the conclusions and key issues addressed throughout the Congress, highlighting the need to continue advancing early identification, personalised education, teacher training and comprehensive support for pupils with high intellectual abilities.
Among the issues identified for further progress was the shared consensus during the Congress that there is no single profile of high intellectual abilities, and that these pupils display highly diverse trajectories, needs and ways of learning. They also referred to the risk of invisibility that still affects some pupils, particularly in cases of dual exceptionality or in more socially vulnerable contexts, and to the need to continue advancing towards more refined models of identification and support.
Another recurring idea across the different presentations was that talent does not develop automatically and requires challenge, motivation, support and appropriate opportunities in order to be fully developed. A shared view of educational inclusion was also presented, based not on uniformity, but on providing responses tailored to the needs, pace and interests of each student.
They highlighted the key role of emotional well-being, psychological safety, motivation and self-regulation in the holistic development of pupils with high intellectual abilities. Likewise, the value of collaborative networks between schools, families, mentoring schemes and universities in supporting talent development was emphasised.
The potential of research, teacher training and new technological tools to improve processes of identification and personalised education was also highlighted. Finally, there was a shared reflection that addressing high intellectual abilities is not a matter of privilege, but a collective commitment to educational equity and equal opportunities.
