Testing

The idea of testing a gifted child can begin in the classroom. The teacher sees a child wanting to answers questions, a risk taker who finishes work ahead of others.

She recognizes above average work and communicates her observations to the child’s parents.

The parents are most probably aware that their child is bright and are pleased that the teacher has recognized it.

If parents and /or teachers see that the child needs to be challenged, is bored with regular work, and requires work at his or her own level, then assessment by a qualified professional is a good place to start.

It is generally recommended for children after the age of six, when they are better able to follow directions and complete requested tasks.

Standardized ones basically compare one person to others of the same age or grade, and provide a standard score. There are specific ways to give and rank each item.

Once they're completed, you may hear terms like percentiles. This means, if your child scored at the 96th percentile he or she scored as well as or higher then 96% of other children.

Other terms include; standard deviation which is used on the WISC (Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children) this means every 15 points above a score of 100 (average) is one standard deviation point above average.

Giftedness is generally considered to be a score of 130 or more or two standard deviations points above average.

Tests can be useful in that they give information about the learning level and needs of a child.

They can serve to indicate the way a child learns, and how best to encourage their strengths and help with their weaknesses.

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It was very detailed and complete and gave excellent suggestions about the best course of action to take for her.

I was very pleased with the whole process and the actions we took, i.e. grade acceleration.




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