Testing Gifted Kids ?

[Zandy595]

How do you know if you should get your child tested to find out if he/she is gifted? DS's 1st grade teacher said she thought he might be gifted, but she never suggested that I get him tested. BTW, he's in 4th grade now. He was on the principal's honor roll (all A's) every marking period in 3rd grade and rarely got a grade below 95.

 

[binny]

They asked if we would like to have Cam tested and we agreed. I guess if youre interested you should just ask. The school psycholgist is the one who administered the test for us. It was a pretty quick deal ( less than an hour). It was a basic IQ test. Amazing that they can test IQ at such young ages!

I love the GATE ( Gifted and Talented) program here because it encourages more "outside of the box" thinking. Theyre really challenged and not bored.


Good luck!!

You can pm me if you want to

 

[tubachick]

It depends on the school district, but I would request one often until they do it. Our school district (where I teach) doesn't do it until 4th grade. You could have private testing, but that gets expensive. Does your school district have a gifted program or gifted program coordiantor??

 

[clarabelle]

I don't know if it is this way everywhere -but in the public schools here- they have to test your child if you request it
My child took several tests -including one that was a creativity test that she had to draw on
Our gifted program lasts for an entire day- they are bused to a school and spend the day there.
So here the child needs to be able to spend the day away from school without freaking out.
They also had to make up the work they missed
The gifted program was not about "the 3 Rs" but about problem solving, creativity and teamwork
She really enjoyed it - but I don't think that it had a huge impact on her academically
If you think your child is gifted -I would find out what kind of program they have and if you like how it sounds request testing

 

[mtblujeans]

Our kids have gone to a very small, rural school for elementary and junior high classes and they did not have a gifted program. It was enough that they got the A's in their classes. We did not ask to have them tested or put into anything considered gifted. Now they are in the largest school district in the state (for high school) and they offer them what they call "Honors" classes because their grades and their SAT's indicate they can handle the harder class work. Do you feel your children will get a benefit of some kind from being in a gifted program? Or, is being in a gifted program the only way your school district will offer them the classes that keep them challenged?

 

[disneysteve]

Our district tests every child in 2nd grade.

 

[EthansMom]

Here in CT, the school is required to test your child if you request it. But the school isn't required to offer any gifted education. You may want to speak with your son's teacher or principal about possibly having him tested.

 

[Christine]

Up until 3rd grade, there is no specific test for gifted. It goes by their test scores on the standardized tests that all children are given, then their grades, and then based upon teacher recommendations that given by what they witness in the classroom. High test scores and good grades don't equal gifted. Sometimes it's that special "spark" that the teacher sees in the classroom. That is gifted. When my son was in first grade, his teacher had him placed in the gifted program based on some of the writing that he was doing on his own. His test scores were also high and his grades were good. BUT, he was starting to demonstrate a problem with ADHD. I had him tested on my own when trying to get the ADHD diagnosis (or trying to figure out if that is what he had). During that time, it was discovered that he had a fairly high IQ. His score fell in the "gifted" range as defined by psychologists. There is actually a "genius" range too!! Anyway, we did turn those over to the school and they used it for further eval. As he got to 4th grade, he didn't make the "final" cut for gifted because his grades/work/standardized scores weren't keeping up. Didn't matter what his IQ was. So, I'm not sure what testing you're looking for.

 

[WDWAurora]

Up until 3rd grade, there is no specific test for gifted. It goes by their test scores on the standardized tests that all children are given, then their grades, and then based upon teacher recommendations that given by what they witness in the classroom. High test scores and good grades don't equal gifted. Sometimes it's that special "spark" that the teacher sees in the classroom. That is gifted. When my son was in first grade, his teacher had him placed in the gifted program based on some of the writing that he was doing on his own. His test scores were also high and his grades were good. BUT, he was starting to demonstrate a problem with ADHD. I had him tested on my own when trying to get the ADHD diagnosis (or trying to figure out if that is what he had). During that time, it was discovered that he had a fairly high IQ. His score fell in the "gifted" range as defined by psychologists. There is actually a "genius" range too!! Anyway, we did turn those over to the school and they used it for further eval. As he got to 4th grade, he didn't make the "final" cut for gifted because his grades/work/standardized scores weren't keeping up. Didn't matter what his IQ was. So, I'm not sure what testing you're looking for.

This isn't entirely true-there are plenty of tests that look at IQ and achievement abilities in ages well below 3rd grade-technically there are even instruments for infants, although those are definitely debatable as far as their accuracy. I'll agree with you that there are many ways to identify a child as gifted, however it is absolutely not true that "giftedness" which is an ill-defined concept to begin with, cannot be measured much earlier than 3rd grade.

(Nearly a school psychologist)

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I test kids for our Talented and Gifted Program and I also work with and teach Gifted kids. I test them as young as kindergarten although I try not to test too many that young since it is hard to tell if a child is truly gifted or just has been exposed to a lot of opportunites and schooling prior to coming to kindergarten.

This is a flyer I use with parents and teachers to describe bright children vs a gifted learner. It didn't copy too well but it will give you an idea of what to look for.

I would talk to you child's teacher about having him/her tested if you want that. If I have a parent that really wants their child tested, then I do it.


Bright Child/ Gifted Learner

Knows the answers / Asks the questions
Is interested / Is highly curious
Is attentive / Is mentally and physically involved
Has good ideas / Has wild, silly ideas
Works hard / Plays around, yet tests well
Answers the questions / Discusses in detail, elaborates
Top group / Beyond the group
Listens with interest / Shows strong feeling and opinions
Learns with ease / Already knows
6-8 repetitions for mastery / 1-2 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas / Constructs abstractions
Enjoys peers / Prefers adults
Grasps the meaning / Draws inferences
Completes assignments / Initiates projects
Is receptive / Is intense
Copies accurately / Creates a new design
Enjoys school / Enjoys learning
Absorbs information / Manipulates information
Technician / Inventor
Good memorizer / Good guesser
Enjoys straightforward, sequential presentation / Thrives on complexity
Is alert / Is keenly observant
Is pleased with own learning / Is highly self-critical

 

[ez]

my son is 21 now, but after second grade they told me he had done exceptionally well on some standardized test and they wanted to test him for gifted. I consented, they tested him and he got in, starting in 3rd grade. We have a full time gifted program here at their regular schools. DD who is now 11, seemed every bit as smart as DS was. After kindergarten I asked if they would test her, and the teacher said no. But I felt strongly about it and paid 250 to get her tested privately rather then debate the school over it. She did test for gifted and began in 1st grade. She now just started middle school, is still in the program and loves it.

 

[ez]

they used the weschler intelligence scale for children. You need to get a 130 on it, Im guessing thats IQ

 

[diznygirl]

I was in a gifted program in school and it was difficult being away from my class and making up the work. It was also difficult being singled out as "gifted" because the teachers expected me to understand more - so if I didn't they would use my gifted status against me. And I didn't always undertand the work.

Just wanted to give another POV.

 

[WDWAurora]

I was in a gifted program in school and it was difficult being away from my class and making up the work. It was also difficult being singled out as "gifted" because the teachers expected me to understand more - so if I didn't they would use my gifted status against me. And I didn't always undertand the work.

Just wanted to give another POV.

You know, I tend to agree with that. I was only pulled out part time in elementary school, and our Gifted and Talented (GT) program was referred to by the other students as "Goofy but Talented" and when it changed to the Academically Gifted (AG) program, we were referred to as "Academically Goofy." So my problem with being singled out resulted from other students, not the teachers. This is something that I will be considering before referring students to whatever the program is called because I don't want the child to feel uncomfortable about their intelligence amongst their peers, or, in your case, teachers.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We just got a letter this week that DS9 (4th grade) has been identified as "potentially" gifted. If we want him tested we just send the form back with a signature. Might as well test him and go from there.

I tested for gifted in 5th grade. In 5th & 6th grade we spent one day each week with the gifted teacher. In 7th & 8th grade we were segregated in a group of about 10 and ALL of our academics were with that same group - one teacher for math and science, one teacher for English & history. We only mixed with the general population of students for PE and electives. I played cello so I got to see other kids in PE and Orchestra. It was NOT a good set-up. The little gifted group was incredibly competitive and catty. I was miserable until 9th grade when I left the program and took Honors classes. Pay close attention to the way the school incorporates gifted and how your child seems to be adjusting. I truly hated 8th grade. I bet my mother still doesn't know that.

At DS's school they go once a week for 45 minutes if they are in TAG, so he won't miss much class time at all if he is accepted to the program.

 

[cruisnfamily]

I test kids for our Talented and Gifted Program and I also work with and teach Gifted kids. I test them as young as kindergarten although I try not to test too many that young since it is hard to tell if a child is truly gifted or just has been exposed to a lot of opportunites and schooling prior to coming to kindergarten.

This is a flyer I use with parents and teachers to describe bright children vs a gifted learner. It didn't copy too well but it will give you an idea of what to look for.

I would talk to you child's teacher about having him/her tested if you want that. If I have a parent that really wants their child tested, then I do it.


Bright Child/ Gifted Learner

Knows the answers / Asks the questions
Is interested / Is highly curious
Is attentive / Is mentally and physically involved
Has good ideas / Has wild, silly ideas
Works hard / Plays around, yet tests well
Answers the questions / Discusses in detail, elaborates
Top group / Beyond the group
Listens with interest / Shows strong feeling and opinions
Learns with ease / Already knows
6-8 repetitions for mastery / 1-2 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas / Constructs abstractions
Enjoys peers / Prefers adults
Grasps the meaning / Draws inferences
Completes assignments / Initiates projects
Is receptive / Is intense
Copies accurately / Creates a new design
Enjoys school / Enjoys learning
Absorbs information / Manipulates information
Technician / Inventor
Good memorizer / Good guesser
Enjoys straightforward, sequential presentation / Thrives on complexity
Is alert / Is keenly observant
Is pleased with own learning / Is highly self-critical

We have a full time gifted school here which DS has qualified to attend. We've chosen not to send him there and keep him at the magnet school we've chosen for both our children. He goes to a one day a week pull out program called Quest. They do accellerated academics and think outside the box type of teaching.

Anyway, just got back from the Quest open house and the flyer quoted above was handed to us at the open house. So many, many of these things on the gifted side apply to DS(but not all of them). We always thought DD was "gifted" but she didn't test gifted and in looking at the above list I can agree that she was/is just a bright child, which is fine too. DS just thinks differently.

As far as teasing for being in Quest, the opposite is true at our school. All the kids want to go to quest and the ones that go are envied and thought of as "lucky".

 

[JKLLady]

DD, 19, was tested in 1st grade. Our district has two programs; G&T (gifted & talented, where they get pulled from their regular class once a week for an hour for "enrichment" and PEG (program for the "exceptionally gifted"), where they leave their "home" school two days a week & get bused to a school where they only have "gifted" courses for the two days in math, English & science.

DD did great, but if I had to do it again, I don't think I'd do it. Some of her "home" school teachers had an attitude about her being gone from the class two days a week. They also resented that they had to allow her to do her PEG work when the rest of the class was doing math, science or English. One teacher wouldn't let her do her PEG work & used (abused) her as a teaching assistant.

While I don't think she's sorry she was in it; she does have some good memories, I think she would have been fine without it. She's a sophmore in college now, in the Honors program & doing just fine.

DS, 8, probably fits the "gifted" description better than DD does. But no one has suggested testing him.................he's just too "boy goofy" for them to realize he's whiz. That's fine with me, he'll show his true colors when he's ready!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Ahh, one of our favorite topics in our house! DH and I were just having this one...

In our school, they look at all kids and have gifted pull-outs for K-5. Then they have the top kids take the SCATS in fourth grade--if you score real well, then in 5-7 you go to a gifted program 1 day/week. DD10 qualified for this, but we've known she was smart and the school told us she was gifted bakc in first grade.

DS8--well, what can you say? Boys! We love him to death, we think his IQ is higher than his older sister's, but he doesn't have as much "focus" at this stage. I believe he's what I term "Holy Crap Gifted"--he's the one that the teachers say they've never seen anyone like in 25 years of teaching, and in K the principal even told me he's concerned about DS getting a proper education in our public school. When he was in K, they checked his reading--he got 95% at a sixth grade level..at age 5. They sent him for additonal testing, but they just gave up--he could read anything they put in front of him, and comprehension was off the chart, too. But...we haven't had him tested. We keep him in the public school, for now. Here's my philosophy: he's happy and learning. He has friends and is developing socially. He likes his school, his activites, looking forward to starting thrid grade. I'm trying to raise a self-confident, independent adult, not impress people with his IQ scores. It's working for us, for now. I don't think testing will help him, and likely won't even give an accurate result, because he may not want to. Frankly, I think his brain scares him sometimes--he just understands stuff way beyond his years, and that's tough for a kid. So for now, I accept him as he is, no further evaluation necessary. YMMD--this approach isn't for every child. I'd be more inclined to test my youngest (DD2) in a few years--she appears to have her brother's IQ without the emotional baggage. If she has more focus, she may need more academic challenges earlier on. But for now, I'd settle for potty training!

Anyway, my general philosphy on testing is, if you have a concrete reason for testing (qualifying for special services, disagreements with the school, etc.), it may be useful. But you have to ask yourself if the result is really important to your child's future? Yeah, part of me would love to know where DS really falls--but I'd also like to know if #4 is a boy or girl, and won't find out today! Oh, well. And I would also mention that, although I don't believe that DD10 is quite as stratospheric in IQ as her brother, she has a great work ethic and positive attitude which will serve her better than a few IQ points either way.

 

[Magickndm]

Up until 3rd grade, there is no specific test for gifted.

This is not true of all areas, my daughter was chosen by her kindergarten teacher to be tested. We did it during the summer between k and 1st grade, she was taken into an office type setting where she answered some questions, solved some puzzles, and did some math. Her dad and I had already decided if she was borderline, we wouldn't push it. I didn't want her always struggling. Turns out, she was pretty far above the minimum IQ requirement, so we decided to put her in the school's gifted program. She left her class one day a week to go into her gifted class. Her teacher was amazing, she learned so much more than I thought she would, as another poster said, things "out of the box". Sign language, art appreciation, she even wanted a Bach CD for Christmas in 1st grade.
In middle school they are in the gifted program full time here. She had the same teachers all 3 years. Along with accelerated learning, they had great enrichment programs and field trips for them.
Now she's just starting high school and there is no gifted programs here for that, just the honors classes.

If I had to do it all over again, I would without a second thought.

 

[Zandy595]

There isn't a gifted program at DS's school, but there is one close by. I'm pretty sure he'd be required to switch schools (not just go for a couple days out of the week). I know he wouldn't be happy with that. I guess it would be better for him to stay at the same school and get really good grades than have to transfer to another school and maybe not do as well. The only reason I was considering it was because he says he already knows everything the rest of the class is learning and he gets bored.

Since there are many parents here with gifted kids... are your children perfectionists? DS has to have everything "just right" or it kind of freaks him out. He gets 100% on every spelling test. Well, except for one test in 1st grade. You would have thought the world came to an end. He just broke down and couldn't handle it. He said he was the "dumbest person in the world".