Most parents notice the talents of their children early on, whether it’s a child who is athletic, artistic or an early reader. But what do teachers look for when they formally identify students as “gifted”?
As your child moves through school, teachers begin selecting students who have the potential or ability to be included in a gifted program. In addition to teachers’ observations, identification is also based on:
- Group or individual intelligence tests (IQ tests given in 3rdand 5thgrades. OLSATs are given in Illinois’ public schools)
- Standard achievement tests (In Illinois, these are the ISATs)
- Grades
- Parent observations
Below are some of the most commonly used IQ score categories. NOTE: There are different versions of this breakdown, so you need to find out where the cut-off is for your school’s program, according to the Judy Galbraith, author of “You Know Your Child is Gifted When…”.
- 180 Profoundly gifted (about 1 in 1,000,000)
- 160 Exceptionally gifted (about 1 in 100,000)
- 145 Highly gifted (about 1 in 1,000)
- 130 Gifted
- 115 Bright
- 100 Upper normal
- 85 Lower normal
What’s important to remember is that your child is so much more than a number, said Joy Bell, a gifted education teacher in Illinois. The intelligence tests identify students who bubble out from the mainstream as having a higher ability in learning. Bell said she is looking for students who not only score high, but are great at abstract thinking, an ability that separates bright students from gifted students.
“It is in the thinking. Gifted students are great abstract thinkers,” Bell said. “It’s not about, gee, this student did well on the tests because their parents prepared them. Those students will struggle too much in a gifted classroom and could lose their self-esteem.”
Abstract thinking is a concept often compared to concrete thinking, in which thinking is limited to what’s in front of the face, and the here and now. In contrast, the abstract thinker can conceptualize or generalize, understanding that each concept can have multiple meanings. Such thinkers might see patterns beyond the obvious and be able to use patterns or a variety of concrete ideas or clues to solve larger problems.
Bell said she also looks for:
- How quickly students learn. A gifted students needs between 1 and 4 repetitions. An average student needs between 6 and 12. If you have to drill a child to learn something, it takes the fun out of learning.
- Students who are so thoughtful about what is being taught that they jump 2 or 3 steps ahead of the teacher.
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