Gifted children are those who have demonstrated an exceptional ability or potential in certain specific areas compared to other children of their experience, age, or environment. The ability of these gifted individuals to think is far beyond the ability of a normal child, so they need special education services and support in order to realize their full potential.
Gifted children can come from different backgrounds, ethnicity, in addition to social as well as economic statuses. Although gifted children belong to various backgrounds, they share many common traits and gifted characteristics. Some of these common characteristics include emotional intensity at a comparatively young age, exceptional memory, superior thinking and comprehension as compared to children of the same age group, increased self-awareness, improved curiosity, etc.
To ensure that gifted children have the chance to grow academically and personally, parents and educators must be as informed as possible. Testing is the only type of gifted assessment that can be used to determine giftedness. There are many types of testing available to identify and observe giftedness.
Testing tools are designed by experts so that they are non-biased, technically adequate, and fair to allow gifted students from different backgrounds to be identified. Pre-testing and post-testing, performance-based testing, as well as out-of-level testing is all used by educators to differentiate curriculum and instruction.
Teachers use assessment results and testing to determine the strengths and weaknesses of gifted students and make changes in school programs in accordance with that data. Read on to know more about the different types of gifted assessment.
- Quantitative Assessments:
Commonly, achievement tests are used in certain domains like creativity, intellect, leadership, in addition to academic as well as artistic areas. Multiple tests are required for proper assessments of gifted students in these areas or domains.
Testing is regarded as an objective as well as a consistent method to identify and determine giftedness. Such achievement tests are often used as a benchmark for admission into certain educational programs.
Ability and achievement tests give scores that indicate how well a student does in comparison to other students. These tests are quantitative and analyse the amount of knowledge the student has gained. Apart from that, these tests also determine whether or not the student is learning at an enhanced level in comparison to others.
Ability tests are mainly useful in measuring the intellectual ability and cognitive skills of students. Although they are useful in identifying the intellectual levels of a child, these tests do not measure creativity or leadership qualities that are of equal importance.
- Qualitative Assessments:
In the case of achievement tests, a teacher or proctor usually administers them. They give specific instructions and follow a script. The test results are often quantitative and reported in numbers. This test gives only limited and specific information. It can take many forms and be done by many people when it comes to assessment. While a test administrator tries to be impartial and objective and not give his or her personal opinion, an assessment is one where the involvement of the assessor is important.
While a test administrator does not have an impact on test results, the assessor or someone who is doing the assessment has a huge impact on the results. In fact, they are part of the results. For example, clinical assessment is dependent on research knowledge, theoretical perspective, training, and personal experience. From a qualitative standpoint, the personal opinion of the assessor performing the assessment is very valuable.
One area of assessment is intellectual ability. Educational ability is another area. It measures how gifted children can master academic skills quickly and easily. The more gifted a child is, the more challenging it will be for him or her to learn in traditional schools and follow the traditional curriculum.
- Parent Assessment:
Parents' observations, insights, and opinions are often overlooked during a gifted assessment. The reason behind this is that this piece of information is not required for admission to many schools, particularly private schools. But it is vital to note that the parents' opinions are of great importance in assessing the potential of a child and understanding the personal history of a child.
Assessments should cover the child's education, his or her development, social interactions, emotional issues, health, and family background. This information is crucial and hence should not be missing from any assessment.
Interviewers should hear from parents about their views, particularly on why they believe that their child is gifted. Interviewers should have an open and candid discussion about the experiences of parents with their gifted children. This forms the basis of any sort of professional assessment.
This information is largely dependent on the interviewer's interview skills and the questions they ask. It also depends on the honesty and awareness of parents and the answers that they provide.
Differentiation is a key aspect of improving the outcomes of student learning. It allows for the curriculum to be tailored to each student's needs. Every student is different and hence learns differently. Educators should be able to accommodate and celebrate these differences. Teachers should recognize and accept differences in performance between students and act in accordance with that.
