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 3^rdand 5^thgrades. 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 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 Joyce 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.’ “

  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 student 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.
• They answer intuitively.  They just know the answer and at times they can’t explain how they know it, not only in terms of calculations or numbers but in a propensity for words, language or their way to describe or explain things so concisely. 

A great FREE resource for parents who want to know more can be found in Galbraith’s book, “You Know Your Child is Gifted When…” which you can read online here:  http://www.freespirit.com/files/other/YouKnowYourChildIsGiftedWhen.pdf.