PLATFORM : Testing Children
Research supports the trend to identify children for gifted programs at an older age.
By waiting to place children we have more time to assess the child. The state asks us to look at the IQ along with an achievement test. There are no comprehensive achievement tests for kindergarten children, making results less reliable.
Placing children in the program too early exposes them to the stress of long screening tests. The pressure on them to perform at such an early age is inappropriate.
It is the opinion of vast numbers of groups who have worked with this subject that ages 5 and 6 are not the appropriate levels to begin this process. Placement at Grade 1 is a compromise; 74% of the districts in the county identify children for gifted programs in second grade. Our concern is for the emotional and psychological well-being of the child.
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