Hellobee Boards Topic: Getting your child tested for giftedness

Hellobee Boards Topic: Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 13 May 2026 06:16:00 +0000 PawPrints on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you/page/2#post-2711409 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 11:58:47 +0000 PawPrints 2711409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes, she'll take a test in kindergarten that will assess her for admittance to a separate all-day gifted school. There isn't any reason why we would need private testing separate from that. I was in all-day separate-school GT from third through eighth grade, followed by four years at the most competitive high school in the US. (Seriously). Gifted education was beyond invaluable for me and if my parents had chosen to keep me from it, I would have resented them for my entire life. Having said that though; I do reflect on the sheer amount of work and stress we were all under, particularly at my high school, and wonder if there isn't a better way to structure gifted kids' schedules - there has been a lot written in recent years, for example, about the value of reducing kids' homework load, and I think there's an important lesson in that. sarac on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711397 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 11:48:49 +0000 sarac 2711397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My daughter missed the cutoff for K this year, so we were able to test her into it through the district's TAG program. If she had gone next year, I think she'd have been bored, but thankfully it's perfectly leveled for her. The entire school does TAG testing in the 2nd grade, and that's enough for us. Banana330 on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711329 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:59:07 +0000 Banana330 2711329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Freckles: I went to two different school districts. The first did testing/placement on teacher recommendations. The second does two waves of standardized tests (grd 3 and 7) and pull kids out of that for further testing/placement. I think the second way is much more objective. I wasn't recommended (mostly b/c I think my teacher in that year didn't like me, we butted heads a lot), but I did end up testing for it in grd 7 and was offered placement in grd 8. My parents refused the placement for grd 8 but had me go in to the program for highschool. There were lots of kids in the gifted program who failed classes in highschool and lots not in it who did extremely well. I don't think it's says much for how you'll perform academically but it did offer other outside class learning opportunities that I really enjoyed. autumn865 on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711328 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:58:08 +0000 autumn865 2711328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When working I was a school psychologist and this was my main role within the school. The individual standardized testing I would administer, however , was not for the gifted and talented but instead the special education population. In the district that I worked at would do IQ standardized testing in the second grade for all students (number two pencil group testing kind of test) to determine students eligible for the G&T program so IQ testing can already be a part of your public school. Personally I don't think I would persue IQ testing for my child. It's very expensive and only gives one factor that determins a child's success in school/ life. I've seen many average IQ students excel as well as superior IQ level students that fail in school. Peasinapod on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711323 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:50:53 +0000 Peasinapod 2711323@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mae: I so agree with this ! I sometimes worry I've wasted my potential by not being ambitious academically or career wise (dropped out of my masters program) . But I am happy making my family my priority and having a fairly low stress job! sauerkraut on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711310 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:42:14 +0000 sauerkraut 2711310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @freckles: schools in the US, including G&T offerings, are largely run and regulated by the states, so there's huge variation in programs. The school I mentioned in my post is an entire school geared towards student who have met some G&T testing benchmark where the curriculum is somewhat accelerated, under the theory that these students will learn reading and math skills at a faster rate. The G&T program I attended in the '80s was elementary only and was an enrichment program, so we basically did mini-units on all sorts of outside topics that we wouldn't get in regular school. After that, I was just put into advanced classes, so I took math classes with older kids. I think there was also an advanced English track, which would have had a more advanced reading level curriculum. In high school, advanced (faster paced, more rigorous) and A.P. (you could take a test to earn college credit) options were offered. I think the advanced and A.P. classes I took better prepared me for success in college. But, I was still often bored at school - my opinion is that was more a personality/teenager thing than a failure to offer enough enrichment. I'll also add that my parents put very little pressure on me to achieve in a specific way and did a pretty good job of supporting me to make my own decisions and focus on the things I wanted to focus on. I hope to follow their example there with my children. smocks on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711277 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:04:21 +0000 smocks 2711277@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mae: Your post totally resonated with me. I was definitely not in the G&T program at my school, but I can see the benefits and drawbacks of them. Others' expectations being the biggest hurdle. My bff's older sister was like you, in the G&T programs, got perfect ACT/SAT scores, 5.0 in school in all AP's, full ride to college, Harvard law - and she likes it, but doesn't necessarily love her career path. She loves to be challenged, but sort of got pigeonholed because she didn't have a strong advocate for "do what you love, which may or may not be what you're gifted in." DH on the other hand went to all average public schools, no G&T program, toyed with the idea of pro athletics vs higher education, jumped around colleges, thought maybe his acumen for science would be a good start, took a year off to determine if he wanted to truly do it, then dove into med school. And now at the tail end of his residency training, has determined this is really where he was meant to end up. I think if you're naturally intelligent/gifted, being challenged adequately in school is most important. But there also needs to be a heavy influence on discovering and pursuing your passions, whatever they may be, and be able to switch into something else if you determine it's not for you. That did not appear to be what many of the G&T programs I'm aware of really emphasized. Any why I would be hesitant to go that route with my kids unless it was their decision. Mamaof2 on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711264 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 08:26:10 +0000 Mamaof2 2711264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our public schools have accelerated learning groups within the classroom for the "smart" kids AND a pull out G&T group for the gifted kids DS is in both. The testing was pretty crazy I thought - DS had NO idea he was being tested. He thought he was just doing puzzles and games with the Student Support staff. It was 3 rounds of testing and you only proceeded if you passed the one before it. In grades 1 and 2 its written and grade 3 and up its verbal. The teacher has to recommend the child or they aren't even considered. Gifted kids have differently wired brains and need that extra boost - the 2nd graders this year are learning about animation right now - DS is a huge fan! As silly as it sounds I definitely think DS found "his people" in the G&T group! Baby Boy Mom on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711237 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 07:54:50 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2711237@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Here pretty much every person that sends to public school does the testing. My LO is in a g&t class and at this point it's just an accelerated curriculum. My understanding is that the big differences start around third grade. I never considered private testing...we also didn't do any test prep although in retrospect maybe I should have. Cole on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711213 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 07:22:15 +0000 Cole 2711213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I don't think we'd ever pursue outside testing unless our child was showing prodigy level and so far I don't see that happening. There isn't really any good reason to have that information for us since the only local option would be through our school district and in order for us to drive her to one of the pricey private options close to an hour away it would really need to be an exceptional case. We will certainly consider g&t testing through our district though because it is how they are admitted to the magnet program. My oldest doesn't do well with change though and it would mean switching schools in 3rd or 4th grade and I'm already considering school X for K then school Y for 1-3, after that it would be back to X unless we could petition to stay at Y or if she was admitted to the magnet. No matter what it feels like a lot of transitions since she could go to X for K-5. lamariniere on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711176 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:12:29 +0000 lamariniere 2711176@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our school does not have a G&T program, I'm not even sure that it's a thing here. When I was a kid I was literally so bored in public kindergarten that I would come home crying about it and my parents switched me to a more challenging private school a few months into the school year. When I switched back to public school in 2nd grade I was tested for G&T and entered the program in 3rd grade. I stayed in all the way to the end of high school. If we had a G&T option, I would consider it if I thought my LO was bored or not challenged enough. sunny on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711174 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:55:03 +0000 sunny 2711174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Freckles: the test prep here drives me crazy. When I did the test in grade 3, there was no such thing as test prep. I don't even think parents signed consent forms for the testing! I feel like the playing field was much more fair, since nobody was preparing for it. I never prepared for any of the math contests in school either (Descartes, Euclid, Cayley, etc), though I think that was possibly ill-advised... oops. Anyhow, my point being I don't really want to push my LO to prepare but I don't want her to be disadvantaged if she takes the test since everyone else here does so much test prep. Corduroy on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711165 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 22:36:49 +0000 Corduroy 2711165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ If I wanted LO to attend a gifted school because it was significantly better than her assigned school, and she needed a test to get in, I would. Otherwise I would not test just to see. I attended a G&T school 2nd-middle school. It was far and away better than the very poor local school. I don't think I was gifted and I wasn't tested until 3rd or 4th grade. My mom never told me the result (but she wouldn't either way). I recall the test stressing me out. I still remember a puzzle I couldn't solve. There were a few truly gifted kids in the mix but overall most of us probably just did well in school. There was a lot of attention on academic labels which was pretty awful looking back. Anagram on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711161 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 22:07:13 +0000 Anagram 2711161@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I grew up in a rural area and my mother was the G&T teacher at our elementary school, and she chose not to put any of her own kids in the G&T program when she was there. I remember being referred by a teacher in 3rd grade, and then nothing ever happening. I didn't question it.....later when I was in HS, my mom mentioned that it was because she stopped the process. She was the only Gt teacher, it was only a pull out program where they did enrichment, and she thought we were enriched enough. She also didn't want people to think we had an unfair advantage. My older siblings were in GT, because that was before my mom was the GT teacher, so it was just my 2nd brother who is 2 years older than me (I'm one of 6 kids). It didn't bother me--our school already had an accelerated program where we worked 1 year ahead, and I was in that along with the GT students and other people. But then I had a regular elective (like band or choir) while the GT kids only got to go to GT. As for my own kiddo--I haven't really seen any evidence at this point that she'd "gifted", so I doubt we will ever need testing. She's very intelligent and a quick learner but she's the 2nd youngest in her class, so she's fitting right in her Pre-k 3 class. Mae on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711148 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:32:14 +0000 Mae 2711148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Freckles: there wasn't really a gifted program in my school. It was just noticed in kinder that I was gifted in certain things, particularly math. They started sending me out to higher grades for math by myself in 1st and 2d and then had me skip 3rd grade entirely, and when I went to 5th grade sent me to the high school for math. I sort of had an individualized program throughout school bc they didn't know what else to do with me. But my point is that once you're labeled as gifted or really smart or whatever people treat you different and expect different things. I don't resent my parents at all bc what they did made sense. But I don't want my kids pushed academically like I was, if they turn out to have the same aptitudes I did. I never liked school but no one ever really asked what I liked... they just assumed I liked what I was good at. Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711143 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:19:41 +0000 Freckles 2711143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Maysprout: I actually didn't know parents prepped their kids for these tests until Hellobee, but schools in the US just seem much more competitive! Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711141 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:18:19 +0000 Freckles 2711141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @ShootingStar: I think it's sometimes tough to tell, especially if you're a parent who prefers to downplay your kid's abilities. With more kids attending academic preschools, we use that as the reason our kids can do x,y, z. My parents were like "really, our kid?" when they got the letter about my sister...they pretty much neglected the second kid so it was more difficult to pick up on her abilities. Maysprout on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711140 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:17:15 +0000 Maysprout 2711140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ If there was a significant benefit (like better school, more interesting classes) I def would. Our public school is really good and g&t is just a little extra, that's how it was when I was growing up too. I got a lot out of it but it didn't seem worth it to test in K (our district won't test kids each year, every other year). I think though that giftedness in general is just a catch phrase that schools or classes can use to narrow their population but it's very subjective based on the testing and how much the parents have prepped the kid prior Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711139 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:11:54 +0000 Freckles 2711139@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mae: do you think you would have Been happier if your parents chose not put you in a gifted program? I guess I just wonder if anyone would resent their parents for not giving them the opportunity (if they were in fact gifted). I'm not sure if you were being facetious but I don't think having an "impressive" career should be the end goal. sapphire on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711138 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:11:24 +0000 sapphire 2711138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Freckles: the program in elem and middle school I was in was truly different. The type of work wasn't just harder academically - it required different types of thinking and skills. I'm high school, it was AP classes and that of course is just college instead of high school level. In my G&T programs I never felt "pushed" - I was happy to do projects that challenged my mind and helped me learn in a way that was t the worksheet mill of the traditional elem school. ShootingStar on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711133 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:59:40 +0000 ShootingStar 2711133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ No, I do t really see a point. True giftedness is pretty apparent and it's rare. If they are bored in school we will do everything we can to keep them engaged. But taking a test doesn't really mean much to me. You'll know if your kid is so smart that regular school classes at their assigned grade just aren't sufficient for them. travellingbee on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711129 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:41:36 +0000 travellingbee 2711129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I wouldn't bother with outside testing. It we will pursue district testing for GT placement. In our city, GT placement often determines the school you can attend. Not generally in our district, unless you are highly gifted but if you aren't in the GT track you can't do advanced math and science in middle school and AP courses in high school. Greentea on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711118 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:17:17 +0000 Greentea 2711118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'm skeptical of testing. Mae on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711110 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:03:06 +0000 Mae 2711110@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Unlikely that I would pursue testing, unless my kid seemed really bored. I was gifted and pushed a lot academically. I think when a kid shows an ability for academics theres an assumption that they should love it. And be impressive. And become impressive. And maybe that's not really what makes people happy. I did the things and got the grades and graduated early and got the grades and graduated early and went to law school and I'm a lawyer-- yay! That's what we want right? Doctors and lawyers? Except I was too busy thinking about what I was supposed to do to ever think about what I really wanted to do and now I'm in my 30s saddled with a lot of debt and a career I wouldn't choose again, given a choice. I absolutely don't want my kids to have "impressive" (i.e. high stress) jobs unless they REALLY want it. I just want them to be happy. And I don't think happiness is really associated with doing a great job in school. So I just plan to let them do their thing. If school happens to be their thing, they're bored, they truly love academics and want to be challenged? then sure. But if not? No way. Not saddling them with the expectations of what they SHOULD be just because they COULD be. katsupgirl on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711099 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 19:36:52 +0000 katsupgirl 2711099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Freckles: I'm in NYC and it's really more about an enriched academic program and being in a setting with kids who are advanced. More than anything it's about being with other kids who learn quickly. The academic part sometimes just means more work not necessarily enriching/creative work. Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711060 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:41:12 +0000 Freckles 2711060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @katsupgirl: @matador84: @sauerkraut: I'm curious about G&T testing in the US. I'm not that familiar with it, but are these actually programs for gifted kids or just a really enriched academic program? Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711059 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:39:29 +0000 Freckles 2711059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @sunny: My sister was identified as gifted and went to a gifted program starting from grade 4. But that meant she had 5 years of crappy, boring school where she was made to feel bad for being different from her peers. She definitely found her people once she moved into this program. Freckles on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711056 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:36:28 +0000 Freckles 2711056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @sapphire: @Foodnerd81: The way that it works in my city (i'm not in the US) is that placement happens through referral/recommendation. This means that a teacher would have to recognize a child's ability and make the recommendation. If you want to get into an "academic" school, you would have to make your case to your home school and request a transfer. I feel like having some documentation on hand would help make a case for getting into a better school. I know a long time ago there was district wide testing in grade 3, but i think it was discontinued due to budget cuts. I think it's important to be an advocate for your child and not be scared of being labelled as "that parent". ETA: one thing to add, G&T programs aren't big in my area so there isn't all of this craziness in getting your kid tested. It's really the language immersion programs that parents go crazy for over here. @Winnie13: For the parents who request that their child be tested, do their children end up getting into the program? I'm pretty against the idea of preparing for an IQ test - it just seems like it would be a disservice to the kid. But i'm guessing what you mean is that there are some sketchy psychologists out there. :wink: katsupgirl on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711043 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:18:49 +0000 katsupgirl 2711043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My husband wants to test her IQ out of curiosity. We are probably too lazy to test though. We did do the G&T testing for kindergarten placement. matador84 on "Getting your child tested for giftedness - will you or have you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/getting-your-child-tested-for-giftedness-will-you-or-have-you#post-2711042 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:18:36 +0000 matador84 2711042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our district wouldn't even place a child if they had paperwork from an outside testing environment, the testing would have to be done through the school district. I also can't agree more that so many parents and even teachers confuse giftedness and general intelligence. I think I had 8 or 9 parent or teacher referrals of students in K-2 this year and only 2 qualified GT. (Part of my job is coordinating GT services at an elementary school). Honestly, I can see my LO1 definitely qualifying, probably not my LO2. I wouldn't put him in a GT program. The district I grew up in did have a GT campus and actually did differentiate curriculum for GT students. I see so many campuses now that claim to have "STEM" curriculum or a are a "magnet" for GT really have only accelerated curriculum, not necessarily differentiated due to many factors (funding, state accountability, testing, etc).