Assessment of giftedness

Abstract

The purpose of assessment of giftedness is to determine a child's special needs. The misuse of testing in selecting students for gifted programs has undermined confidence in IQ tests. Individual IQ tests administered by skilled professionals are essential for children who develop atypically. Qualitative information informs the interpretation of IQ tests, confirming or disconfirming test results. Subtests and composite scores with the richest loadings on general intelligence (g) are the most useful for locating gifted children. Rigid cutoff scores based on Full Scale IQ scores are incongruous with modern, multifaceted theories of intelligence.