IQ Evaluations or Gifted Testing
All children are special in their own ways. There are many ways to be gifted. Individuals can be gifted intellectually, musically, artistically, or athletically, among others. However, an IQ test is used to evaluate whether a child is intellectually gifted and would benefit from receiving more rigorous academic programming at school. Therefore, testing children for giftedness has to do with accommodating children who require an educational system which is more academically challenging. The public school systems (and many private schools) require intelligence (IQ) testing to identify whether or not a child meets the gifted criteria in order to enter this type of classroom.
Dr. Heidi Rimer Cherwony provides gifted testing for such placements. The evaluation includes the following:
1). Brief clinical interview with the parent and child about their past school experiences, current academic placement, family background, and milestone history.
2). Administration of a standardized test of intellectual functioning, an IQ test. Depending on the age of the child at testing, either the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) or Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III) are used.
3). Some school systems require an additional test in achievement for Reading and Math.
4). Dr. Cherwony provides verbal feedback of the results to the parent on the same day as testing.
5). A written report is provided within two to five days. Reports are thorough and are in accordance with School System requirements. Aside from whether or not a child meets criteria for giftedness, parents will be informed of their child’s style of learning, strengths and weaknesses.
The fee for this evaluation is $450. If you have any additional questions regarding the process of testing for giftedness or our gifted evaluation program, or would like to make an appointment, please contact our office at 561-699-4639. Dr. Cherwony will return your call to personally discuss testing, and any questions or concerns with you.
Requirements for Gifted Placement
The average IQ is, by definition, 100. Scores above 100 indicate a higher than average IQ, and scores below 100 indicate a lower than average IQ. Fifty percent of the population has an average IQ.
According to the State of Florida criteria for gifted, in order to qualify for the Gifted Program, a child must score at or above the 98th percentile on an individually administered standardized test of intelligence. This means that he or she scored better than 98 out of 100 children his or her age, which is equivalent to an IQ score of 130 or above.
In Palm Beach County, a student must also achieve at the 90th percentile or above for either Reading or Math, as shown on a standardized test of Academic Achievement. In addition, a student must demonstrate a majority of the characteristics of a gifted student according to a teacher- completed gifted checklist and show a need for programming beyond the regular classroom.
Additional Information
All children have a profile of relative strengths and weaknesses. While not always the case, many intellectually gifted youngsters show an early interest in learning, tend to grasp new concepts easily and show a curiosity about a variety of topics. Oftentimes such youngsters are easily bored if not sufficiently stimulated by their environment. Early interest in Reading or Math is not necessarily an indicator of giftedness, nor are straight A’s in school in and of themselves. Placing a child, who has not met the full criteria for gifted, in a gifted program, can be damaging to a child’s self-esteem and academic performance. A child who does not meet an IQ score of 130 can still be a very bright individual. Therefore our goal of gifted testing is to determine the right fit for your child based on his or her intellectual functioning.
– Dr. Heidi R. Cherwony
Dr. Cherwony is the Founder of mindandbodydoctor.com
Tags: education, Gifted Testing, gifted testing Boca Raton, IQ Testing, K-12 education
