Selecting the Test Administrator
Testing can be done either privately or through the school system. There are pros and cons with each route.
Private Testing |
School Testing |
|---|---|
Can be costly |
Free of charge in public schools |
Testers can be selected based on their experiences with gifted children and their ability to document both strengths and weaknesses. |
Tester may not have much experience with gifted children and may tend to focus on weaknesses due to this inexperience. |
Administer protected tests, which can only be sold to licensed professionals. |
Typically use brief or group administered measures that are unprotected to ensure that all students can be tested. |
Better chance that students will be tested using instruments that best document a student’s ability. |
Instruments used may not be the best option for some students. |
Parents have the option of deciding what to do with the results. |
Schools have access to the results and will become a part of the child’s cumulative records. |
Parents will have access to the full report of scores, which will be interpreted by the tester with recommendations. |
Some schools may not share scores with parents if they are considered part of a confidential admissions process. Reports, interpretation, and recommendation information may be minimal. |
If the purpose of having a child tested is just to gain entrance into a gifted and talented program, then school testing should be adequate. However, if parents have deeper concerns regarding appropriate educational placement or questions pertaining to discrepancies between ability and performance, private testing may provide more relevant information.
There are several considerations when selecting a test administrator . The tester should
- be licensed with the ability to administer protected tests thus ensuring validity;
- have experience in testing gifted children;
- have a large number of assessment tools that includes the latest versions of selected instruments; and
- should be able to suggest specific services that address a child’s individual needs.
To locate a qualified tester in your area, contact departments of psychology or professors of gifted child education at local colleges and universities. Word of mouth from other parents can be of help as is becoming affiliated with state and local organizations that focus on gifted children.