For Parents of Gifted Children
What is spatial ability? Spatial ability can be best defined as the ability to “generate, retain, retrieve, and transform well-structured visual images.” Some examples of great inventors who have used their high levels of spatial ability to innovate include...
Feature Issue 3 / Spring 2010 Talent Development Wai, Jonathan
Editor's note, winter 2009: The SAT has changed quite a bit since this article was originally published. In March of 2005, the College Board overhauled the SAT. The bigger changes include: >> Three primary components: Math, Writing, and Critical Reading,...
Volume 9 / Issue 2 / Winter 2009 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
Editor's note, winter 2009: The SAT has changed quite a bit since this article was originally published. In March of 2005, the College Board overhauled the SAT. The bigger changes include: >> Three primary components: Math, Writing, and Critical Reading,...
The American Association for Gifted Children (AAGC) is the nation’s oldest advocacy organization for gifted children and receives numerous calls and e-mails from parents who are seeking information to help them understand the unusual abilities that their children are...
Gayle, Margaret Evans Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Special Focus Stephens, Kristen R. Young Gifted
If it seems like students have a lot more standardized testing these days than when you were in school, you are absolutely right. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) mandates annual testing in math and reading for...
Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Legislation/Law Matthews, Michael S. Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
Will universities stop requiring students to submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application? Some universities are finding that scores on these tests are poor predictors of collegiate success. George Mason University in Virginia indicates they are...
Currents Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Stephens, Kristen R.
For the rare gifted student whose educational needs have been met, individual assessment may not be a priority. However, for the vast majority who remain in inadequate programs, testing can be a potent ally. It can address parental concerns and...
Feature Gilman, Barbara Jackson Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Parenting/Advocacy
Recent educational initiatives have focused on raising the academic ceiling for all students, including the minimum expectations in each subject area at each grade level. State tests assess whether minimum competencies are met, and curricular resources help schools and teachers...
Many people assume that intelligence comes in two kinds—verbal and nonverbal. What they do not understand is that the verbal-nonverbal distinction refers to the content of the items on an intelligence test, not to the type of thinking, or intelligence,...
Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Naglieri, Jack A. Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
Kaplan, Sylvan, Peterson, and Princeton Review are just a few of the companies offering test prep courses for the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment. As students aspire to get into the college or university of their choice,...
College Planning Currents Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Stephens, Kristen R.
It’s March and your child may soon experience spring fever, anticipating the summer months that are just ahead. As school winds down, music recitals, awards banquets, and other end-of-the-year events fill the calendar. The flurry of activity can fuel...
Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Stephens, Kristen R. The Editor's View
Measures of IQ, the intelligence quotient, have historically been the primary means of identifying intellectually gifted children. Although additional identification methods have been adopted in recent decades, IQ tests retain a prominent role in determining appropriate educational settings for...
Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Matthews, Michael S. Special Issue / Spring 2010 Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
The College Board is gearing up to release the new version of the SAT Reasoning Test. Parents and students have expressed concerns regarding the change in format. Recently, the Duke Gifted Letter asked Brian O’Reilly, the executive director for...
College Planning Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 O-Reilly, Brian Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
Most high school students take the SAT as part of the application process for college. Very few achieve the highest score, 1600, and many are thrilled if their scores hit the 1300 mark. My daughter Alissa began the process...
College Planning Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Mroz, Marci Parent's Platform
Parents of school-aged children have been inundated in recent years with discussions of standards and end-of-grade testing. While standards themselves are not new, much of the current emphasis on testing and standards-based education has grown out of the 2002 enactment...
Boone, Sarah Connections Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Legislation/Law
It’s no secret that standardized testing is increasingly common. Each year new tests appear, and it may seem that more school time is spent on testing than on teaching and learning. Yet test scores themselves are often difficult to interpret....
Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Matthews, Michael S. Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
Example: Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test item...
Most parents know that school administrators use intelligence tests to identify gifted children. What most parents do not know is that the content of these tests can have a powerful influence on who is identified as gifted and who...
Feature Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002 Naglieri, Jack A. Special Populations
Beginning in March 2005, the SAT will have a very different look. Here at Duke University, and at other colleges across the country, freshmen entering in the fall of 2006 will be the first group of students affected by...
College Planning Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
DGL: IQ tests measure a wide range of cognitive abilities. Do nonverbal tests measure as wide a range of skills? Donna Ford: Traditional intelligence tests have different scales and measure different cognitive abilities or skills. However, nonverbal tests have...
Expert's Forum Ford, Donna Y. Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002 Silverman, Linda Kreger
A debate is brewing over the use of the SAT I for college admissions. Richard C. Atkinson, a well-known psychologist and president of the University of California system, is leading the attack. He contends that the SAT I is...
College Planning Volume 2 / Issue 4 / Summer 2002 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
Qualifying for a seventh-grade talent search, such as the one offered by Duke University or Johns Hopkins University, is a distinct honor. At the same time, taking either the SAT or the ACT—tests designed for college-bound high school students—at the...
Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
My four-year-old is exceptionally bright. Should I have my child tested? If so, when? Do you recommend a particular test? By all means, have your child assessed. Giftedness can be inferred in the first three years from a child’s rapid...
Consultant's Corner Volume 1 / Issue 2 / Winter 2001 Silverman, Linda Kreger Young Gifted
In rural towns, inner cities, and other communities with limited resources, gifted students often find that the selection of school courses does not meet their needs for variety and academic challenge. Many high schools have too few students enrolling in...
College Planning Volume 1 / Issue 1 / Fall 2000 Lance, G. Denise Technology Technology Matters