Giftedness tests are, in many ways, straightforward because they reduce all children’s experiences to a single perception of genius or intelligence. A predisposition to a particular occupation results from genetic-biological, psychosocial, and political-economic influences on the child. Uniform tests do not allow us to trace giftedness or talent because the middle class only makes them for their niche. The tests do not apply to low-income, racially, or sexually diverse populations.
Giftedness can be determined by objective (grades) and subjective (teacher observations) indicators. The purpose of assessments and tests is to determine dominant indicators and, from those indicators, to conclude whether a child is gifted. Assessment should be transformed from conventional testing and logic to differentiated interviews. Tests are uncomfortable, and logic is far from the only way to get a result (Campbell et al., 2022). Consequently, some students with abstract or conceptual thinking are excluded of the gifted sample because their giftedness has not been identified. Differentiated interviewing can solve this problem by increasing diversity in gifted children.
Differentiated interviewing should be understood as the practice of moving away from the “is the child gifted” format of testing and calculating the child’s IQ. If a parent believes a child is gifted, it is crucial to find that right direction to develop the talent. This requires asking the right question about the child’s abilities: for example, whether his or her thinking type can be used to solve problems in literature or history (“Tips for parents: Individual assessment of gifted children”, 2021). Modern achievement tests seek to establish which areas of success the child has developed. This is a course of work that should be continued because individuality is the main feature of giftedness: no two talents or abilities are the same.
References
Campbell, J. A., Idsøe, E., & Størksen, I. (2022). Screening for potential, assessing for achievement: A study of instrument validity for early identification of high academic potential in Norway.Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research.
Tips for parents: Individual assessment of gifted children.(2021). Davidson Gifted.