Testing for Gifted and Talented School Programs

Testing for gifted and talented
  • Some parents may have a sense that their child has unusually high intellectual abilities or very above-average aptitude in one or more academic areas. Frequently, such parents have a pretty accurate perception of their children. We provide testing that is helpful in figuring out if your child is eligible for many accelerated programs that were developed for children who show very high intellectual aptitude in one or more areas of cognitive and academic functioning. For example, the parents may initiate an application process for the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth if they have the required results of the cognitive testing that is performed at our Center.

     
 
  • It should be noted, however, that per New Jersey state guidlines, a consideration of the child’s eligibility for public school Gifted and Talented programs is done based on the following statement: “District boards of education shall make provisions for an ongoing K-12 identification process for gifted and talented students that includes multiple measures, including but not limited to, achievement test scores, grades, student performance or products, intelligence testing, parent, student and/or teacher recommendation, and other appropriate measures.” (State of New Jersey Department of Education)

     
 
  • As it is evident from the above quote, the IQ testing is only a part of the deal for the Gifted and Talented Programs in public schools. However, it may help you to gauge where your child is intellectually, compared to his or her peers. In New York State, the results of such testing are even more instrumental in securing an appropriate placement in an accelerated program for your high-achieving student. The psychologists in our Center are licensed in both New York and New Jersey. Therefore, the psychological testing performed by them is considered an“independent psychological evaluation,” and it will be helpful in determining your child’s eligibility for one of the accelerated programs in NYC, especially if you child is bilingual.

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