Dr. Sylvia Rimm is a child psychologist, clinical professor at Case University School of Medicine, author, newspaper and magazine columnist, and radio/TV personality. Her advice column appears  regularly in 2e Newsletter. You can visit her website at  www.sylviarimm.com.

For a free newsletter about gifted children, IQ testing, or about how school pays off, send a large self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI, 53094, or go to  www.sylviarimm.com for more  information. 

If you have a question for Dr. Rimm, please send it to: DrSylvia@2eNewsletter.com. 

What is the best determination if a child is gifted? I believe our child is gifted, but the school system states he doesn’t meet the standards they’ve set. He’s nine years old, in fourth grade, and has always been the highest achiever in his class. He never has any difficulty learning things and is curious about everything. He reads at a seventh-grade level and tests at mid-fifth-grade level in math. The school hasn’t permitted him to accelerate. I appreciate your help.

The measure of a child’s giftedness is more a matter of degree than either a “yes” or “no.” Because giftedness is a relative characteristic, schools can differ in how they define which gifted children are in need of special programming. For example, in some schools a child who reads three years above grade level might be the only one who is that advanced in reading and, therefore, in need of a grade skip in that subject. In other schools there may be six other children in the class reading at approximately that same level, making it possible to meet the children’s needs in the regular classroom. Some schools have so many children who could be eligible for a gifted program that the regular classroom does provide enrichment for their giftedness, with only a few exceptionally gifted students selected for separate programming. Some schools use very flexible criteria; while others, especially those who have many gifted children, use very rigid cutoff scores. You shouldn’t hesitate to ask the gifted coordinator about the criteria used for identification. More importantly, be sure to encourage your son with his continued good work. You can offer him additional special challenges at home that he can introduce into his classroom work. For example, if he’s studying biology in science class, he could go to a health or science museum to learn more about his topic for a project he’s working on.

Sometimes schools make errors or children perform poorly because they aren’t feeling well the day of testing. Check with the gifted coordinator so that you understand better why your son wasn’t selected for the program, and determine if he can be retested by an outside psychologist if you believe something interfered with his accurate testing by the school. Try to advocate for your son in a respectful manner so that the school doesn’t feel that you’re being antagonistic. Your son does have a right to be challenged in school, but it’s also important that he not feel pressured so that he can develop a balanced sense of self. His attitude and his work ethic will surely pay off for him for the rest of his life, and no one is likely to ask him what his IQ score is.

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