Testing &

the Gifted Student

Why do we think that our gifted students did not meet growth on their EOGs?

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(Parent responses)

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Yes, they may have passed but we must continue to grow them from year to year.

Here are a few common tendencies we see with our gifted students and testing (and sometimes regular classwork).

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Think about whether you see this in your child at home.

• Overthinking
• Sometimes they will bend over backwards to find arguments for all of the choices, whereas most people pick their answer and move on.
• We must help them see this and that they should go with their answer choice and move on as well!
• Perfectionism
• They are obsessed with answering absolutely everything correctly and on some tests, avoiding mistakes is a good thing. But, not on a timed test. We’ll see that they do well on the questions they do answer but then do not answer enough to score well.
• We need to put the perfectionist in strictly-timed practice on assignments to get them comfortable with the timed tasks.

• Overconfidence
• Sometimes gifted students are so used to succeeding without really trying that they are convinced that they can’t possibly fail.
• Sometimes students will get the hardest of questions correct but then the easiest of questions can be missed.
• We have to work with them to slow down and try to identify the kinds of mistakes that they are likely to make.
• Excessive test stress
• This stress combined with being super motivated can cause panic.
• Recognize the cause of the stress-not prepared for the test, fear of the unknown, fear of a bad score, fear of the consequences of a bad score…
• Once the cause is identified, students can do something about it by preparing for it.

Ways to Support Your Gifted Child at Home

• Help your student understand what it means to be a gifted child.
• Children pick up on their differences from their peers, such as their advanced vocabulary or ability to complete work quickly and effortlessly.
• Help them see giftedness in a positive manner so they become comfortable.
• “Each person learns at a different pace and has different interests.”
• “Perhaps you are better at math than some students, while they may be better at reading than you.”

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Ways to Support Your Gifted Child at Home

• Address your own strengths and weaknesses with your child so they realize they have some as well.
• “Giftedness doesn't mean you will know the answer to every question and that you won’t (or shouldn’t) struggle.”
• Help your child understand that their patterns of growth develop differently than their peers.
• Motor coordination may not match their cognitive development.
• Cognitive ability may be stronger in one area over another.

Ways to Support Your Gifted Child at Home

• Provide time with varied groups of friends, both same age peers and similar cognitive abilities.
• Challenge your student and accelerate their learning by letting them explore interests, like history or coding.
• Encourage problem-solving through activities like puzzles or brain teasers.
• Celebrate achievements without pressure to be the best.
• Encourage hobbies and interests that aren’t purely intellectual, such as sports, karate, dance.

Specific Subject Area Strategies

Reading/ Writing

• Provide access to a diverse variety of reading materials and genres to engage their imagination and expand their vocabulary.
• Consider audiobooks and e-books for exposure to complex language and improved fluency.
• Ask open-ended questions to encourage reflection and discussion.
• "How would the story change if the setting was different?"
• “What do you think the author is trying to say about…?”
• Use prompts to encourage your child to write. Teach them to revise.
• Introduce your child to digital storytelling tools.

Specific Subject Area Strategies

Math

• Introduce math challenges in workbooks that have problems beyond their grade level. Engage them in math or logic puzzles, like Sudoku.
• Provide access to math challenges like those found in Math Olympiad for elementary students.
• Explore real-life math by cooking or building an object with your student.
• Provide objects for your students to build with, such as spaghetti and marshmallows or clay to build understand of spatial relationships.
• Solve word problems with your child.