MY PROCESS FOR ASSESSMENT
In Alachua County, there are three parts to a Gifted referral; they are teacher recommendation, screening or achievement testing, and cognitive/IQ testing. For Gifted testing, I usually administer the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V).
My fee for the IQ assessment is $400.
The school board administers the SAGES for screening kindergarten through second grade.
Beginning in third grade, they accept FAST testing. If your child did not meet the school based screening criterion, it can be completed with an individually administered achievement test.
I usually administer the Woodcock-Johnson - Fourth Edition (WJ-IV); it is an interactive achievement test which should be completed within 30 minutes. It can be done after school. If it is needed, I administer it on a separate day.
In other counties, such as Marion County or Levy County, the cognitive assessment is the only requirement. However, some School Districts require teacher recommendations in addition to the cognitive assessment.
If your child has gone through cognitive (IQ) assessment at the school, I would like to see the previous results.
It is most optimal to schedule the IQ appointment in the morning as the assessment requires concentration, problem solving, and higher order thinking. Most people perform more optimally earlier in the day as opposed to later; I schedule at 9:00 or 9:30 am
The appointment will take approximately 2-2.5 hours.
I like to talk with the family first to get some background information; this allows me to get some history while your child acclimates to the test room and to me before we start.
The actual assessment takes 60-90 minutes for each student. I hand score the protocol and discuss the test results with the family before they leave.
Parents may want to let their child know that I am a person who sees children who are doing great in school. Because they are doing so well, you want them to see me to do some learning activities together. This will not be reading or math but will be problem solving activities. That usually satisfies their curiosity and puts them at ease.
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