Personally, I think that IQ tests should not be used as the exclusive qualication for admission to GT programs. I agree that having a high IQ ought to be a valid standalone metric used to define giftedness but there should also be alternatives. An IQ test costs money and depending on familial income, potentially a relatively large chunk of money. Using IQ alone automatically excludes the majority of the kids from lower SES families. Said children are the most in need of publicly funded GT programs.
Absolutely! What I am arguing is that, when the scores exist and are qualifying or above, the child should not need other "proof" b/c high IQ in and of itself "proves" that the child is gifted even if he is not a high achiever, a leader, etc. In our instance, even with DYS eligible GAI on the WISC, which is well above the 95th percentile ability scores they seek, and achievement scores on an individual test as well as above level talent search tests and (sometimes) school achievement tests, we had a huge fight to get dd ided b/c what she wasn't was consistently high achieving and a hand in the air type of kid. The district GT coordinator, who is our "expert," has explicitly stated that high IQ alone doesn't mean that one is gifted. Achievement plays a much bigger role in indicating giftedness as do personality characteristics common in high achievers more than HG and 2e kids in their estimation.
