Hi bluemagic,
Thank you for your questions. I hope this helps clarify for you.
The qualifying criteria are trying to include kids who are gifted based on different ways of measuring giftedness.
For example high academic performance is working at a level more than two standard deviations above grade level (e.g. freshman taking a senior level class, or AP classes, or college courses while in high school).
I am also aware that it is common that elementary school children are sometimes tested by schools and score as gifted but never receive specialized education opportunities. The research has shown that IQ is a relatively stable trait over the lifespan, therefore, an 8 year old child who scored in the gifted range of an IQ test, will most likely still be gifted at 13 years old.
Hope this helps! If you have other questions please email me directly at s.friedrich@sofia.edu
Sunny Friedrich, Ph.D. (Candidate)
Sofia University/ITP
s.friedrich@sofia.edu
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1626373/9dbedcc48290
