In general, parents do not need to request IQ testing from their school. The process would typically work like this:
Many schools provide some form of tests given to all students which may be used as screeners, such as CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test).
Based on the results of the screening tests, some schools may provide IQ tests to highest scoring pupils. You may wish to check your
State policies for gifted education. You may also wish to check your school's policies. These are often found online, on the school website. You would be looking for anything on gifted programming, identification, qualification, etc.
Typically a school will send a letter home to inform parents that their child was recommended and/or qualified for and/or placed in a gifted program. The letter may tell more about the process, such as any tests/assessment administered to the student and the student's scores.
Many parents seek out private testing, for reasons such as:
- if the child is an "outlier" ... noticeably different academically and intellectually from same-age peers,
- when there is a strong mismatch with the school,
- if they suspect a possible 2e issue.
There are costs involved with private testing, and generally speaking insurance does not cover IQ testing unless it may be to identify a disability, such as a learning disability.
To minimize costs, some parents look for testing from their local university's Psych Department. However these individuals may not be familiar with gifted children.
