CAmom it sort of sounds like you are saying if your kids score high feel good about it, but if they don't ignore the result. Does that seem very scientifically accurate to you or more like a matter of horoscopes and fortune cookies?
Well yes, actually it does seem slightly more accurate than fortune cookies but certainly not as accurate as a one-on-one assessment. It's based on some research (whether or not you deem it valid personally) and it can and should be just a piece of the puzzle. I'd like to see people who use it say "Okay, now I'm pretty sure she's gifted, so I'll do more reading and get a private evaluation." If most people who come to the topic hit google first, I don't think the worst thing they could do would be to use Ruf's tool to decide if they should pursue the topic further. Considering I came to the topic from a teacher who was insistent my son needed ADHD medication at 4, there are worse leaps to make than "I need more information."
For people who have already had kids assessed but are now seeking out this service, I wonder if that suggests some people are getting very limited, poor information as a result of testing. Having been through two assessments it was so clear to me that we were getting a lot of individualized specific information about our child that would go so far beyond any milestone quiz. I am aware though that we were lucky to get really good assessments. It seems like it is far too common for parents to be sent away without a lot of helpful information.
A lot of people I know who have kids identified GT got it from their school assessment that did everyone in one grade in a sweeping group test. The report is oh... two sentences long. It IS a YES or NO. They don't have the kind of information that we get from an individualized report. This is probably fine for mildly to moderately gifted kids who are happy and successful in school, and feeling challenged enough.
