Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Is My Kid Gifted?

At least 'behaving consistient with duck-like expectations at this moment in time.' ((wink))

I applied to Johns Hopkins for her to take the SCAT. I guess I just wait now. What IS this SCAT test. Seems like its just above grade level testing...Why isn't the WJ good enough? How is she going to do well on an above grade test when she has been given very little above grade material to work on.?

If she does well, then what? I don't even know where to begin on getting a bigger pond for this duck.

She has organized an art show for the neighborhood. I told her that she might be able to get the Art Emporium to provide the prizes. She did. So, I feel good about supporting her in this, but I don't know how long I can keep it up!

Yesterday she was making Iced Tea and sitting in the yard offering it to people and dying her hair with paroxide.(which reminds me, she wanted me to look up why it make your hair orange.) The few days before were partly filled with her designing an iPhone application social networking via...umm maybe I shouldn't say ...just in case she has something! lol...anyway she spent hours in photoshop designing what the screens should look like for her app. Today she had her little sis pose for like 45 minutes while she drew her and learned a card trick, she made lunch, practiced piano...(which is just playing tunes cause we can't afford lessons..) did her 4th grade workbook and then I suggested she do the first problem on every page in her 5th grade workbook...she liked that. (She complains that she doesn't like to do the same problem 100 times..so I thought I'd look like I'm listening and working with her).
She already knew how to do 2 digits on the bottom multiplication...when she saw 3 digits, she just did it...I was happy to see that she was transferring her knowlege..

She will be in Ballet Intensives all next week! That will be nice for both (all) of us!

So, thanks for the advice/info/observations...

I just hope that I can believe the results of this "test." I have a hard time believing that she could score 99.9 or whatever it was on the WJ in spelling/grammar...or whatever...when they didn't test ALL the words..I feel like she just happened to know those words.

I am about to send you a PM (flashing envelope)

Sydness,
I just wanted to chime in (maybe a little late) and agree, agree, agree. Your DD's milestones are eerily similar to those of my DS, who is in other ways a more obviously presenting PGlet. Don't let the well-roundedness throw you off. Although it's pretty common for there to be an area of strength, there are several kids who are above grade-level across the board. It's not a way to exclude giftedness. If anything (and please do read Dr. Ruf's book because she talks about this) it's a sign of profound giftedness.
Coming here and reading more about gifted issues will help you figure out how you can best help your daughter. But, regardless of whether or not she is gifted, or at what level, it sounds like you need to figure out something to improve her school situation. The art show and working on the app sound like great projects and I think you instinctively know what to do to help her. Now, the school admins, that's where you have to plan and strategize.
Oh, and the stumbling on "easy" problems is pretty classic too. My husband said that he was convinced he was stupid because he thought there must be more to the questions because they seemed so easy and yet everyone else thought they were hard. He figured he must be missing something. And my DS often tries to change worksheets or make them more interesting. Last year he brought home a math sheet with the answers written out (nineteen instead of 19).
Good luck and let us know what you find out!

Hi! I just wanted to chime in that if your daughter is interested in learning piano but you don't want to do lessons, you could always start her on a series of instructional books that she could work through at her own pace. I taught myself to play starting at about age 8 and I am so glad that I did, because it's still something I love to do every day! I probably did the first 4-5 levels of books and then moved on to just purchasing any music that wasn't too hard.

Kerripat - we are doing that with my daughter and she is loving it. I think it is better than lessons for her because she is in control.

Sydness - you will be surprised at how much above grade level material a gifted child can absorb. I sometimes have no idea where my kids get some of the stuff they have in their heads. That is part of the point. Smart kids can learn what they are taught. Gifted kids can often learn without being taught.

Just a warning though - my DD was an underachiever and she didn't blossom until she decided that she was ready. We just found ways to reward achievement (paying for A's to get her to do the boring work) and found ways for her to really achieve (the elementary school science olympiad in our case). So, the first two times that we coughed up and paid for testing, it was a total waste of money.

Just saying - don't be discouraged if an underachiever underachieves when you are paying for it. Keep giving your child opportunities to achieve and motivation for achieving. She'll bloom when she is ready.

Mary