Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment How much detail for application?

Hi,

My daughter's test scores just arrived and meet the criteria for DYS. (165+ FSIQ for WISC IV and 157 Broad Math for WJ Achievement). I am very busy at work this month and will not have a lot of time to spend on the application. Since her scores clearly meet the criteria and I'm certain her teacher will have a great recommendation, I'm wondering how much detail/how expansive I really need to be in the application. If I don't write enough, will they ask for more detail or reject her application? Thank you for your help,

If your DD's scores qualify (and it definitely sounds like they do), you can probably be somewhat brief (although I would recommend complete answers).

I agree. I probably spent about 30 minutes on the application, if I remember correctly, so I don't think it's an excessively long application process. My son had similar scores and honestly, I don't think there was a question about whether he would qualify. I had WISC and EXPLORE.

You shouldn't need more than an hour or so to answer the questions. When we applied, Davidson used paper applications and I hand-wrote one or two paragraphs per question in the space provided. I don't believe that an exhaustive history reaching back several years is necessary or even wise. I kept it short and sweet by avoiding everything that would have been obvious based on the rest of the application. Therefore, I made no mention of math or reading and only included anecdotes that might stand out among high ability cohorts. For example, I mentioned observing DS killing a high school game at age 7, which required swift application of the Amendments to factual scenarios to determine whether there were constitutional violations.

Good luck - you should be fine because those are high scores rather than borderline.