Using Picture-Based Nonverbal Tests to Help Identify Academically Talented Children

• In Event: Issues in Identification and Measurement of Student Abilities and Talent

Abstract

Language-reduced ability tests are the primary talent identification tools for ELL children. For young children, picture-based reasoning tests can significantly broaden the scope of the assessment. Using a nationally representative sample, we show that ELL, low SES, and minority children in grades K-2 typically perform as well or better on such tests than on figural reasoning tests. We also show that for children in grades 3-6, language-reduced quantitative tests are an often overlooked alternative to figural tests. Finally, inferences about ability require comparison of a child’s performance with that of other children who have had similar opportunities to develop skills tested. When this assumption is questionable, multiple normative perspectives can greatly assist in the identification of academically talented children.

Authors

• David F. Lohman, University of Iowa

• James Lamar Gambrell, University of Iowa