St. Johns County Gifted Evaluation Timelines For 2016-2017

FREE Gifted Testing!!!

At no cost to parents, students at any grade level in the St. Johns County School District can be screened for gifted evaluation.  Teachers make referrals, but parents can also request that their child be screened by contacting the school counselor.

All 2nd grade students are screened for intellectual giftedness in October.  How it works:

1. The Otis Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) is administered to the class as a group.  The OLSAT is a screener, it is not the actual IQ test!  The screener is used to determine who is referred on for the actual IQ test.  It may miss kids who actually are intellectually gifted and it may refer kids who do not end up scoring in the gifted range.
2. In addition, the classroom teacher completes a Teacher Checklist.  Your child must have at least 11 of the 20 characteristics of gifted children listed on the checklist to be referred for the gifted IQ test.
3. If your child passes the screener and the teacher checklist criteria, you will sign a consent for evaluation and your child will be individually tested by a school psychologist with the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scale (RIAS).  That test should be completed by February and you should have results by the end of March.   

Why test privately if the school tests for free?

I agree, free testing is great!  Private testing is indicated when:

1.  Your child misses the cut-off score on the screener or on the RIAS IQ test, but you suspect that your child may be gifted.  A single score is just a one time measure!  Kids can miss a cut-off score for a variety of reasons:  not feeling well, anxious, shy, over- thinking, not attentive, wrong test for measuring that particular child's strengths, or just an off day!
2. You would like to have the test and the test score more quickly than the school system can provide it.
3. You suspect that your child will perform better if tested outside of the school day.  We typically schedule testing on SATURDAYS, school holidays, or early morning.  When you schedule the test you have more control over performance variables such as whether your child is feeling well, rested, and well-fed prior to testing!
4. You  want your child to be tested by a psychologist who has time to develop a rapport, take breaks, and provide a relaxed environment vs. someone who might need to test several children in a day!
5. Your child needs to take an alternative IQ test.  We offer the RIAS, the WISC, and the Stanford-Binet.

GREAT NEWS!  Private test results are now accepted at any time of the school year in St. Johns County!