It is possible that at your child’s school they have informed you that they will pass intelligence tests or you have even gone to a professional to have them done. Intelligence tests are an estimation of the intellectual functioning of a student through the performance of various tasks designed to evaluate different types of reasoning. The intelligence quotient (IQ) of a student can be measured through standardized tests or tests with standards.
- Intelligence implies the ability to think, solve problems, analyze situations. And understand social values, customs and norms.
- Verbal intelligence It is the ability to understand and solve problems based on language.
- Non-verbal intelligence It is the ability to understand and solve visual and spatial problems.
ARE INTELLIGENCE TESTS IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS?
Intelligence tests are carried out to better understand how a student can perform intellectually. And assess the needs they have in the academic field. They are important to detect or rule out special educational needs mental disabilities. And establish a ratio intellectual in order to diagnose a possible learning disability.
Depending on the type of intelligence test that is carried out, educators can give instructions. Or strategies specially designed for the development of an individual educational plan in case it is necessary.
MOST COMMON INTELLIGENCE TESTS
They compare “normal” skill levels with those of individual students of the same age. The intelligence tests can be of several types:
- Group intelligence tests. They usually consist of paper tests and score sheets. Group performance tests, which evaluate academic areas, sometimes include a cognitive measure. However, in some cases, they may be useful as a screening measure to consider if additional tests are needed. And can provide good background information about a child’s academic record.
Individual intelligence tests can include several types of tasks and can include tests to indicate the correct answers, tasks of puzzles or of games, sessions of questions and answers. The Wechsler Children’s Intelligence Scale (WISC) and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, formerly known as the Binet – Simon test, are examples of individualized intelligence tests. The WISC test includes questions based on language, symbols. And performance, while the Stanford-Binet test helps diagnose students with cognitive disabilities.
- Tests on the computer. These tests are becoming more common and examiners should consider the child’s needs and abilities before choosing this type of format.
- Nonverbal intelligence tests. In these tests, the tasks are designed to eliminate verbal intelligence from the evaluation of a child’s reasoning skills. And to isolate and evaluate a student’s visual learning skills.
Because in many cases, there are variables that can interfere in the results of tests, such as fatigue or distractions without that means that a bad result must label a student.
Intelligence tests for children in the school setting
Experts affirm that a high percentage of children qualified as gifted experience a school failure because their needs are not specifically addressed. The intelligence tests for children are very useful to diagnose these students and, subsequently, apply the necessary adaptations for a favorable academic progress.
These tests of intelligence for children are also very useful in the school context. Because they allow identifying specific problems of the students in certain learning areas. To identify cognitive deficit in different levels such as cognitive deficit. Or mild, moderate, severe or profound mental retardation.
Need to detect a child with high abilities
The intelligence test for children in high capacities is an indispensable tool for detecting and tool support their needs.
One of the concerns of the education sector refers to the detection and integration of children who have some learning difficulty. When we think of children who may have difficulties during their learning, we rarely remember children with high abilities.
Normally, it is difficult to detect children with high abilities. So they do not usually receive the stimuli or the type of education appropriate to their characteristics.
To detect a child with high abilities, families, teachers and educational centers should be alert to their characteristics and abilities. Although parents are usually not objective about the intelligence of their children.There are a series of indicators that generally characterize them: language proficiency at an early age, easy to memorize and learn quickly, interest in knowing new things, creativity. And imagination, high sensitivity and even emotional imbalances.
But not at the level of capabilities. It is also an obstacle of greater depth than it seems.But students with difficulties are subjected to a reinforcement that insists on correcting them, regardless of their possible alternative capabilities.
On the other hand, a gifted student can get very bad grades. And have an undisciplined behavior, or simply have mediocre grades. If the teachers do not adequately interpret the indications of a student with high abilities, their behavior will be confused.
Boredom, demotivate, isolation and, even, depressive symptomatically can accompany these children from a certain evolutionary moment when their differences with others are more evident.
. And the resources to detect them and adopt the necessary adjustments are scarce. Or totally unknown by the educational community of our country.
- The acceleration. It consists of advancing the pace of learning by placing the child in a more advanced course. The current regulations allow advance a course throughout Primary and another in Secondary.
- The grouping. It consists of grouping children with high capacities in groups within the same center.
- The most recently developed option, as a support to the needs of the gifted in the school, is to keep them located in their usual classes, along with the rest of their classmates. But developing a qualitatively different curriculum that adapts to their needs.
Identification and early intervention is essential for the growth and development of high-ability children. Equipped with practical teaching strategies and creative resources, teachers are in a unique position to advance the talents of children with high abilities in a stimulating environment of discovery and original thinking. A special sensitivity to the needs of children and young people with high abilities can make a significant difference to their future development and happiness.
