{"id":7050,"date":"2016-06-17T10:33:14","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T17:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/sat\/?p=7050"},"modified":"2018-10-24T02:49:56","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T09:49:56","slug":"sat-test-gifted-talented-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/sat\/sat-test-gifted-talented-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"SAT Test for Gifted and Talented Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

National programs, school districts, and even individual institutions have many different methods of testing students who may qualify for Gifted and Talented programs. Gifted and Talented programs can provide more challenging coursework, recognition for high achievement, and a wide range of academic opportunities for students who consistently perform above grade and age level in school. Though the SAT is created to measure high school junior and senior students\u2019 aptitude for college readiness, some Gifted and Talented programs use the SAT to assess students\u2019 reading and math skills.<\/p>\n

Why use the SAT?<\/h2>\n

In order to catch students and begin providing support earlier, parents and schools often choose to test younger students. Although elementary age students might take a different set of tests, middle school students are likely to be administered an SAT as part of their Gifted and Talented assessment. For schools, offering the SAT is familiar and easy, since the SAT is so widespread already. For students, taking the SAT provides a fairly straightforward comparison to other students, again because the SAT is pretty standard across US schools.<\/p>\n

Gifted and Talented testing often includes a range of exams and assessments, including both achievement and ability tests. Achievement tests, like the SAT, try to assess what students already know…what students have achieved so far in school. Theoretically, the results will show parents and educators whether the test taker is more academically advanced than other students at the same grade level. Generally, academic achievement tests need to have a high \u201cceiling\u201d–in other words, the test shouldn\u2019t limit the test-taker\u2019s ability to show how much he or she knows. Since the SAT is designed for high school juniors and seniors, that creates a pretty high ceiling for middle school students taking the exam. For Gifted and Talented testing, the point isn\u2019t just getting the highest score possible. Remember, these are 6th grade kids taking a test designed to show college readiness! The purpose of the SAT scores in Gifted and Talented testing is to help educators and parents see the student\u2019s strengths and weaknesses laid out clearly in data.<\/p>\n

Registering as a non-high school student<\/h2>\n

Since the SAT is designed for upper level high school students, it can be a bit more of a process to register if you\u2019re younger! But, it\u2019s not impossible. Students outside of the typical grade and age range for the SAT will just need to follow a different set of guidelines.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a student below the age of 13, or a parent registering your child who is below the age 13, you\u2019ll need to register by mail<\/a>. Registering by mail isn\u2019t difficult, but you do need to make sure you gather all materials before you send off your registration!<\/p>\n