Q. Our 9-year-old daughter is an excellent student in all subjects, enthusiastic, motivated and cheerful. She got top marks in third grade, her first year of public school, and excellent appraisals in her Montessori school for kindergarten through second grade. Her third-grade teacher frequently said she needed more challenge, and my daughter said that "third grade was all review." Fourth grade is also.

She took the Otis Lennon School Ability Test in December of third grade, her first standardized test of any kind, and scored in the 91 percentile for her age. While this score is not off the charts, we were disappointed to learn that she was not even considered for the five-year "gifted and talented" program that starts in fourth grade based on this score and on nebulous other factors.

In your opinion, how reliable are the criteria generally used by school districts to identify children for gifted programs, and do you think these programs make a tremendous difference in a student's overall school experience?

A. Gifted programming is often excellent in public schools and usually provides challenge, acceleration and enrichment for students who qualify. These programs can make a real difference. On the other hand, identification for gifted programming is not always reliable.

The gold standard for the identification of "gifted" involves multiple evaluations, including an individual IQ test, achievement tests, teacher observations, creativity tests and even parental input. Many schools cut short that identification process by giving only a screening test such as the Otis Lennon test. A screening test is given to the whole class, and while it can identify gifted children, it may under-identify those children for any number of reasons.

For example, children who are more thoughtful and don't work rapidly enough may be penalized because of timing, or children who fear guessing if they're not certain of the answer can lose important points.

Your daughter's 91 percentile score would place her in the top 9 percent in the nation, but the gifted program might be tailored to only the top 3 percent. Most school districts have an appeal process where you can arrange for a school or private psychologist to individually test your daughter. That may result in a better, more accurate score. Based on your description of her being unchallenged in the classroom, it would seem worthwhile to pursue a potential reevaluation. If nothing else, you'll understand your daughter's strengths and weaknesses better, and will be better equipped to help her learn to her potential.

If her next test qualifies her, she would undoubtedly benefit by the program and would indeed be more likely to be challenged. If she remains unqualified, explore other out-of-classroom opportunities for challenging learning. There are many summer enrichment programs that are open to talented and interested students, and the qualifications for these programs are not usually as rigid as they are for formal gifted programs.

For a free newsletter about keys to parenting your gifted child, send a large self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094, or read other parenting articles at www.sylviarimm.com.

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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