The Increasingly Important Role of Off-Level Testing in the Context of the Talent Development Perspective

In the context of increasing interest and support for a developmental conception of giftedness, there is perhaps an ever-greater need for off-level testing for students with high potential. Off-level testing is no longer merely a single-use tool that helps administrators identify students for gifted programs, but provides essential information about where students’ various strengths are currently situated on the developmental trajectory, which helps students, parents, teachers, and administrators to develop dynamic and individualized “pathways” toward self-discovery, opportunities for challenge and growth, and ultimately productive and fulfilling life-work. It further provides a means for assessment of progress in a way that takes into account a student’s unique abilities and needs, as well as the way in which student abilities naturally differentiate as that student develops and matures.