SOI contributes to gifted education in two ways. First, the various SOI tests offer an effective means of qualifying students for gifted programs. The tests measure a breadth of cognitive abilities so they are appropriate for use with very diverse populations. Second, the SOI training modules offer to a gifted program a qualitatively different instructional content, not just accelerated academics. This provides an opportunity to enhance already gifted abilities and to develop abilities that are not yet at the gifted level. A unique feature of the SOI approach to the gifted is that it carries a positive message for the near-gifted. In most gifted programs the student is either in or out according to the qualifying criteria. With the SOI approach the near-gifted have a clear means of becoming gifted if they want to develop their near-gifted abilities to the gifted level.
Which of the 90 different abilities are gifted? All SOI tests are based on Guilford's Structure of Intellect identifying 90 intellectual abilities. Each SOI test has a subset of these 90 abilities. The subsets differ according to purpose of the assessment and the developmental level of the test taker. 2.1 How to use SOI tests for selecting students for gifted programs. Since the SOI tests are multi-faceted, testing many different abilities, the multi-faceted nature of the tests allows for gifted programs to consider a wider diversity of students than with traditional, IQ and achievement tests. (A statistical packet for each test suggests criteria for selection for gifted programs; these criteria maintain the integrity of a multi-faceted assessment.) The profile from the SOI test is used in many gifted programs to derive individual and qualitatively different courses of study for each gifted student. 2.2 SOI Test of Learning Abilities, Form CR Group administered assessment. Groups can be classroom size (except for unusual populations). Individual testing available, contact SOI Systems.
2.3 SOI Test of Learning Abilities, Form L Group administered assessment. Kindergarten groups cannot be larger than three or four. Grade three groups can be classroom size. Individual testing available, contact SOI Systems.
2.4 SOI K-3 Screening Kit Individually administered test. Originally designed for New York City Schools to predict early giftedness. Administered to tens of thousands in the New York City Schools.
Test is sold as a kit, and is scored and evaluated by a test administrator.
Wide spectrum assessment will help qualify a more diverse population for your gifted program, but then you need a wide spectrum program to match. Here are two profiles of gifted students. The students are very different in their patterns of intellectual abilities. This student has a classic academic profile– strong in semantics, in comprehension, memory, and problem solving. Notice however, that the student is only average in evaluation and creativity, and is below average in figural abilities. This student is also gifted, but does not have an academic profile– weak in semantics and comprehension, but strong in figural, symbolic, and creative abilities. In fact, this student's weakness in the academic abilities may have resulted in placement for the learning disabled. (It should be possible for a student to be both gifted and learning disabled.) This student is gifted, but this student will flounder in a traditional semantically oriented gifted program. 3.1 A Unified Gifted Program. It is important that the program serving both of these students is unified in its approach– i.e., the non-academic student should not have a separate program– there should be one program for both. The unified program that will benefit them both is one that enhances their strong abilities and develops those that are not as strong (or even weak). The program in concept is the same for both. The program differs in terms of the focus for each individual– each will work to enhance and develop their abilities, but those will be different sets according to profiles. The students work on enhancing and developing abilities by using the SOI Training Modules –a set of modules for each student defines their gifted program– serving a diversified population in a manner that is at once, unified, individualized, and qualitatively different from the curriculum– all hallmarks of a meaningful gifted program.
SOI is a complete system– assessment, diagnosis, and treatment in the same system. The SOI tests measure learning abilities. These assessments are then related to learning requirements. The result of this comparison is a diagnosis of the students' strengths and weaknesses in learning. Most importantly, the weaknesses can be developed and strengthened with SOI Training Modules/Personalized Workbooks which are based on the Structure of Intellect theory. General intelligence tests –those that provide different measures of IQ– offer very little that is helpful diagnostically. "Under achieving" and "over achieving" may be descriptive evaluations, but they do not help diagnose learning problems. Very skilled clinicians, who use their powers of observation during the administration of a general intelligence test, can provide some diagnostic insight into learning problems, but unless those insights are translated into systematic treatment, the problems will persist. 4.1 A Unified Gifted Program. SOI offers more than one hundred modules for training intelligence. Each module is focused on one learning ability. Modules in combination can be used to train general learning abilities. The SOI Training Modules complete the system: SOI tests to obtain a learning profile, SOI analyses to diagnose learning problems and SOI Training Modules to treat the cause of the learning problems. SOI Modules are formatted for different age groups– kindergartner through adults. Each module is articulated from easy to difficult, and is designed to provide the foundation for the specific learning ability. In a school setting each module requires about two weeks of study– assuming 30 to 45 minutes a day.
