DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT AND ITS USE WITH UNDERSERVED GIFTED AND TALENTED POPULATIONS

A relatively close new nontraditional approach to assessing cognitive ability is to instruct students on how to perform on certain tasks and then measure their progress in learning to solve similar problems. Th is approach, called dynamic assessment, usually consists of a test-int ervene-retest format that focuses attention on the improvement in stud ent performance when an adult provides mediated assistance on how to m aster the testing task. The dynamic assessment approach can provide a means for assessing disadvantaged, disabled, or limited English profic iency students who have not demonstrated high ability on traditional t ests of intelligence and creativity. Dynamic assessment methods should be considered by school districts with large numbers of disadvantaged students which are dissatisfied with the effectiveness of traditional methods for identifying students for specialized enrichment programs.