The Five Levels of Gifted School Years and Post-High School Education and Careers

Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations from the 18-Year Longitudinal Study[i]

A Reminder About the General Descriptions of Levels

When does each Level of Gifted reach the mental performance age of 12?

Level One (Moderately Gifted): about age 10

Level Two (Highly Gifted): about age 9

Level Three (Exceptionally Gifted: about age 8

Level Four (Exceptionally to Profoundly Gifted): about age 7

Level Five (Profoundly Gifted): age 6

The School Years

Typically Kindergarten through Grade Twelve; ages five to eighteen

The parents of every subject in the study experienced difficulties setting up the best educational environment possible for their very bright and advanced children. Almost all of them had Unsatisfactory starts to their school years. In my mind, it shouldn’t be this way. This is a time when most parents have no background yet in giftedness, but certainly the teachers should have this background. Surely principals should have this background and also a plan to accommodate these youngsters…