The Use of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) To Identify Academically Talented Elementary School Students

Based on the results of two pilot testing projects, the Secondary School Admission Test appears to be an acceptable instrument for identifying academically talented students of elementary school age. In trials consistent with the Talent Search Identification Model developed at The Johns Hopkins University, an above-level form of the SSAT was administered to two samples of fifth and sixth graders. Mean scores for eighth-and ninth-grade normative samples are recommended as cutoffs for identifying highly able fifth-and sixth- grade students who could benefit from academically challenging programming.