intelligence

There are many ways to measure intelligence.  Does a person's achievement really reflect their capabilities?  What does it mean to be 'gifted'?  And how does a 'gifted' child fit into the curriculum of a 'regular' school?

Andy and I have been toiling with these questions for the past few months, ever since Alex's preschool suggested that we get him IQ tested, because they thought he might be 'gifted'.  Alex is very bright, there is no denying that.  He has been doing 100 piece puzzles on his own since he was four, and he can build the most amazing things with blocks and legos.  When we do first grade math homework aloud with Devin, Alex is often as quick or quicker to answer the questions, and a couple months before his fifth birthday he began to read.  I think our first reaction would have been to assume that Alex was just trying to keep up with his brother by doing the things that Devin does.  However, a close friend and educator had mentioned the same thing to us months before; she also said she thought he might be gifted.  We began to wonder if there was something else at play.  If Alex was truly gifted, we would need to find out so that we could ensure that he's being challenged appropriately in school.  So we met with a psychologist and an education specialist, both of whom suggested that Alex be IQ tested, and we started investigating our options for his education.  Can the school that we plan to send him to accommodate gifted kids?  Is there space for him in the gifted academy, even though we are not in that district?  Does our own district have any options to offer?  Is Alex truly gifted??????
Months ago, when we initially discussed this, my friend was quick to warn me that gifted kids don't always do well in school. They don't always follow along with the class and are often curious and impulsive. They excel in what they are interested in, and sometimes disregard the rest. She likened Devin to a "high achiever", meaning he's a smart kid that will work hard and do well in school. This is rather familiar to Andy and I, since I think we both fall into that category.  But gifted kids... well we all have something to learn.

For the purposes of Alex's evaluation, the psychologist said that they consider an IQ of 140 to be gifted (100 is average).  She also mentioned that most Catholic grade schools teach to an IQ level of 115 or 120.  Alex was tested last week.  While we are awaiting the official results, the psychologist indicated that he tested at about 135 for non-verbal and about 120 for verbal.  While he may qualify for the gifted academy, we learned that they will not take students from other districts.  However, he is still above (or at the high water mark) for the Catholic school's curriculum.  We are waiting for her full report before we approach his future Kindergarten.  Although he is not considered gifted, with that IQ he is considered to be in the top 2.2% of his peers and we want to ensure that the school knows what kind of special little guy they are getting in the fall.