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Anyone over the age of 50 who was offered the
chance to take the SAT at age 13 was pretty
extraordinary. I think we got the PSAT
(preliminary SAT) in 9th grade, but no SAT until
junior year (it costs money. The PSAT did not).
Now, they should look at the Iowa tests, the
California tests to get a broader sample.

But am I confused? 13-year olds plus 25 years
later isn't greater than 50 years old, but let me
check with the kids next door.

[I notice that now they have a predictor, it will
lead to "opportunities for educators and
policymakers to develop programs to cultivate
these individuals". Maybe they shouldn't if the lack worked well.]
By the way, this is the 50th anniversary of Sputnik.

mpb

Source: Vanderbilt University
Date: September 7, 2007

Future Career Path Of Gifted Youth Can Be Predicted By Age 13 By SAT
Science Daily a The future career path and
creative direction of gifted youth can be
predicted well by their performance on the SAT at
age 13, a new study from Vanderbilt University finds.

The study offers insights into how best to
identify the nation's most talented youth, which
is a focus of the new $43 billion America
Competes Act recently passed by Congress to
enhance the United States' ability to compete globally.

"Our economy depends upon the creative
sector--science, technology, the arts, medicine,
law and entertainment," David Lubinski, study
co-author and professor of psychology at
Vanderbilt's Peabody College of education and
human development, said. "Our research finds that
differences in creative potential among highly
gifted youth can be identified at age 13,
offering opportunities for educators and
policymakers to develop programs to cultivate
these individuals based on their unique strengths and abilities."
The research was drawn from the Study of
Mathematically Precocious Youth or SMPY, which is
tracking 5,000 individuals over 50 years
identified at age 13 as being highly intelligent
by their SAT scores. Lubinski and Camilla Benbow,
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and
Human Development at Peabody College, lead the
study. Their co-author on the new report,
published online by Psychological Science Sept.
7, was Gregory Park, a doctoral student in
Peabody's Department of Psychology and Human Development.

The current study looked at the educational and
professional accomplishments of 2,409 adults who
had been identified as being in the top 1 percent
of ability 25 years earlier, at age 13.

"We found significant differences in the creative
and career paths of individuals who showed
different ability patterns on the math and verbal
portions of the SAT at age 13," Benbow, a member
of the National Science Board and vice chair of
the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, said.
"Individuals showing more ability in math had
greater accomplishments in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, while those showing
greatest ability on the verbal portion of the
test went on to excel in the humanities--art,
history, literature, languages, drama and related fields."

Overall, the creative potential of these
participants was extraordinary. They earned a
total of 817 patents and published 93 books. Of
the 18 participants who later earned tenure-track
positions in math/science fields at top-50 U.S.
universities, their average age 13 SAT-M score
was 697, and the lowest score among them was 580,
a score greater than over 60 percent of all students who take the SAT.
Benbow believes the latest findings from SMPY may
be relevant to the ongoing public discussion
about education and competitiveness.

"SMPY has already shown that highly achieving
adults can be identified at an early age. These
results now show us that we can also predict in
which areas they are most likely to excel," she
said. "The policy question becomes: how best can
we support individuals such as these, especially
during their formative years, to help promote their development and success""
The findings contradict recent reports that the SAT has no predictive value.
"The key factor in our study is that the SAT was
administered at a young age," Lubinski said.
"When students take the test in high school, the
most able students all score near the top, and
individual differences are harder to see. Using
the test with gifted students at a young age
allows us to easily identify differences in
strengths and abilities that could potentially be
used to help shape that person's education."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news
release issued by Vanderbilt University.
  "
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070907092930.htm