Ruf Estimates of Levels of Giftedness

A Summary

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The following information is a general summary of the Ruf Estimates of Levels of Giftedness. There is overlap in each of the levels, and inner qualities — qualities that can sometimes change over time due to environmental circumstances — are often the factors that make the difference among several Levels. For example, the degree of personal intensity and drive seem to be one big difference between Level Four and Level Five, the highest level. Some gifted children demonstrate a higher level of intensity and drive than others of similar assessed ability levels, while others only “catch fire” when they find or discover a new interest — an interest they are allowed to pursue — that becomes an all-consuming passion. In the other direction, a gifted child whose inner drive leads him to want to study everything he can get his hands on concerning the ocean, but who is forced to attend school all day with children who cannot yet read well, may at least temporarily lose his passion for learning and appear to be of lower personal drive for the time being.

Here is my most updated table for the Levels and the corresponding IQ score ranges and labels (because people ask for them and not because I totally like depending on scores, because I don’t. My doctoral work focused on Test & Measurement in the Educational Psychology Program at the University of Minnesota and I am aware of how scores are useful but the accuracy for measuring human intelligence with a test is — at best — about 70–75%):

Author Note: The Levels are not designed for clear “cut-offs.” This is not a horse race.

Level One Gifted:

· Approximately 87th-97th percentiles on standardized tests

· Terms Superior* to Moderately Gifted on IQ tests

· IQ scores [1] of about 117 to 129

· Generally top one-third to one-fourth of students in a typical public mixed-ability class

· Many in this Level don’t qualify for gifted programs (scores don’t meet school criteria)

· Predominate gifted program population due to higher frequency compared to Levels Two through Five

· Start kindergarten with end-of-year skills already mastered

Level Two Gifted:

· Mostly 98–99th percentiles on standardized tests

· Terms Moderately to Highly Gifted or Very Advanced on IQ tests

· IQ scores of about 125–135

· As many as one to three in typical mixed-ability classroom

· Qualify for gifted programs

· Second most common in gifted programs

· Master most kindergarten skills one to two years before kindergarten (by age 4)

Level Three Gifted:

· Approximately 98–99th percentiles on standardized tests

· Terms Highly to Exceptionally Gifted or Very Advanced on IQ tests

· IQ scores of about 130 to 140

· One or two per grade level, more in high socioeconomic schools

· Qualify for gifted programs — above level of most other participants and material

· Unless gifted program includes more than one grade level, student may be only one of same ability in gifted class

· Master majority of kindergarten skills by age 3 or 4

· Question Santa or Tooth Fairy (or something similar) by age 3 to 5

· Most spontaneously read with or w/o previous instruction before kindergarten

· Most read simple chapter books by age 5–6

· Most intuitively use numbers for all operations before kindergarten